Rockabilly is an entertaining musical style that retains all its 1950s aspects: today it is a cult genre with a strong following.
Rockabilly encompasses classic convertible cars, cigarettes, vaseline-curled hairdos, leather jackets, jeans, sexy girls with a look halfway between femme fatale and pin-up, a dance floor and a lot of distraction.
Emerged in the early 1950s in the USA, this musical style was able to survive until our era, creating a subculture around it with passionate newcomers in basically all the planet who worship its songs and main artists. About its chronicle, evolution and main properties we will talk in the following lines so that you can become a professional in rockabilly.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROCKABILLY
This musical style fuses rhythm & blues, hillbilly and country-boogie, all of which derive from country music. The main instruments used in rockabilly are acoustic and electric guitars, double bass and drums. Some songs also feature piano or harmonica. Female backing vocals play a huge role in creating a sensual and distracting atmosphere.
SAM PHILLIPS, THE BUILDER OF STYLE
The history of rockabilly could not be understood without one name: Sam Phillips. The characteristic sound of the first rockabilly recordings included echo and delay, authentic contributions of the American announcer, technician and music producer Sam Phillips, owner of the Sun Records label, and who launched to popularity several of the first rockabilly exponents such as Bill Flagg, Johnny Carroll, Charlie Feathers, Billy Lee Riley and Bill Haley.
A YOUNG MAN NAMED ELVIS PRESLEY
Sun Records was in charge of the first recordings of a young Elvis Presley, the future king of rock n' roll, intimately related to rockabilly in its beginnings, before selling the rights to another more powerful production house: RCA, with which Presley achieved the rest of his triumphant career.
THE REBIRTH OF A GENRE
Throughout its birth and progress, rockabilly was a common genre but it never distinguished itself for its artists' rise to the top of the charts. It was not until the 80s that it experienced a revival through bands like the Stray Cats that paid tribute to a period and a musical style, achieving a lot of success and recognition through it.
ROCKABILLY ALBUMS THAT WILL HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THE GENRE
- Gin Gilette: Train to Satanville
- Peanuts Wilson: Cast Iron Arm
- Gene Vincent: Gene Vincent And The Blue Caps
- Eddie Cochran: The Eddie Cochran Memorial Album
- Dale Hawkins: Oh! Suzy Q
MUSIC
ROCKABILLY: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS MUSIC GENRE
By: Rodrigo Ayala Cárdenas
August 30, 2018
ROCKABILLY IS AN ENTERTAINING MUSICAL STYLE THAT RETAINS ALL ITS 1950S ASPECTS: TODAY IT IS A CULT GENRE WITH A LARGE FOLLOWING.
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Rockabilly encompasses classic convertible cars, cigarettes, vaseline-curled hairdos, leather jackets, jeans, sexy girls with a look halfway between femme fatale and pin-up, a dance floor and a lot of distraction.
Emerged in the early 1950s in the USA, this musical style was able to survive until our era, creating a subculture around it with passionate newcomers in basically all the planet who worship its songs and main artists. About its chronicle, evolution and main properties we will talk in the following lines so that you can become a professional in rockabilly.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF ROCKABILLY
This musical style fuses rhythm & blues, hillbilly and country-boogie, all of which derive from country music. The main instruments used in rockabilly are acoustic and electric guitars, double bass and drums. Some songs also feature piano or harmonica. Female backing vocals play a huge role in creating a sensual and distracting atmosphere.
SAM PHILLIPS, THE BUILDER OF STYLE
The history of rockabilly could not be understood without one name: Sam Phillips. The characteristic sound of the first rockabilly recordings included echo and delay, authentic contributions of the American announcer, technician and music producer Sam Phillips, owner of the Sun Records label, and who launched to popularity several of the first rockabilly exponents such as Bill Flagg, Johnny Carroll, Charlie Feathers, Billy Lee Riley and Bill Haley.
A YOUNG MAN NAMED ELVIS PRESLEY
Sun Records was in charge of the first recordings of a young Elvis Presley, the future king of rock n' roll, intimately related to rockabilly in its beginnings, before selling the rights to another more powerful production house: RCA, with which Presley achieved the rest of his triumphant career.
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THE REBIRTH OF A GENRE
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Throughout its birth and progress, rockabilly was a common genre but it never distinguished itself for its artists' rise to the top of the charts. It was not until the 80s that it experienced a revival through bands like the Stray Cats that paid tribute to a period and a musical style, achieving a lot of success and recognition through it.
ROCKABILLY ALBUMS THAT WILL HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THE GENRE
- Gin Gilette: Train to Satanville
- Peanuts Wilson: Cast Iron Arm
- Gene Vincent: Gene Vincent And The Blue Caps
- Eddie Cochran: The Eddie Cochran Memorial Album
- Dale Hawkins: Oh! Suzy Q
ROCKABILLY BANDS IN MEXICO
There has been a substantial rockabilly scene in Mexico for many years. Some of the most popular bands are Los Rebel Cats, Los Gatos, Los Black Jacks, Los Leopardos, Eddie y Los Grasosos, or Los Rebeldes Locos.
ROCKABILLY CLOTHING STYLE
Rockabilly is not only a musical style but it also became a whole subculture with several followers of different ages. They are characterized by special outfits that refer to the 50's when this entertaining, sensual and daring genre was born.
The women wear scarves in their voluminous hair, vintage cut dresses, jeans with the hem above the calf, high heels, red lipstick and black eyeliner. The men are distinguished by the use of huge tufts combed with Vaseline, black leather jackets, jeans, industrial boots or tennis shoes.
Both also have the possibility to adorn their bodies with tattoos or checkered shirts. The vintage convertible cars are also part of this world of rockabilly.
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