Band recommendations for a newcomer to rockabilly?

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JBFatFingers

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I don't have much exposure to rockabilly but I'm intrigued by it and would like to hear more. Any recommendations for artists or albums would be much appreciated. Thanks!
 

Hippieway

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Go back to the guys that got it off the ground, the Sun guys. Carl Perkins, Elvis, Jerry Lee, etc listen to the players in the bands those guys had. Scotty Moore will get you rolling.
Then there is the more modern guys like Jim Heath, Darrel Higham and Brian Setzer.
Rockabilly has been played by country artist as well as rockers, part of the fun is discovering those players and those bands. Dig into the history of rockabilly, your ears will thank you.
 

Jack S

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Check out, in addition to the Sun artists mentioned:
Billy Lee Riley
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps
Eddie Cochran
Johnny Burnette
Early Charlie Rich
Warren Smith
Gene Simmons (not the guy in Kiss)
Ricky Nelson
The Collins Kids
Wanda Jackson
Janis Martin
Brenda Lee
Ray Smith
Ray Harris
Bob Luman

This sampling will lead you directly into the world of the real rockabilly.
 

1955

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First, listen to early country, gospel and spirituals, R&B and Blues, Swing, Boogie Woogie, Western Swing, jazz, and early Pop. You will have a better understanding of the various offshoots of rock and roll if you understand how those styles were appropriated and mixed with one another.

Prototypical rockabilly, aside from the twisted fashion caricature pop culture has made of it was more or less a combination of those styles to one degree or another.

You will learn far more about the essence of rockabilly by studying all of the early American styles than from rolled-up-dungarees-barber-tattoo-custom-car-Betty-Paige-bangs-cliques that walk up and down on uprights and slather slapback on their hiccups.

I can't help but wonder why flames should be put on anything...

I jest
 

yDcwpdNlaz

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Give this site a peek:
http://www.rockabillyhall.com/

If you listen to their thousands of recordings, you'll hear a ton of obscurities (Conway Twitty back when he was Harold Lloyd Jenkins; Mickey Gilley recording with his cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis), tons of response songs (Be Bop A Lula and Be Bop A Lula Is Back On The Scene), and only about 3 chord progressions (Kidding, of course, but there's a lot of crossover).
 

bo

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I highly recommend Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps first two albums (with Cliff Gallup on lead guitar), and the first two Rock and Roll Trio (generally advertised as Johnny Burnett and...) albums.
 

BorderRadio

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I'd stay away from the punk-, psycho-, surf-o-, goth-o billies and just keep it rootsy first. Even Stray Cats, nah..That's just me.

LaBeef
Collins Kids
Johnny Burnette
Gene Vincnent/Cliff Gallup
Scotty Moore.. many good ones up there ^^^ already
 

'64 Tele

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I'd stay away from the punk-, psycho-, surf-o-, goth-o billies and just keep it rootsy first. Even Stray Cats, nah..That's just me.

LaBeef
Collins Kids
Johnny Burnette
Gene Vincnent/Cliff Gallup
Scotty Moore.. many good ones up there ^^^ already

Sleepy LaBeef lives about an hour away from where I live. I was at an auction for a local music store that was closing. I walked in, was looking around and did a double take.....there was Sleepy (with a cup of coffee) checking out the items for auction. Auctioneer asked him "hey Sleepy, how long you been playing?"
Sleepy, in his bass voice replied, " 'bout 65 years".....:cool: 20151017_140908.jpg
 
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