Rockabilly : Ask Biography

Music genre

Name

Rockabilly

Stylistic origins

Country music, western swing, honky tonk, rhythm and blues, boogie woogie, Appalachian folk music

Cultural origins

Early-Mid 1950s United States

Typical instruments

Guitar - Double bass - Drums - Piano, vocals

Mainstream popularity

Popular in 1950s, revival in early 1980s. Rockabilly continues to have cult following at the present time.

Home | Music Genre | Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.

The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock (from rock 'n' roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style's development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. While there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the Southern United States.

The influence and popularity of the style waned in the 1960s, but during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a major revival of popularity that has endured to the present, often within a rockabilly subculture.