Rockabilly

1950's "Rockabilly" book by Harlan Ellison

Rockabilly is one of the earliest forms of rock and roll as a distinct style of music. It is a fusion of blues, boogie-woogie, and country music, and its origins lie in the American South.

The center of classic rockabilly reocordings was the Sun record studios in Memphis, Tennessee. There, Sun owner Sam Phillips discovered such artists as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Other influential artists in the genre included Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Rob Orbison, and Conway Twitty. Many of these, of course, went on to have important careers in "mainstream" rock. By the late 1950s, rockabilly had fused with rock and roll to such a degree that virtually died out as a distinct musical form.

Characteristics

The classic rockabilly sound was "a brash, lively, unselfconscious hybrid of blues and country," characterized by a "slapping string bass, twanging lead guitar [and] acoustic rhythm guitar - with plenty of echo while singers made astonishing yelps, gulps, hiccups and stutters."[1]

According to author Peter Guralnic, its rhythm was "nervously uptempo, as well as accented on the offbeat." The echo effect was a "homemade technique refined independently by Sam Phillips [in Memphis] and Leonard Chess in Chicago with sewer pipes and bathroom acoustics."

While usually thought of as a white southern genre, rockabilly's blend of blues and country crossed racial boundaries. Elvis Presley's music, for example, was popular on northern radios stations that catered to blacks. Chuck Berry, on the other hand, is an example of a black musician whose songs — though rarely characterized as rockabilly — often closely resemble it. (See for example: Johnny B. Goode and Sometimes I Will and Again I think I Won't.)

Early influences

In the 1940s, several country acts began performing blues-inlfuenced songs with driving rhythms that resemble a somewhat tame version of rockabilly. Bill Monroe's uptempo numbers such as "Heavy Traffic Ahead" and "Bluegrass Stomp" are examples. Hank Williams, adding drums and electric guitar created such pre-rockabilly classics as "Move It On Over," "Honky-Tonkin'" and "Hey Good Lookin', What You Got Cookin'?"

In 1952, Bill Haley and the Comets, released "Rock the Joint" on the Essex label, which some believe was very first true rockabilly recording, replete with slap bass and the hallmark country/blues sound. The song also featured the first appearance of guitar solo would re-appear in two years later in his biggest hit, "Rock Around The Clock." Tennessee Ernie Ford performed in a somewhat similar style on songs such as "Smokey Mountain Boogie." As Nick Tosches writes, "By the early 1950s, it was not uncommon to encounter simultaneous country and rhythm-and-blues recordings of the same song."

But rockabilly was a stripped-down version of its various sources, and thus a specific stylistic moment in the evolution of music that before had existed in many forms. The rockabilly movement of loud, fast, simple music that communicates directly with the audience was echoed in Great Britain by the resurgence of skiffle music. Both forms contributed materially to the development of rock and roll.

Bill Flagg was the first to name the music when he recorded for Tetra Records in 1955−1956. His song "Go Cat Go" went into the National Billboard charts in 1956. He is a member of the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame.

Elvis Presley's 1954 Memphis sessions for Sam Phillips's Sun Records produced arguably the most influential rockabilly recordings. "That's All Right (Mama)", first performed by Arthur Crudup, was a reworking of a blues tune, done with overtones of country music. "Blue Moon of Kentucky", by Bill Monroe, was a bluegrass standard, done with overtones of blues. Elvis had been singing similar songs on the Louisiana Hayride where he was billed as "The Hillbilly Cat", a title that embodies the rockabilly synthesis.

During roughly the same period of time, a young singer/songwriter down in Lubbock, Texas named Buddy Holly was busy taking elements of various musical styles (blues, country, gospel, south of the border, etc...) and melding them into what later became the "Tex-Mex" sound. Holly's pioneering efforts are legendary, and the rockabilly sound was a strong element in much of his work.

Carl Perkins, who also recorded for Sun, is another performer whose recordings helped to define the genre. "Blue Suede Shoes", written by Carl, is considered a classic of the style. The early recordings of Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Dale Hawkins, Charlie Feathers, Hasil Adkins, Gene Vincent, Billy Lee Riley, Johnny Burnette and Roy Orbison are also considered essential, although Cash, Vincent, Lewis, Burnette and Orbison each went on to perform in other styles. Eddie Cochran and Ricky Nelson also are considered rockabilly performers.

Rockabilly was also a vehicle for many women performers to display their musical talents as well. Women like Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin performed a liberating form of rockabilly. Wanda Jackson was the first woman to shed her cowboy hat and boots and opt for rhinesone earrings and high heels when singing rockabilly music. She utilized Elvis' backing group the Jordanaires in her recordings.

Although the influence of rockabilly, both as a musical style and as a set of attitudes and gestures, has never waned, Holly's death in a plane crash in 1959 tended to mark the end of the classic rockabilly era.

In 1977 Robert Gordon,accompanied by the legendary Link Wray on guitar,started the Rockabilly revival.His cover version of Billy Lee Riley's Red Hot got much radio airplay, RCA signed Gordon to a contract and he released the album Rock Billy Boogie in 1979,this time without Wray.His cover of the Conway Twitty classic It's only Make Believe got a lot of airplay on country music radio stations.Also in 1979,the very popular Operatic rock band Queen released Crazy little thing called love,a Rockabilly song which went to #1 on the U.S. charts,a few years later in the early 1980s The Stray Cats followed,The Stray Cats appeared often on MTV and had many hit records including Stray Cat Strut, Rock this Town, and Sexy and 17,another noteworthy Rockabilly band of the '80s was the Blasters, other revivalists followed in the 1990slike High Noon, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, Lone Star Trio, Danny Dean & The Homewreckers the Dave and Deke Combo, The Racketeers, and many others. And bands like The Cramps, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Reverend Horton Heat, Batmobile and more importantly The Meteors merged the music with Punk rock/Horror, forming a distinct sub-genre referred to as psychobilly. Dire Straits did a rockabilly track, The Bug, on their 1991 album On Every Street.

Guralnick writes, "Rockabilly is the purest of all rock 'n' roll genres. That is because it never went anywhere. It is preserved in perfect isolation within an indistinct time period....".

In 1997, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame was founded by Bob Timmers to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre.

Several rockabilly festivals take place each year; mostly in the U.S. and Europe. Attendance at these festivals ranges from a few hundred to several thousand. Since the late '90s the most popular of these has been Viva Las Vegas, which takes place each Easter weekend in Las Vegas.

The Fashion Sub-Culture

Devoted followers of Rockabilly music and its fashion are known as Rockabillies, or Billys within the "scene". The hairstyle is usually a tame or more exaggerated "pomp" or pompadour hairstyle as was popular with 1950s artists like Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and revivalists stars from the '80s, The Stray Cats. This hair style is usually maintained with large amounts of pomade hair wax from traditional brand names like Royal Crown, Black & White Pluko, Murrays, and Layrite. It was rumored that Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash both used Genuine B&W Pomade to hold up their hair with a thick and shiny look.

The clothing is largely reflective of the popular styles worn by the musicians in the 1950s themselves; slacks, pastel colored and Daddy-O styled shirts, baggy coats with the shirt collars worn over the coat collar, Brothel creeper shoes in every colour of the spectrum, with black and white being the most popular. Of course Levi jeans (501 or 505) and more casual items are also part of the wardrobe, to include t-shirts and motorcycle jackets. In regard to fashion, Rockabillies look very similar to other music/fashion subcultures like Greasers, Teds (Teddy Boys) and Rockers of the same era. All have a love and respect of classic American cars, British motorcycles, Rock and Roll, and vintage clothing. And all have a steady and popular revivalist following all over the world.

The female hairstyle is just evident today as in the '50s within the "scene". Long and short with bangs, in ponytails, or in curls with flowers in the hair. The clothing too reflects the "scene", pencil skirts, halter dresses, sweetheart dress, rockabilly circle skirt, sailor inspired suits, peddle pushers (a.k.a. capris), poodle skirts, cuffed jeans, as well as the western shirts. The shoes, mary jane, saddle shoes, flats, cowboy boots, and the ever so essential peep toe pumps, are a must have for every Rockabilly girl. Rockabillies are also known to use cigarette filters/holder such as Cruella De Vil's in 101 Dalmations.

Samples

Download sample of Elvis Presley's "Good Rockin' Tonight"

External links

Template:Countrymusic

Template:Rock

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