Thoughts on Rockabilly

**steve burchfield** · 01-13-2021, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by 44lombard

Rich was so soulful! I love his work from Sun in the 1950s through the mid-1970s stuff on Columbia. He always brought some Memphis into even his most Nash-Vegas records.

Rich's arrangement of "Nice and Easy" caught Alex Chilton's ear, and Chilton recorded it and played it live for a while (in additional to keeping "Lonely Weekends" in his set list). Artists like Rich and Snooks Eaglin (and Chilton) who move between genres with no fear are awesome.

Rolling with the Flow is one I enjoyed playing in particular. I remember Charlie had kind of a blue/jazz type album with a song about Im Going Home Now It Was Too Much For Me maybe you know that album and I like Lifes Like A Merry Go Round Pig played piano intro of Behind Closed Doors in the studio Pig Hargus I think the blind great session pianist Alan Rich Charlies son was the band leader Michael Rhodes played bass with Charlie but not at the same time as my involvement although I played with him later hes been with Joe Bonamasa for quite awhile I think Alex Chilton was the Boxtops lead singer had a hit with The Letter Fingers Taylor played with Larry Raspsberry and The High Steppers I sit in with them some I think Ronnie Milsap is from Memphis I remember seeing their equipment set up in a club We used to start show with Most Beautiful Girl remember when Charlie burned John Denvers award on national TV? Glad he sobered up me too! If you have any questions about that experience Ill try to answer! Best Wishs!

**gcb** · 01-14-2021, 12:36 PM

I really had lots of fun with this videos. Would like to thank the OP for this thread and share a few thoughts and memories on Rockabilly.

First, one can find virtuosity in any musical genre, and Rockabilly and early Rock and Roll are no exceptions to that.

Second, Rockabilly and early Rock and Roll, as other posters mentioned, being the result of the crossing over of a conglomerate of pre existing musical tangents, started an evolutionary process that went forward into many directions. The 50's "rockabilly cats" were innovators, and what they created had and still has staying power.

Third, if I have to sum up in one word what Rockabilly and early Rock and Roll mean to me, that word would be energy.

Bill Haley covers of songs like "Rock this Joint," "Shake Rattle and Roll" come to mind as antecedents. I watched them on B&W TV. Carl Perkins and his accident. Elvis, Scotty Moore and Bill Black. The Sun Sessions integrating black and white musical genres. All the individuals and groups mentioned in the previous posts and some not mentioned, among them Hank Garland ("Little Sister" etc.). All this info was imprinted in my brain as a kid. ( I am 68 now).

So no wonder my first acoustic was a Martin D28. And my first archtop a Gibson Super 400. Bill Haley and The Comets, Johnny Cash, Elvis -and Scotty Moore- were the origin of that GAS. As James Jamerson and Motown stand behind my preference for P basses.

Those three instruments I sold more than three decades ago. However a modest old little pic might be in order in gratitude for the good times:

Thoughts on Rockabilly-gcb4-jpg

**gcb** · 01-14-2021, 09:59 PM

**gcb** · 01-14-2021, 10:21 PM

Post Sun Elvis with Hank Garland on a borrowed Fender Jazzmaster

**MarkRhodes** · 01-15-2021, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by gcb

Post Sun Elvis with Hank Garland on a borrowed Fender Jazzmaster

"Little Sister" is such a cool song!
Here's another taste of Elvis with Hank Garland on guitar

**gcb** · 01-15-2021, 10:47 AM

"A Big Hunk O' Love" (1959, #1 for 10 weeks in US pop charts ). Big hit! It is said that for this session Elvis used a lineup of top Nashville pros. Among them, Hank Garland playing lead guitar and apparently also Chet Atkins doing the second!

**Doctor Jeff** · 01-15-2021, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by gcb

"A Big Hunk O' Love" (1959, #1 for 10 weeks in US pop charts ). Big hit! It is said that for this session Elvis used a lineup of top Nashville pros. Among them, Hank Garland playing lead guitar and apparently also Chet Atkins doing the second!

I think Chet was put in charge of all the recordings when Elvis signed with RCA. The real decline in Elvis career, at least until 1968, was when he went into the military. He lost his mojo over in Germany, though he did acquire a VERY young Priscilla...and let the Colonel talk him into some corny music and film projects.

At least that’s how I remember it from the Guralnick bio.

**gcb** · 01-15-2021, 12:07 PM

The bass player in the 1958 session that produced "A Big Hunk O' Love" (released in 1959) was Bob Moore, member of the "Nashville Sound A-Team" (late 50s/60s). Here is a link to an interview with interesting info on the life and achievements of this great musician:

Interview with Bob Moore - Art of Slap Bass

**wintermoon** · 01-15-2021, 06:34 PM

last night I was watching an episode of the Twilight Zone, the one w/Bing's son Gary Crosby as Floyd Burney playing a customized ES-295. at one point he referred to himself as a rockabilly musician so common use of the term goes back to at least 1964.