WHOS ROCKABILLY?

[kamikat]

I don't know if I'd call my husband rockabilly, but he wears the Daddy-Os bowling shirts and creepers and in the wintertime, a porkpie hat. For him, it was an accident. He's big into swing music, as well as some of the rockabilly music, but hates "dressing up". The only trousers he owns go with the tux he wears once a year. Once he saw Charlie Sheen wearing bowling shirts on Two and a half Men, he had to have those shirts. Now, everyone gets him a bowling shirt for birthdays, Christmas, ect.

 

[RIOT]

Nick, here some RAB band photos for you.

Let me see if I can post more later.

 

[Nick Charles]

WOW thanks everyone. No let me digest.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Hey Nick, I know you have been around here longer than me, but I know we had a thread where we got extensively into rockabilly and the regional differences like Vatobilly here in Texas and such. I'm never good at finding old threads myself though.

 

[Kentucky Blues]

Woah!.... Dude.... Where have you been?

And you've changed the 70s suit Avator that Root was rising you about!

How's it going D?

:eusa_clap

I've been mostly elsewhere... the 50's scene for a bit (though not online), which I still do occasionally, though in my own style (which makes me take back my answer from my previous post, sorta). And yeah, I recently changed it to match my indygear avatar.... Though I still love that suit, and I've modified the hat from one I mostly dreaded to one that I love... but back on topic..... Rockabilly, Boogie Woogie, and 50's R&B was all great, and I love just about all of it.

 

[Nick Charles]

i did search to no avail.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Oh no! No stereotyping please

But...but...your event flyer says NO SQUARES! We're not all bad. Don't believe the stereotypes.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Or they just think y'all are too square lol

Ahh well being called a square by you is such high praise indeed, I think I might spend the rest of the weekend floating about proudly.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I was totally into 'Rockabilly' back in the good ole Stray Cat 80's.

The Stray Cats brought with them a bad boy image which made them more acceptable in an era which was still in the clutches of punk and bands like the Stranglers and the Clash. A lot of the purists have little good to say about them but I'm sure they'd be happy to see a band of their ilk in the charts now! Listening to 'The Stray Cat Strut' and 'Rock This Town' brings back many awesome memories.

It's funny how my musical tastes have followed the course of this band. Stray Cat leader Brian Setzer had a rebirth so to speak in the late 90's and transformed from 'Rockabilly' to 'Swing'. His Brian Setzer Orchestra inspired many retro-Swing bands (including the Cherry Poppong Daddies, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy). I always say that Setzer's 'Jump Jive an' Wail' and 'This House Is Rockin' is retro-Swing with a Rockabilly 'flava'!

There's one kinda new Rockabilly purist that I currently enjoy, Lee Rocker.

 

[gluegungeisha]

Rockabilly I am not, but I do understand and love the culture. I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said, but it sure is nice to hear from people who know what they're talking about every now and then! :eusa_clap

 

[Prairie Dog]

Howdy, Hometown Gal. Surprised you haven't come into contact with the 'Rockabilly' culture in your neck of the woods so to speak!! Guess it's not your cup of tea. But there's a common thread that runs between that 'Rockabilly' and 'Swing'. Are you into retro-Swing, GluGun Geisha? Guess your not much of an Elvis fan either!

 

[Babydoll]

I'm not sure how to answer this question. I *love* rockabilly music, but I think I'm more of a honky tonk gal at heart. There's something about an old shufflin' two step that makes my feet itch to get out on the floor.

Up here where I live, we have a huge rockabilly scene, with plenty of greasers, psychobillies, ex-punks, etc. mixed in. You will find all manner of dress at any show. Some of the guys do the cuffed jeans and a t-shirt, but they will also do jeans, western shirt, and boots just as often. The ladies wear jeans, capris, straight skirts, circle skirts, and vintage dresses.... whatever they're comfortable in. If I know that I'm going to be dancing a lot, I wear a circle skirt ('cause it's fun!) and my cowboy boots ('cause they're comfortable!). Does that make me less welcome? I hope not. I also get dressed up in fancy dresses and stockings-and-heels for special events, such as our Rockabilly Ball.

This is horrible of me to admit, but I do get an internal giggle when I see people who take the extreme stereotype of what they think the "culture" is, and dress up in a costume to come out to a show just so they will fit in. (I recently saw a fella at the Dale Watson show in creased jeans that were so snug they looked painful, and white boots that looked new-from-the-store, as well as a western shirt that looked like he'd just taken it off of the hanger. I've also seen women come out in a poodle skirt, scarf in the ponytailed hair, etc. because that's what they wore in Grease, and therefore it must be real.)

Some pictures of me when I go out to a show:

 

[gluegungeisha]

Are you into retro-Swing, GluGun Geisha? Guess your not much of an Elvis fan either!

Oh, I think Elvis is great! Don't get me wrong...I'm crazy about the music. I'm just sort of disconnected from the culture. There's not much of that where I live. Many greasers, and lots of people into psychobilly, though. There are a few good local rockabilly bands in my area, but I'm not usually able to see them play because my age is a big restriction. [huh]

 

[Dr Doran]

I'm rockabilly once in a while.

 

[RIOT]

But...but...your event flyer says NO SQUARES! We're not all bad. Don't believe the stereotypes.

I was scratching my head wondering where you saw that. Not on the Rumblers flyer for the 25th this month.

But if you are talking about the Hot Rod Hoedown? Not my show hun. I was just passing it on with it's original content for a friend.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I was scratching my head wondering where you saw that. Not on the Rumblers flyer for the 25th this month.

But if you are talking about the Hot Rod Hoedown? Not my show hun. I was just passing it on with it's original content for a friend.

Yes, the Hoedown is what I meant.

 

[Benny Holiday]

[

Who's Rockabilly? Um . . . er . . . guilty as charged!

 

[reetpleat]

Rockabilly is about the 50s rebel/greaser culture... that culture that revolted against the "squares" or the "starches", those who *gasp* wore hats and gloves and pocket squares. For style, think James Dean or Marlon Brando. While I kind of agree, for many, it was only as rebelious as two things. One was a new form of music, and the other was listening to black inspired music and incorporation it into the new form.

Rockabillies were not political or standing for any kind of ideals. (not that they should) but they were just doing wht they wanted to do. Many were rural kids who just dug good music, fast cars and having fun.

Also, there was no real uniform of rebellion. Many of the singers, for example, wore flashy slacks and whip belts, two tone shirts etc. Elvis used to dress really flashy. the reason was, they were adopting black fashion. Pretty rebellious really.

As for the jeans and white t shirts, this ws just the standard dress of a lot of working class kids. It is right that it is the uniform of the modern rockabilly as it is representative. But I don't think the look would have been considered particularly rebellious in a small southern town. Dressing flashy and listening to race music or crazy race inspired music done by a white singer, now that was scandelous.

 

[reetpleat]

Deleted by myself

 

[MaryDeluxe]

Rockabilly is a type of music. From the music comes the "rockabilly subculture". People in this subculture will often display their belonging through a distinctive and symbolic use of style. As the "rockabilly culture" gained more media attention the style has become something that can be adopted by mainstream society.


PaDancer....you forgot to be truely rockabilly you must also be holding a can of PBR! lol hahahaha