Country Music Junkies: Let’s Hear Some Rockabilly Rhythm

Rockabilly is an up tempo hillbilly music with a strengthened rhythm that is partially derived from R&B, jumping guitar solos that owed a lot to R&B and the country boogieman, and a lot of slap-back echo on hot-potato-in-the-mouth vocals. Some people have mistaken rockabilly as Rock n Roll, even though I don’t defy that most of their songs are co-related, and arrived from the same roots. Rockabilly has a much stronger rhythm than most country music and the heavy off-beat was usually emphasised by the drums. Back then, drums were virtually unknown in country music and were actually prohibited on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Drums were used by Black-American’s music since they first came to America. During the 50’s drums were very important part of urban blues, driving the small jump band, and clattering drummer became part of the Chicago blues scene. Rockabilly borrowed this feature of Black-American music. Nowadays, drum plays a big roll in country music and any genres of music. Some of the pioneer rockabilly artists were Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Harris, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich and even Elvis Presley. The unique vocals sounds of all the said rockabilly singers owe a first or second hand debt to the black blues shouters. The declamatory style, heavy on melodramatic effects and out-and-out-yelling, was virtually unknown in country music, but was an integral part of R&B. Some rockabilly singers took to it naturally, for example Elvis Presley, Ray Harris and Carl Perkins, but others such as Roy Orbison never quite came out screaming the blues. I had made a compilation of some of the never forgotten rockabilly songs and artists. Hope you’re all enjoy it.

Johnny a.k.a Elvis

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