Rockabilly

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Rockabilly
Music Revolution of the late 1940s and 1950s
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What is Rockabilly?

• Rockabilly is a genre (or style) of music that
  was one
• of the earliest forms of rock and roll.

• Rockabilly is the combination of two styles of
  music
• _______________
  _____________________

Country
Rhythm and Blues

• Rockabilly gets its name from the word Hillbilly
• which comes from its country roots, and the
  word
• Rock, which is what some had started to refer
  to
• this style of music as. That term eventually
  became
• Rock and Roll.

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The SOUND of Rockabilly
The instrumentation that is common to us
today was not always commonplace. Rockabilly
bands were able to achieve a full sound with few
players because they had the following.
1. A rhythm section
- Bass and Drums
2. Rhythm guitars to comp the harmonic
progression
3. Vocals and Background Vocals
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The SOUND of Rockabilly (continued)
Before Rockabilly, larger ensembles were more
commonly used for live performances. This was
the case for several reasons.
1. There were not methods of amplification

• Larger ensembles made it easier to cover
• the harmony and the melody of music.

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Electrical Amplification
Acoustic Guitars vs. Electric Guitars
The Electric Guitar was invented by Les Paul in
1921
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The LOOK of Rockabilly
Rockabilly artists were known for having a
specific look to them.
As far as clothing
1. Jeans
2. T-shirts
3. Leather Jackets
4. GREASY HAIR!
Think of the movie Grease
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The LOOK of Rockabilly
(continued)
Sometimes groups dressed alike.
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Rockabilly HAIR!
Elvis Hair as it is often known was styled high
and used a LOT of hair products.
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Rockabilly Artists
The most recognized Rockabilly artists are

• Elvis Presley

• Jerry Lee Lewis

• Buddy Holly