Rockabillies

[Dave]

I come across a tendency that people associate 50's & 60's music together when in reality the whole start and emergence for both decades was different.

The late 40's and during the 50's was the first time Youth could identify with their own music, it was the first time that it was commercially viable to have a new source of buyers for the major and many independent recording labels.

The sixties brought about or attempted to stamp out Rock n Roll in the form of scapegoating certain promoters with the Payola scandal trials. this softened and attempted to clean up the music which became in some instances quite bland or dire.

Then as the sixties came into being , the UK record companies had started to wake up, new bands emerged with a different sound and Rhythm developed from what they had been influenced from the States, which became popularly known as the British Invasion.

During this period in the UK, Rock n Roll and it's followers went sort of underground until the late sixties when New 50's Rock n roll Bands were forming, people of my generation became interested and a resurgence of Rockabilly and the original sounds began. This was known as the "Rock n Roll Revival" period or "Second generation".

Clubs were formed, such as "the Vintage Rock n Roll Society" of which other organisers affiliated to, new RnR DJ's started playing the music in pubs and at organised events across the UK.

In the 70's during the Punk period the music and Rock n Roll scene had grown, Teddy Boys were back both old and second generation, the Rockers and Bikers who had always been around were also part of that shared liking for 50's Rock n Roll.

The eighties saw a diversity of genre's with peoples preference for rock n roll emerge, some went in a more specialised direction, this was also in evidence with the many Bands that played around the RnR Circuit attracting a following for them and or the style of music they played.
Some of these factions were generated from a crossover between Punk Rock, Phychobilly and Rockabilly (Of later years).
The Teds were still strong in number, then there was the US Hepcat and sodapop influence, a following for Doo-Wop and original 50's Rhythm & Blues Rockin' music.

The nineties saw another change in the scene, a lot of the second generation had become involved in some of the factional music, were involved in personal activities or had more pressing personal commitments and family duties.
Also due to the changed scene some of the aforementioned societies had either developed or ceased.
New venues were emerging and whereas 50's Rockabilly appealed to the second and a growing third generation, a more mainstream Rock n roll audience were more interested in dancing and sought venues with large floor space for their practice comprised of mainly a more maturing sector of people.

The Millennium continued the trend of Rockabilly and Dancers basically know as the "Rockin' Crowd" / "Rockabillies" or "Rock n Rollers" / "Jive Crowd".
For the Jivers many schools of tuition were started, these concentrated on dance-steps such as basic RnR, Ballroom Jive, Swing, Salsa, Jitterbug and associated modern Jive.

New venues came and went while others grew. Weekend events specialising in particular genre's of Rock n Roll were growing.

More CD's were obtainable, more Bands were were emerging that wrote their own material.
The Internet began to attract a listening audience for Local, National and global RnR information and contacts.

Some , like Rocket Radio, started to stream specialist programing, other stations too such as Radio Caroline and shows such as Dell Richardson's Good Rockin' tonight ( and his former station slots) were available for the UK and Europe via Satellite as well as being webcast.

Rockabilly Radio was play-listing tracks by independent artists and bands of the Genre on the Internet, (Which I later Joined).

I Also had my shows on Northern Broadcasting.

Mark LaMarr had a series of about 12 one hour specialist shows on the BBC each year which could also be heard on the Internet.

Geoff Barker has a Saturday Show on Local BBC Radio which can also be heard on the Net.

Recently a few local stations have started to have Rock n Roll as part of their specialist evening programing most notably Forest FM which is one of the New Community Radio Stations putting out two Rockin programs weekly also for webcast.

So also are publications and information available which you will find via some of the following links:

http://www.dbrighton.rockabillyradio.net
"http://www.northernbroadcasting.co.uk
http://www.thisgigguide.fsnet.co.uk
http://www.carolinerockers.co.uk