What is rockabilly you ask? Rockabilly has its roots starting to back in the early 1950s. The term rockabilly is a combination of rock (from rock 'n' roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style's development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. While there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the Southern United States.
The influence and popularity of the style waned in the 1960s, but during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a major revival of popularity, thanks to such groups like The Stray Cats, that has endured to the present, often within a rockabilly subculture.
So those of you reading who are looking for some examples of this genre, I present to you some of my favorite rockabilly songs.
Featuring his most accomplished vocal to that time, this cover of an Arthur Gunter blues song may have been the most professional rockabilly Elvis ever recorded. That doesn't make it dull -- this is hot, with smoking guitar licks, and raunchy enough to mention a "pink cadillac," wink wink -- but it's also got that rockabilly spirit, which means the King can deliver a line like "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to see you with another man" and have it come out both loose and nonthreatening.
Cherokee Boogie and The Shotgun Boogie - BR549
Initially, BR549's sound was influenced by 1950s honky tonk, as well as Western swing, rockabilly and Bakersfield sound. Steve Huey of Allmusic described their sound and appearance as "unabashedly retro", as the band's members dressed in "old, budget-friendly clothes" Cut in one take as an afterthought, this pounding number announced The Killer's arrival on the rock and roll scene -- a parents' nightmare who learned boogie-woogie at the feet of the masters. This hillbilly stomp had roots that stretched back to the birth of the blues, but as with everything else, Jerry Lee put his own individual stamp all over it.
Someone once called the vocal on this classic the best female rock vocal of all time. That's debatable, though the one they called The Sweet Girl With The Nasty Voice does push an amazing amount of force from her eighteen-year-old body, sort of like Brenda Lee's naughty older sister. She'd already been practicing the song to herself for two years before she ever got signed, and her boyfriend -- a singer by the name of Elvis Presley -- knew she had it in her.
The Stray Cats and Brian Setzer:
Formed in 1980 by Brian Setzer, the group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S. including "Stray Cat Strut", "Sexy and 17", "I Won't Stand in Your Way", "Bring it Back Again", and "Rock This Town", which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed as one of the 500 most important songs in the history of rock and roll
Bruce Springsteen
So there you have it readers.....Rockabilly.
Do you like this genre? What songs do you know that could be considered great rockabilly songs?
Until next time.........
You forgot about the good Reverends, Reverend Horton Heat and Reverend Beat-Man! A little on the grungy side, but somewhat of a rockabilly beat.
ReplyDeleteI like The Polecats. Boz Boorer's band (Morrissey's guitarist). Formed a few years ahead of The Stray Cats. They rock!
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