Rockabilly

==Rockabilly revival: 1970–1990==
The 1968 Elvis "comeback" and acts such as [[Sha Na Na]], [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]], [[Don McLean]], [[Linda Ronstadt]] and the [[Everly Brothers]], the film ''[[American Graffiti]]'', the television show ''[[Happy Days]]'' and the Teddy Boy revival created curiosity about the real music of the 1950s, particularly in England, where a rockabilly revival scene began to develop from the 1970s in record collecting and clubs.<ref name="Mystery Train pp. 147">''Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music'' by Greil Marcus 1982 E.P. Dutton pp. 147–150</ref><ref name="Rockabilly pp. 157">''Rockabilly: A Forty Year Journey'' by Billy Poore 1998 Hal Leonard Publishing pp. 157–79.</ref> The most successful early product of the scene was [[Dave Edmunds]], who joined up with songwriter [[Nick Lowe]] to form a band called [[Rockpile]] in 1975.  They had a string of minor rockabilly-style hits like "[[I Knew the Bride|I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)]]". The group became a popular touring act in the UK and the US, leading to respectable album sales.  Edmunds also nurtured and produced many younger artists who shared his love of rockabilly, most notably the [[Stray Cats]].<ref>Miller, Jim (editor). ''The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll''. (1976). New York: Rolling Stone Press/Random House. {{ISBN|0-394-40327-4}}. pp. 437–8.</ref>

[[Robert Gordon (musician)|Robert Gordon]] emerged from late 1970s [[CBGB]] punk act [[Tuff Darts]] to reinvent himself as a rockabilly revival solo artist.  He recorded first with 1950s guitar legend [[Link Wray]] and later with UK studio guitar veteran [[Chris Spedding]] and found borderline mainstream success.  Also festering at CBGB's punk environs were [[The Cramps]], who combined primitive and wild rockabilly sounds with lyrics inspired by old drive-in horror movies in songs like "Human Fly" and "I Was a Teenage Werewolf". Lead singer [[Lux Interior]]'s energetic and unpredictable live shows attracted a fervent cult audience.  Their "[[psychobilly]]" music influenced [[The Meteors]] and [[Reverend Horton Heat]]. In the early '80s, the Latin genre was born in Colombia by [[Marco T]] (Marco Tulio Sanchez), with The Gatos Montañeros.<ref>''The Rolling Stone Review 1985'' Edited by Ira Robbins 1985 Rolling Stone Press/Charles Scribner's Sons New York p. 89.</ref> [[The Polecats]], from North London, were originally called The Cult Heroes; they could not get any gigs at rockabilly clubs with a name that sounded "punk", so the original drummer Chris Hawkes came up with the name "Polecats". Tim Polecat and [[Boz Boorer]] started playing together in 1976, then hooked up with Phil Bloomberg and Chris Hawkes at the end of 1977.  The Polecats played rockabilly with a punk sense of anarchy and helped revive the genre for a new generation in the early 1980s.
[[File:Teddy-et-the-Tigers-1978.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Teddy & The Tigers, a Finnish rockabilly band from [[Kerava]], pictured in [[Helsinki]], 1978]] [[The Blasters]], who emerged from the Los Angeles punk scene, included rockabilly among their roots rock influences. The song "[[Marie Marie]]", first appearing on their 1980 debut album [[American Music (album)|American Music]], would later become a breakthrough hit for [[Shakin' Stevens]].

Also in 1980, [[Queen (band)|Queen]] scored a number-one hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] with the rockabilly-inspired single "[[Crazy Little Thing Called Love]]".<ref name="Circus">[http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/interviews/queen/circus-1980/ Lights! Action! Sound! It's That Crazy Little Thing Called Queen] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918005411/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/interviews/queen/circus-1980/ |date=September 18, 2016 }} ''Circus Magazine''. Retrieved June 29, 2011</ref>

[[The Stray Cats]] were the most commercially successful of the new rockabilly artists. The band formed on Long Island in 1979 when [[Brian Setzer]] teamed up with two school chums calling themselves [[Lee Rocker]] and [[Slim Jim Phantom]]. Attracting little attention in New York, they flew to London in 1980, where they had heard that there was an active rockabilly scene. Early shows were attended by [[the Rolling Stones]] and Dave Edmunds, who quickly ushered the boys into a recording studio. The Stray Cats had three UK Top Ten singles to their credit and two bestselling albums. They returned to the US, performing on the TV show ''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]'' with a message flashing across the screen that they had no record deal in the States.

Soon [[EMI]] picked them up, their first videos appeared on MTV, and they stormed up the charts stateside. Their third LP, ''Rant 'N' Rave with the Stray Cats'', topped charts across the US and Europe as they sold-out shows everywhere during 1983. However, personal conflicts led the band to break up at the height of their popularity. Brian Setzer went on to solo success working in both rockabilly and swing styles, while Rocker and Phantom continued to record in bands both together and singly. The group has reconvened several times to make new records or tours and continue to attract large audiences live, although record sales have never again approached their early '80s success.<ref>''Rockabilly: A Forty Year Journey'' by Billy Poore 1998 Hal Leonard Publishing pp. 223–6.</ref>

The Jime<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vince-gordon.com/|title=Tribute page for rockabilly guitarist Vince Gordon, his rockabilly music, the jime|website=Vince Gordon|language=en-US|access-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref> entered the rockabilly scene in 1983, when Vince Gordon formed his band. The Jime<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rockabilly.nl/default.htm|title=BlackCat Rockabilly Europe|website=www.rockabilly.nl|access-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref> was a Danish Band. The Jime was the band of Vince Gordon, rockabilly guitarist. Not only was he the nerve of the band, Vince Gordon was the band. He composed nearly all its songs and hits.  Vince Gordon also left his mark on the rockabilly scene in many ways. Expert Fred Sokolow<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sokolow, Fred.|title=Great rockabilly guitar solos|date=1988|publisher=MPL Communications and H. Leonard|oclc=22269063}}</ref> talks about the Vince Gordon style in Rockabilly due to his composing.  Vince Gordon had many different musicians in his band. The lifetime of the Jime ended with the death of Vince Gordon in 2016.

[[Shakin' Stevens]] was a [[Wales|Welsh]] singer who gained fame in the UK portraying Elvis in a stage play. In 1980, he took a cover of [[The Blasters]]' "Marie Marie" into the UK Top 20. His hopped-up versions of songs like "[[This Ole House]]" and "[[Green Door]]" were giant sellers across Europe. Shakin' Stevens was the biggest selling singles artist of the 1980s in the UK (with four number ones in the singles chart)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/50482/shakin-stevens/|title = SHAKIN STEVENS &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website = [[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref> and number two across Europe, outstripping [[Michael Jackson]], [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], and [[Bruce Springsteen]]. Unlike The Stray Cats, who became successful due in part to MTV, Shakin' Stevens' success was initially due to him appearing on various children's television shows in Britain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/18/shakin-stevens-interview-rock-n-roll-elvis-musical-chart-success|title = Shakin' Stevens: 'I was over the moon playing Elvis. The first time I got a regular wage'|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = November 18, 2020}}</ref> Despite his popularity in Europe, he never became a big success in the US. In 2005, his greatest hits album ''The Collection'' reached number four in the British albums chart, and was released as a tie-in to his appearance on ITV entertainment show ''[[Hit Me, Baby, One More Time (TV series)|Hit Me, Baby, One More Time]]'', going on to become the winner of the series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20050417/7502/|title = Official Albums Chart Top 100 &#124; Official Charts Company|website = [[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20050424/7502/|title = Official Albums Chart Top 100 &#124; Official Charts Company|website = [[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref><ref>''Rockabilly: A Forty Year Journey'' by Billy Poore 1998 Hal Leonard Publishing pp. 176–8.</ref> Other notable British rockabilly bands of the 1980s included [[the Jets (British band)|The Jets]], [[Crazy Cavan]], [[Matchbox (band)|Matchbox]], and [[the Rockats]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qAHvUO5GknMC&q=levi+dexter+rockats&pg=PA238 |title=Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers - Craig Morrison - Google Books |access-date=May 22, 2014|isbn=9780252065385 |last1=Morrison |first1=Craig |year=1996 |publisher=University of Illinois Press }}</ref>

[[Jason & the Scorchers]] combined [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]], Chuck Berry and Hank Williams to create a punk-influenced style of rockabilly, often labeled as [[alt-country]] or [[cowpunk]]. They achieved critical acclaim and a following in America but never managed a major hit.<ref>I. Robbins, ''The Rolling Stone Review 1985'' (Rolling Stone Press/Charles Scribner's Sons New York, 1985), pp. 193–4.</ref>

The revival was related to the "[[roots rock]]" movement, which continued through the 1980s, led by artists like [[James Intveld]], who later toured as lead guitar for The Blasters, [[High Noon]], the [[Beat Farmers]], [[The Paladins]], [[Forbidden Pigs]], Del-Lords, Long Ryders, The Last Wild Sons, [[The Fabulous Thunderbirds]], [[Los Lobos]], [[The Fleshtones]], [[Del Fuegos]], Reverend Horton Heat and [[Barrence Whitfield|Barrence Whitfield and the Savages]]. These bands, like the Blasters, were inspired by a full range of historic American styles: blues, country, rockabilly, R&B and New Orleans jazz. They held a strong appeal for listeners who were tired of the commercially oriented MTV-style [[synthpop]] and [[glam metal]] bands that dominated radio play during this time period, but none of these musicians became major stars.<ref>I. Robbins, ''The Rolling Stone Review 1985'' (Rolling Stone Press/Charles Scribner's Sons New York, 1985) pp. 172–5.</ref>

In 1983, [[Neil Young]] recorded a rockabilly album titled ''[[Everybody's Rockin']]''. The album was not a commercial success{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} and Young was involved in a widely publicized legal fight with [[Geffen Records]] who sued him for making a record that did not sound "like a Neil Young record".{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} Young made no further albums in the rockabilly style.<ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580492/Neil_Young.html Neil Young – MSN Encarta<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031074801/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580492/Neil_Young.html |date=October 31, 2009 }}</ref> During the 1980s, a number of country music stars scored hits recording in a rockabilly style. [[Marty Stuart]]'s "[[Hillbilly Rock (song)|Hillbilly Rock]]" and [[Hank Williams, Jr.]]'s "[[All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight]]" were the most noteworthy examples of this trend, but they and other artists like [[Steve Earle]] and the [[Kentucky Headhunters]] charted many records with this approach.<ref>W. Poore, ''Rockabilly: A Forty Year Journey'' (Hal Leonard Publishing, 1998), pp. 267–70.</ref>