Rockabilly: A Little Bit Country, a Little Bit Rock 'N' Roll

Rockabilly was one of the first forms of Rock 'N' Roll that appeared in the 1950's.¹ Even though, it was short-lived during the 50's it remerged in the 70's and 80's and has stayed an important subculture ever since.² Even though today, Rockabilly is more of a fashion than a genre of music.

The music is made up of many different elements that make Rockabilly easy to define. Country music background, 12 bar blues structure, an "upright bass played in a slapped manner", a fast tempo, southern origin and a wild vocal style make up the very complex musical background.² It may seem weird that the first form of Rock 'N' Roll had it's roots dug deep into country music. However, the name Rockabilly is a combination of the words Rock 'N' Roll and Hillbilly.²

Memphis, Tennessee was the hub for early Rockabilly music. Many young men got together and formed Rockabilly bands that played at The Saturday Night Jamboree^.2 It has been proven that Rockabilly was first seen in Memphis and the first Rockabilly concert was played on the Jamboree's stage.² Later on, the first Rockabilly record label, Sun Records, was run by Sam Phillips in Memphis.² Phillips is the person who found Elvis Presley whom he considered marketable because he was white-a year later Phillips sold the contract he had with Elvis for $40,000.²

Yet, you can bet there was a major backlash against the Rockabilly movement. Many of the lyrics had a "hedonism" nature, and the desire to live a life full of parties.² This may seem tame for the modern world but in the 1950's where the world was full of June Cleaver's it was seen as outrageous and potentially damaging to the children. Radio stations banned the genre of music and in some towns the parent's organized mass record burnings.¹ A Catholic newspaper even ordered teenagers to "Smash the records [they] possess[ed] which present[s] a pagan culture and pagan concept of life."¹

Near the end of the fifties, the genre was decreasing in popularity because of new musical genres and "lack of resources." However, Buddy Holly had died, Elvis was in the war, and Jerry Lee Lewis' second-cousin scandal was in full-fling-many of the solo artists and bands were elsewhere.¹ Yet, it would soon see a revival.

In the 1970's many teenagers were not happy with the "light rock" on the radio.2 The Stray Cats then emerged and were the most commercially successful modern Rockabilly band. The Cats brought back the Rockabilly look; however in the UK the fashion is termed as "Teddy Bear" and in the US it is called "Greaser."¹ Yet, those two fashions are more common with men. The women of Rockabilly never did return to wearing poodle skirts. Instead, they tried to revitalize the "bad pin-up girl look" from the likes of Betty Page.²