Given the influence that rockabilly music has had on the world of pop music, it’s pretty surprising how short the life span of original-generation rockabilly was. The music that spawned rock and roll and inspired everyone from the Beatles to Bruce Springsteen and is still inspiring a new generation of rockers today was really only at the top of the charts for a short five- or six-year period from 1954 when Elvis changed everything with “That’s All Right” through to 1959 or 1960 when music fans’ tastes began to change and the big record companies started to put slick polish on its rock stars. But the genre has survived because of modern artists who consistently breathe new life into the old music.
Rockabilly music all but died into the history books during the mid 60s through the end of the 70s. With all that was going on in rock and roll through the 1960s and the way the music had changed and progressed, rockabilly was quickly outdated in the minds of the record-buying public. The kids were after the sophistication of the Beatles and their musical experimentations, the Rolling Stones and their anti-authoritarian attitude, The Doors and their psychedelic mind trips, the Moody Blues and their neo-classical musings, and so many other bands that were taking music in so many other directions. The simplicity of rockabilly just couldn’t compete and was really all but forgotten.
Thankfully, there have always been modern bands that didn’t forget. Bands that wanted to continue the rockabilly legacy. Rockabilly continued to be revered, particularly in Europe where it was never forgotten. Towards the end of the 1970s when disco was sweeping the pop world, many rockers were, frankly, disgusted by where their beloved music had ended up. Many rock and roll musicians started searching for a way back to their roots. As they explored a more pure form of rock and roll, many began to rediscover rockabilly music. Others invented another completely different form which they labeled “punk rock”.
As the 70s drew to a close and the 80s dawned, American bands began to be interested in rockabilly again. Robert Gordon started turning out very fine rockabilly recordings. Bands like The Blasters out of Los Angeles returned to the roots of rock and roll and started recording a modified version of rockabilly. Although neither of these acts (nor others who were reviving the rockabilly art form) ever made it huge, they did have fairly good success and they started a revival that picked up steam until it broke into the top of the charts with the Stray Cats’ fantastic first American release “Built For Speed” in 1981. The Stray Cats sold over 10 million records and clearly proved that rockabilly music could indeed sell.
Since then, countless modern rockabilly bands have kept the genre alive. New bands are constantly breathing new life into the old genre and rockabilly music is thriving throughout the world. It’s been some time since anyone’s hit the top of the charts with rockabilly again, but unlike the 60s and 70s, there doesn’t seem to be any danger of the genre slipping into obscurity. Now that rock and roll is nearly 60 years old, there are plenty of older musicians keeping rockabilly alive. But what’s most impressive is the number of young kids who are discovering their love for rockabilly and forming new bands of their own to write and perform fresh, new rockabilly. As long as these youngsters keep learning from the older generations, rockabilly will remain alive and well for many years to come!
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