Within twenty-one days it sold over two hundred thousand records, stayed at the top of national pop and country charts for twenty weeks, and sold more than a million copies.
These same musicians would have two more releases in , followed by another in January Capitol would release nine more records by Jackson, some with songs she had written herself, before the s were over. There were thousands of musicians who recorded songs in the rockabilly style.
And many record companies released rockabilly records. Some enjoyed major chart success and were important influences on future rock musicians. Rockabilly pioneers the Maddox Brothers and Rose, both as a group, and with Rose as a solo act, added onto their two decades of performing by making records that were even more rocking. However, none of these artists had any major hits and their influence would not be felt until decades later, when artists like Becky Hobbs , Rosie Flores , and Kim Lenz would join the Rockabilly Revival.
Rockabilly music enjoyed great popularity in the United States during and , but radio play declined after The style remained popular longer in England, where it attracted a fanatical following right up through the mid s. Rockabilly music cultivated an attitude that assured its enduring appeal to teenagers.
This was a combination of rebellion, sexuality, and freedom—a sneering expression of disdain for the workaday world of parents and authority figures. Influence on the Beatles and the British Invasion. The first wave of rockabilly fans in Britain were called Teddy Boys because they wore long, Edwardian-style frock coats, along with tight black drainpipe trousers and brothel creeper shoes.
By the early s, they had metamorphosed into the rockers, and had adopted the classic greaser look of T-shirts, jeans, and leather jackets to go with their heavily slicked pompadour haircuts.
The rockers loved s rock and roll artists such as Gene Vincent, and some British rockabilly fans formed bands and played their own version of the music.
The most notable of these bands was the Beatles. When the Beatles became worldwide stars, they released versions of three different Carl Perkins songs; more than any other songwriter outside the band.
Long after the band broke up, the members continued to show their interest in rockabilly. The Beatles were not the only British Invasion artists influenced by rockabilly. Even heavy guitar heroes such as Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were influenced by rockabilly musicians.
However, Presley never took them up on that offer. By , the British Invasion had largely chased the older American rock artists off the charts.
Most of the s rockabilly performers who were still alive, such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, had taken refuge in country music. And Elvis Presley was mired in an endless series of lousy movies, seemingly a has-been in his 30s. Clad in black leather, he sang his heart out, proving not only that he could rock, but that he had far more emotional depth to share than he had 10 years earlier.
The King returned to live performances, setting attendance records across the USA. A young band from San Francisco, Creedence Clearwater Revival , became one of the best-selling rock groups of the era playing old rockabilly songs and new songs written in the same style.
Then, in , George Lucas released his film American Graffiti. Linda Ronstadt enjoyed a major string of hit singles with soft-rock covers of songs by Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers. Although none of these captured the fire and excitement of s rockabilly, they did create curiosity about the real music of that era. Although there was an unfortunate explosion in the number of cheesy Elvis impersonator stage acts, over time all of the hoopla drew attention to the original music, too.
Two films released in the late s really did capture the excitement of the music, even though they confused several facts. This was exciting, but was just the prelude to even bigger things. These listeners wanted to return to the simple, loud, fast, emotionally-direct music of early rock and roll. Some musicians stripped their sound down to three chords, loud guitars, and shouted lyrics, creating early punk rock. Other musicians turned back to the original rock and roll music of the s for inspiration, and in the late s, an underground rockabilly revival began to emerge.
By the early s, a few bands such as the Stray Cats had mainstream chart success. Rock and roll singer Robert Gordon , who was formerly the vocalist for New York punk band the Tuff Darts , went solo and began performing old rockabilly songs in Unlike Sha Na Na or the Elvis impersonators, Gordon was not presenting the music as a joke, but trying to recapture the wild energy and excitement of the s performers.
He also toured with guitarist Danny Gatton; one of their gigs was released as The Humbler, a searing re-creation of rockabilly hits and obscurities. Four more albums followed by first on independent Private Stock, then on major label RCA , with another minor pop hit and two low-level country chart hits. Gordon toured around the country and his dedication and energy inspired many listeners and musicians to begin to explore rockabilly music.
The Diversions were a Washington D. The scene in Washington had many Rockabilly Bands during the early s. Danny Gatton had much success playing Rockabilly and Rock and Roll. Link Wray had spent a lot of time in Washington, D. The song is cut in rapid order. They all listen to the playback, make a few comments, and then leave the studio. Phillips further ponders the implications of what he has captured on tape.
Would he be able to get any radio stations to play such a record? White disc jockeys probably would avoid it because it sounded like black music, whereas blacks were likely to consider it too hillbilly.
Still, it sounded great! Phillips went ahead and released a run of records. In doing so he ushered in the heyday of Sun Records and the rockabilly sound. The music had a fast, aggressive feel: simple, crisp drumming, vibrant guitar licks, wild country boogie piano. The music spurred a generation of young Southern musicians to search out Phillips and his imitators in hopes of building their own legacy.
As a creative force, rockabilly faded almost as soon as the general public became aware of its existence. The total output was slim; even with Presley's Sun singles included, the genre sold less records than releases of Fat Domino alone. The icon went on to sell millions of records. Artists in Nashville, Tennessee, switched to rockabilly, as well as young female performers such as Wanda Jackson, Brenda Lee, and Janis Martin, who all performed a liberating form of rockabilly.
Texas and California also developed strong rockabilly communities. But even if thousands of songs in this genre were recorded, only a few made it to the charts. The loss of the great artist prompted his fans all over the world to don 50s-style clothing and collect his old records. Robert Gordon and guitar player Link Wray started a rockabilly movement in That same year, rock band Queen produced Crazy Little Thing Called Love, a rockabilly record that ranked number one for a time on the American charts.
It was opened in by Henry Harrison, a resident of the city and a big fan of the music style. The venue features a variety of attractions, including 14 life-size oil portraits of rockabilly superstars, an extensive collection of historical videos, and memorabilia from several artists. These bands continue to fire up the rockabilly scene by holding tours and performances all over the country.
The Birth of Rockabilly During the late s, blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel music dominated the airwaves. Source: Wikimedia Commons Listeners across North America became fans of these genres, and it spurred white, working-class musicians, especially those in areas with African-American populations, to mix black music styles with country music styles.
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