This old VHS video on learning how to play rockabilly guitar has surfaced on YouTube.
Check it out...it features rockabilly greats, James Burton, Brian Setzer, Danny Gatton, Joe Dalton, Arlen Roth and Scotty Anderson.
Showing posts with label rockabilly music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rockabilly music. Show all posts
Learn to play Rockabilly Guitar with the Greats
This old VHS video on learning how to play rockabilly guitar has surfaced on YouTube.
Check it out...it features rockabilly greats, James Burton, Brian Setzer, Danny Gatton, Joe Dalton, Arlen Roth and Scotty Anderson.
Rockin': The Rockabilly Scene
My Central Jersey says the book is the best and most comprehensive of its kind.
It's a brilliant story in photographs of an historic period in rock 'n' roll that has been souped-up and repolished for a new counter-culture movement.
In the book’s foreward, UK Rockabilly Rave organizer Jerry Chatabox cites the wild stage show and brightly dyed hair of Sonny Burgess, the then-racy songs and dress of Charline Arthur and the hard drinking, hard partying lifestyle of the “world’s first real rock star,” Hank Williams, as just a few examples of how far back these tenets of punk rock really go.
It's Elvis Week
Other activities include a tribute artist contest, riverboat cruise, gospel singing, memorial service and candlelight vigil. In addition, Elvis Presley Live: The King in Concert at the Orpheum theater will feature Presley's vocals from the film, Elvis: That's the Way It Is, accompanied on stage by a band and harmony singers.
Elvis Week guests will include Presley's musical director Joe Guercio and guitarist John Wilkinson, biographer Peter Guralnick, longtime friend George Klein and photographer Alfred Wertheimer.
Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977.
Adele Up for Rockabilly
Adele told The Sun that the melodies and to-the-point lyrics she's found in a lot of American styles of music is something she definitely wants to pursue from now on.
"I want to spend some time in Austin in Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, and learn about it," she said.
Adele will be touring the UK and US through until October 21 and is then likely to start work on a new album.
Her breakthrough sophomore LP, 21, reached number one in album charts in 17 countries. In the UK, Adele has spent more time at the top of the charts than any female artist in history.
Check out Adele's "Rolling In The Deep"
Chloe Moretz Goes Rockabilly
Chloe Moretz says she loved her greaser-hip wardrobe.
"I never dress like this in real life so it's fun to embody something else and become a different person and get to rock out a little bit, you know?" she says. "I love my fight look with the red leather pants. It's really cool and it's crazy! I've never worn red lips before on screen so it's very exciting. I absolutely love it."
The entire cast dons an ingeniously styled wardrobe boasting a taste of every decade — 50s rockabilly, 70s punk and 80s attitude and all make an appearance in the myriad of torn-up jeaned vests, Converse high-tops, chains and applique wolf-head leather jackets.
Whole Lotta Shakin in Central Park
The Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, performed in New York's Central Park on Wednesday night. Irish singer Imelda May was there to join her on stage for a rendition of the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” that led into Jackson’s own signature hit “Let’s Have a Party.”
Imelda May - Mayhem
If there's an overlap between burlesque and rockabilly, Dubliner Imelda May embodies it. While she looks amazing in skintight leopard-print and red lipstick, musically she shows there's nothing retro about rockabilly. For her it's a living, vital genre.
Mayhem is May's third album and was originally released in Ireland and the UK in September and October of last year respectively and spawned an impressive four singles.
She wrote virtually every song (apart from a cover of Tainted Love, which has been rejigged as a feverish waltz for guitar, drums and voice), and sings them with heart and humour.
Except for the two more-than-competent country-inflected numbers, “Eternity” and “Proud and Humble”, May and her band otherwise remain true to their core repertoire of upbeat rockabilly and slower balladry.
“Kentish Town Waltz” is a strong step forward in terms of making May’s slower tracks almost as compelling as her upbeat work, but on Mayhem the softer side generally continues to play second string. The propulsive “Let Me Out” brings the main body of the album to a classy conclusion, not least because of her husband and guitarist Darrel Higham’s dynamic solo.
Things are going well for May these days. Professional support from Jeff Beck and Wanda Jackson, with whom she’s performed several times, including at a gig in Central Park earlier this week, is helping May become as well known in North America as in her homeland.
Mayhem is an essential listen for those who believe, as May does, in the living, breathing powers of rockabilly and the blues.
Queen of the Minor Key.
Eilen Jewell, from Boston, is back with her fourth album, Queen of the Minor Key
If you haven't heard Eilen (her name rhymes with feelin'), then she's been described as Lucinda Williams, Peggy Lee and Gillian Welch combined. This new record features elements of the blues, surf guitar, rockabilly and country
Eilen says she suffered a case of writer's block after her 2009 release of Sea of Tears. She decided to head to a cabin in the mountains of Idaho, where she's originally from. It was there, cut off from the outside world, electricity and running water, that Eilen was able to focus solely on writing sketches of songs, break the block and build the framework of Queen of the Minor Key.
Along with her long-time band of Jason Beek (drums, harmony vocals), Jerry Miller (electric, acoustic and steel guitars), and Johnny Sciascia (upright bass), together the players turned the sketches into songs.
Produced by Jewell and her band, Queen of the Minor Key, also features guest appearances from Zoe Muth and Big Sandy (from Big Sandy and the Fly Right Boys).
Nick 13
Nick 13 told CMT.com that he's taken his inspiration from Western ballads and what has emerged is a self-titled project that harkens back to hs favorite era of country music -- the '40s, '50s and '60s -- and benefits from some of the most highly regarded musicians Nashville and SoCal have to offer. Famed steel guitarists Lloyd Green and Greg Leisz contribute their talents (Leisz also co-produces the record) while Sara Watkins, formerly of Nickel Creek, provides the fiddle tracks.
Nick 13 told CMT.com that he simply wanted to make a record of the music that was exciting him at the time, but he doesn't mind the idea of exposing his Tiger Army fans to country, either.
You can check out the full interview here, on why a punk rocker would be interested in country music, how he found more than he bargained for in Nashville and why he wants to remind Californians of their heritage.
You can also grab the album now...either on MP3, CD or limited edition Vinyl.
The Wanda Jackson Tour Continues
There's still time to catch Rockabilly legend, Wanda Jackson as she continues her tour around the country, now playing with Imelda May and Justin Townes Earle.
Wanda is credited as being the first woman to ever record a rock and roll song—”Let’s Have a Party” in 1958—when was convinced by her friend Elvis Presley to cross over from country to rock and rockabilly music. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she is now known around the globe as “The Queen of Rock” and “The First Lady of Rockabilly.”
Jackson opened for the young British singer/songwriter Adele for nine sold-out performances in May and June. She says of these shows, “I was thrilled to learn that my music has been an influence on such a talent as Adele. I am looking forward to the concert tour with her. We’re gonna have a party!”
Wanda will be playing tracks from her latest album, The Party Aint Over which was recorded by fan and new-found friend Jack White at his Nashville studio and recorded with a late-night honky-tonk feel by members of My Morning Jacket, the Raconteurs, and Dead Weather, among others.
The White-curated lineup of tunes, says Jackson, showcases "all the various types of music that I've done through the years-some country, some gospel, some rockabilly, some rock n' roll. It's got all of that, and we threw in a Bob Dylan song 'Thunder On the Mountain,' just to be safe."
The album has received tremendous critical praise, with NPR saying “White coaxes a performance from Jackson that fits her as well today as it did in 1958,” and the New York Times concurring that Jackson “still sounds fantastic, and her gnarled, feisty vocals are a good fit with Mr. White’s scrappy production.”
Wanda is playing with Imelda May on the following dates:
- July 26, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
- July 27, Central Park SummerStage, New York, NY
- July 28, The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA\
- July 30, Musikfest Café, Bethlehem, PA
- July 31, Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
- August 5, Edmonton Folk Festival, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- August 6, Music in the Zoo, Apple Valley, MN (Justin Townes Earle)
Amy Winehouse
Sad news today that British singer Amy Winehouse has been found dead at the age of 27.
It seems she lost her battle with addictions since becoming a star in 2007 with Black to Black, winner of five Grammys.
The soul diva follows in the tragic footsteps of similarly troubled artists from Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin to Kurt Cobain.
Reuters reported that Winehouse was found dead at her home in Camden, north London, England. Police were called to the address Saturday.
"Inquiries continue into the circumstances of the death at this early stage. It is being treated as unexplained," a police representative said.
Last month, at Winehouse's performance in Serbia, she was jeered by the crowd, struggled to perform her songs and keep her balance as her band gamely played on. On some tunes, the audience did most of the singing.
The performance, which was posted on YouTube, prompted her management to cancel all her scheduled performances and give the performer as long as it took to recover.
The Guardian writes:
Winehouse's music spoke to people so persuasively that her second album, Back to Black, became Britain's bestselling record of 2007 and reached number two in the US, making her one of only a few British female soloists to achieve that level of transatlantic recognition. Its success spurred sales of her initially overlooked first album, Frank (2003), so titled because of the diary-style lyrics that produced songs such as Stronger Than Me, which railed against a "gay ladyboy" ex-boyfriend. The two sold a total of more than 10m copies worldwide.
Born to a Jewish family in north Finchley, north London, Winehouse grew up listening to the jazz albums of her taxi-driver father, Mitch. He and her pharmacist mother, Janis, later divorced.
Amy caught the performing bug so early that by the age of eight she was attending stage school. She spent time at three, including the Sylvia Young theatre school, central London, from which she was expelled for "not applying herself", and the Brit school in Croydon, south London. Rebellious instincts surfaced in her mid-teens: by 16, she had acquired her first tattoo and was smoking cannabis. "My parents pretty much realised that I would do whatever I wanted, and that was it, really," she said later.
RIP Amy Winehouse
Viva Las Vegas 2012
It's the weekend that really rocks. Tickets for the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender are on sale already!
It runs from April 5 to April 8 2012 and you won't want to miss it.
It's all about getting on your best 50s garb - sorting out your hair, checking out the burlesque shows and bathing suit contests, pool parties, fashion shows, round the clock rock 'n' roll bands, add in plenty to drink and more than 700 rods and you have a weekend that rocks!
Here's just some of the highlights:
Car Show
The Viva Las Vegas Car Show is the best car show of its type anywhere. Cars are strictly pre-63 that have to be in a style from that era. Please check out the photos on the Car Show page. The VLV Weekender and VLV14 Car show attracted over 700 cars with about 20,000 attending to view the car show. If you wish to put your car in the car show, you can register it after you buy tickets for VLV.
Burlesque Competition
This has become one of the major events on the Burlesque calendar. Between October and December, hopeful contestants submit their photos and information onto the Viva Las Vegas website. Once all possible contestants have submitted, a panel of anonymous judges from the burlesque scene will choose four lucky contestants to compete at VLV then the judges will choose ten from the remaining contestants who will be featured on the website during the month of January and the public will decide on the next top four whom will join the “Judges Choices” live at the “Miss Viva Las Vegas” Burlesque Competition VLV finals. The eight competitors will then battle it out on Saturday evening to win the final VLV Burlesque Competition. Prizes include Cash, Gift Vouchers, Merchandise, Photoshoots, and publicity.
Tiki Pool Party
The Tiki Pool Party has become one of the major events at VLV, and will take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is a great opportunity for girls (and guys!) to show off their vintage swimwear.
VLV Annual Swimsuit Contest
Attention all vintage fashion fanatics!!!! Shine up your vintage beach-side best and get ready for the mother of all swimsuit competitions. VSbM is sponsoring the VLV 14 pool party Vintage Swimsuit Competition, hosted by Vegas’ Pocket Pinup: Lisa Luxe. Guys and dolls alike are encouraged to enter: the only requirement is that your suit MUST BE VINTAGE, no modern/repro suits will be allowed in the competition. Contestants will be… judged on their suit alone, not by how well you can dance or how you answer silly pageant questions. . .
It’s all about the fashion!
Roots of Country - Rockabilly
Back in 1996 a six-hour six-part documentary taking a look at one of America's quintessential music genres - country - went to air.
"America's Music: the Roots of Country" delved headlong into what is a rich subject matter, telling its story through live footage and interviews with the stars themselves.
To a new generation of music fans, it offered an eye-opening introduction to some of the great figures from country's past, such as Jimmie Rodger, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Jones and so many more who paved the way for today's big stars.
Writer Robert K. Oerman told the Chicago Sun-Times that the the idea from the beginning was to take the viewer back and forth and in and out of history. He teamed up for this series with producer Tom Neff, a filmaker known for his documentaries of visual artists including Red Grooms and Beatrice Wood.
"One reason country lends itself to this kind of treatment is that, unlike other styles of music, all its historical elements are still living, breathing styles today," Oermann said.
"People still play bluegrass, people still sing folk songs, play rockabilly, Cajun, Western swing - these are not dead things."
Each of the six hours has a theme - including Rockabilly.
"The Roots of Country" was not only made with entertaining viewers in mind, but with the hope of sending a message about the importance of maintaining a living connection to country's past.
The Rockabilly Revival
Rockabilly might have been born from the jazz, blues and blue grass of the
While the Stray Cats enjoyed large-scale fame in the 1980s, the scene has had its own life in the 2000s. Over the past decade there’s been a convergence of the rockabilly style with the swing music scene. Brat Setzer of the Stray Cats played a big part in joining the two subcultures. He formed the Brian Setzer Orchestra as both a rockabilly and swing musician. The Reverend Horton Heat, Rattled Roosters and Royal Crown Revue are also popular in both scenes.
Today there are still lively rockabilly scenes in several major
The subculture also thrives in
So why has rockabilly survived in one form or another for all these years?
Meg Appelton in her article “The Rockabilly in the New Millennium” argues that the rockabilly culture is an antithesis to current trends as it embraces its roots in "old school" societal fringes.
She says the rockabilly phenomenon has survived down the generations thanks to a growing dissatisfaction with mainstream culture, music and stylistic icons.
“Rockabilly frequently becomes a way of life or lifestyle to those active, who see the larger scene to be like a family,” she explains.
“The rockabilly lifestyle is not restricted to only the music but also the home furnishings, cars, and even small things like the cigarettes smoked.”
The hits are all here, along with some revealing album cuts, rarities and portions of a 1982 live broadcast that display the Cats' considerable live charms. This album will have you up and dancing - full speed from start to finish. To buy it click here
Stray Cats
The Stray Cats formed on Long Island in 1979. Brian Setzer teamed up with two school friends, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom. Their Rockabilly brand of music didn’t attract much attention in New York so headed to London the next year. It wasn’t long before the Stray Cats had three UK Top Ten singles and two bestselling albums.
After they headed back to the States and were signed by EMI. From there they had chart topping success across the US and Europe and sold out shows everywhere.
At the height of their success though, they split. While they have reconvened a number of times, they were never as big again as in the early 80’s. More than 20 years later and the Stray Cats are about to undertake a farewell tour and will be in Australia in February 2009.
Stray Cats Greatest Hits
The hits are all here, along with some revealing album cuts, rarities and portions of a 1982 live broadcast that display the Cats' considerable live charms. This album will have you up and dancing - full speed from start to finish. To buy it click here
Rockabilly Makeup
Rockabilly is the best of the 1950s - the clothes, music and hair while ignoring the worst (McCarthyism, bigotry) to create a world that rocks.
A passion for the 1950s is one thing but rockabillies turn their passion into a lifestyle. It’s all in the detail – having the right dress, stockings, handbag shoes, hairdo and of course make up.
A passion for the 1950s is one thing but rockabillies turn their passion into a lifestyle. It’s all in the detail – having the right dress, stockings, handbag shoes, hairdo and of course make up.
Retro Parasols
Retro Parasols
We love them because they:
- Cut down on sun exposure
- Help keep your tattoos vibrant and skin safe
- Make a colourful accessory for strutting your stuff
- Offer a great decorating element for the bedroom, studio, office, anywhere!
Hand Made Retro "Vintage Tan Tattoo" Parasol Shade Umbrella - $19.99
Hand Made Retro Chinese "Red Tattoo" Parasol Shade Umbrella $19.99
Hand Made Retro "Skulldini" Parasol Shade Umbrella $19.99
Hand Made Retro "Mans Ruin" Parasol Shade Umbrella $19.99
Local Bands (Adelaide)
The Hoodoo Voodoo Dolls - Psychobilly / Rockabilly / Punk.
Check out these guys. This trio play Rockabilly and Psychobilly. You won't be disappointed!! Chek out their Myspace and listen to their tracks.
Check out these guys. This trio play Rockabilly and Psychobilly. You won't be disappointed!! Chek out their Myspace and listen to their tracks.
Uncle Chester's Triumphant Return
The Saucermen - mainly originals but their influences include Rev Horton Heat, The Cramps, The Clash and fast tunes from the '50s
Prawn Head - Bluebilly
Lucky 7 - cool jazz licks with a raw rockabilly style rhythm, which becomes the backbone of their trademark sound. They channel the sounds of the swing era and combine it with a punk attitude in similar fashion to Los Angeles-based outfit Royal Crown Revue.
The Satellites - Rockabilly
The Satellites first got together in ’94 and were soon performing right across Australia. They became regulars at the Wintersun Festival in Queensland where they took out the award for Best Performing Band. They also won the award for Best Australian Rockabilly Band four years running from 1998.
Since releasing their debut CD Bop Tonight back in ’98 they gained a huge interest both interstate and overseas with sales in the UK, Germany, USA, Finland, Sweden, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal and Norway.
Their musical influences include country, rhythm and blues, jazz, swing, western swing, rock ‘n’ roll and of course rockabilly. Their live act is not to be missed. They break out with an exuberant spontaneity with lots of stage antics that tend to make their shows an unforgettable experience.
Since releasing their debut CD Bop Tonight back in ’98 they gained a huge interest both interstate and overseas with sales in the UK, Germany, USA, Finland, Sweden, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal and Norway.
Their musical influences include country, rhythm and blues, jazz, swing, western swing, rock ‘n’ roll and of course rockabilly. Their live act is not to be missed. They break out with an exuberant spontaneity with lots of stage antics that tend to make their shows an unforgettable experience.
Events (Adelaide)
ROOTS, RETRO & ROCKABILLY
Local musician Frank Lang has put together a mini festival for fans of retro and rockabilly to be held in Adelaide in October.
It will kick off on the afternoon of Sunday October 7 at the Governor Hindmarsh. The line up includes Hoy-Hoy! along with Lucky Seven, Glen Skuthorpe, Double Wammy, Blue Katz and the Satellites.
In deciding to put on the event Frank said he wanted to bring together several like-minded bands to play on the one bill.
Talking to Rip It Up, Frank explained that he loves doing gigs with other bands and thought he'd ring around to see if others were interested in being involved in a Roots, Retro & Rockabilly extravaganza.
“I was overwhelmed with the response and the enthusiasm,” Frank said.
“I was really pleased that all the bands wanted to do it with no real guarantee that it would work. That’s been great."
Frank says he’s sure the event will be a huge success as it boasts much of the cream of Adelaide’s seasoned roots musicians.
Guitarist Mauri Berg, formerly of Fraternity, The Others and Mickey Finn, is now a member of Hoy-Hoy!
Power soul combo Double Wammy recently reformed and have since been playing gigs at Semaphore Workers’ club and the Wheatsheaf.
Double Wammy and Glenn Skuthorpe will kick off the day by doing two alternating sets of about 30 minutes each set. Skuthorpe is a former Sydney-based indigenous singer-songwriter who has just released his third album, Nothing Like Rain.
Local rockabilly combo The Satellites and the Blue Katz will play before Lucky Seven brings the six-hour event to a close.
Frank says that if this festival is successful there will be another one, adding that he’s already thinking up some fresh ideas.
Roots, Retro & Rockabilly will take place at the Governor Hindmarsh on Sun Oct 7 from 3-9pm and will feature Glenn Skuthorpe, Double Wammy, Hoy-Hoy!, Blue Katz, The Satellites and Lucky Seven.
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