Rockabilly is a musical style that arose after World War II and really found its footing in the 1950s. It traces back to the styles of the American South, such as country, bluegrass, honky-tonk and Western swing. These styles combine to make what was called "hillbilly" music, at the time, and eventually the fusion of rhythm & blues with hillbilly became known as "rockabilly" (the earliest rock & roll came from rhythm & blues, hence the "rock" in "rockabilly").
American country music has roots specifically in the blues, as do the amalgamation of styles that create hillbilly. They all stem from the music of the American South. Rhythm & blues grew out of musical styles that Black Americans took with them as they migrated from the rural south to more urban communities between World War I and World War II. Places like Chicago, Memphis, New York and Detroit were hubs for this development. Sam Philips, a radio engineer in Memphis, Tennessee, had been recording rhythm & blues artists for three years with his company Sun Records when a teenager by the name of Elvis Presley came to record - "That's Alright," written by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, a blues musician from Mississippi, has an early rockabilly sound, with slapped bass, upbeat blues progressions and country-style guitar playing.
What does rockabilly sound like?
Early Elvis recordings had deep, echoing vocals. The use of echo is distinct - in an era where recording, mixing and mastering is all done digitally, it's hard to imagine how echo would be added. One type of echo, reverb, would be produced by the room they recorded in. Philips had his own echo he dubbed "Sun echo," which is referred to as slap-back, a type of delay. This can be heard clearly in Elvis's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (which was originally written and recorded by Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys), the other side of "That's Alright."
Songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins headed straight for Sam Philips at Sun Records after hearing Elvis's "That's Alright." His "Blue Suede Shoes" became a well-known rockabilly classic, later warranting a recording by Elvis. Perkins and his brothers, Jay and Clayton, recorded with upright bass, electric and acoustic guitar, and used the drum kit sparingly. The instrumentation of the rockabilly genre is scant and to the point - there is no use of cymbals, there is no loud snare drum - the slapping of the bass usually serves as the main percussive element. "Blue Suede Shoes" is has a chugging tempo and also implements stop-time breaks, a feature of a lot of jazz music - another link back to blues and its roots.
Going a little later into rockabilly, the sounds of Wanda Jackson appear in Oklahoma. Jackson was a hot-headed, strong-willed teenage girl who broke first into country music signed to Decca Records (who later signed Buddy Holly), then found her style in rockabilly while wearing go-go dresses signed to Capitol. The classic rockabilly instrumentation and vocal delay can be heard in her music, but what's unique about Jackson is not only her gender and verve, but the use of her voice. Throughout her career she's developed a belt that women tend to stay away from. In this recording of "I Gotta Know," her cannonball into rockabilly, the country elements are still very present in the change to triple meter and steel guitar, making her music a kind of country-rockabilly fusion.
Where did rockabilly go?
Sun Records recorded many other famous rockers such as Sonny Burgess, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison with the rockabilly sound. As these artists toured and played on prime-time television, the popularity of the genre increased. Musicians such as Buddy Holly were inspired to make the switch from country music. This is where rockabilly starts to dilute itself a little bit - the introduction of cymbals and backing vocals denote a more evolved sound than the more classic tunes.
As the genre progressed, more and more instruments were added - in Sonny Burgess's "We Wanna Boogie" muted trumpet is showcased. Jerry Lee Lewis famously rocked with his piano. Drums gained more and more presence in the rhythm section. These changes and additions contributed to the evolution of individual artists, pushing them into rock. Rockabilly lived a short life, only about a decade, but propelled artists into other areas of the new and improving rock & roll.
The genre is survived by bands that took interest in it mainly in the 1970s, after Elvis's death, such as Stray Cats, Matchbox and the Flat Duo Jets. Instrumentation and recording have definitely changed since the 50s, as some of these bands use a rock setup (electric guitar, electric bass, full drum kit), but the swing feel and blues chord progressions definitive of the style are pervasive. The Flat Duo Jets play with a classic rockabilly band and sound, and have influenced the likes of Jack White of The White Stripes.
The sound of the original rockabilly comes from a whole range of genres, tracing all of their roots back to the blues, and coming together to form a short-lived tradition. It isn't iconic of any one artist, even as it links back to Elvis, who went on to record other genres more famously. It mostly served as a transitional style to get artists from country music to rock & roll, which led them to more success than rockabilly initially gave them. There is little that is more American than combining different cultures and watching them evolve - rockabilly was a small portion of that evolution that has its own little place in rock history.
This post clarified a lot of vague ideas I had about Rockabilly and really solidified my understanding of this genre! I am intrigued by the added echo in Elvis's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and who's idea it originally was to add that to the recording. The distinct sound really does stand out. It is also interesting how with the progression of technology and addition of instruments the defining elements of Rockabilly slowing started to fade away.
If I’m being honest, I hadn’t heard of “rockabilly” until I read your blog but your explanation of hillbilly + rhythm blues makes a lot of sense. I thought it was cool that as the genre grew so did its number of instruments
I never knew Rockabilly was from after WWII. It really gave me a new view as to what it is and how it rose into a genre. I also liked its own style and how other artists use it with their music.
Rockabilly is such a fun genre! I never listened to a lot of it growing up, cause my dad can't stand the stuff. I wish more people carried the rockabilly genre into the modern day, we could use some more fun songs like what came out of the rockabilly era.
I didn't know much about rockabilly before! I loved your explanation and it helped me understand how much the rockabilly genre has influenced early American music.
I've never heard of Rockabilly before. After reading your blog and listening to the elvis recording I feel like theres no better way to describe his early sound than Rockabilly. I definitely hear that more country sound within their voices and rock sound through the other instruments. it's a really interesting sound to hear both of these genres together. thanks for sharing.
This post clarified a lot of vague ideas I had about Rockabilly and really solidified my understanding of this genre! I am intrigued by the added echo in Elvis's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and who's idea it originally was to add that to the recording. The distinct sound really does stand out. It is also interesting how with the progression of technology and addition of instruments the defining elements of Rockabilly slowing started to fade away.
ReplyDeleteIf I’m being honest, I hadn’t heard of “rockabilly” until I read your blog but your explanation of hillbilly + rhythm blues makes a lot of sense. I thought it was cool that as the genre grew so did its number of instruments
ReplyDeleteI never knew Rockabilly was from after WWII. It really gave me a new view as to what it is and how it rose into a genre. I also liked its own style and how other artists use it with their music.
ReplyDeleteRockabilly is such a fun genre! I never listened to a lot of it growing up, cause my dad can't stand the stuff. I wish more people carried the rockabilly genre into the modern day, we could use some more fun songs like what came out of the rockabilly era.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know much about rockabilly before! I loved your explanation and it helped me understand how much the rockabilly genre has influenced early American music.
ReplyDeleteHey Fay! I didn't know that early Elvis music was considered to be rockabilly, that is so cool! This is such a fun genre to learn about and listen to.
ReplyDeleteHi Fay! After mixing several rockabilly bands I can say that this genre is a no no no for me! But nice information Fay!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Rockabilly before. After reading your blog and listening to the elvis recording I feel like theres no better way to describe his early sound than Rockabilly. I definitely hear that more country sound within their voices and rock sound through the other instruments. it's a really interesting sound to hear both of these genres together. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete