The beautiful and talented Steph from Tart Deco rockabilly wedding blog has graciously popped over to Wedding Skulls to say a few words about her favourite subject – rockabilly. I certianly didn’t know much about rockabilly before I talked to Steph, and I’ve now got a whole new list of bands to listen to

What is Rockabilly?

I get this question a lot, especially when I tell people I sing in a rockabilly band (Sidecar Steph & the 7-10 Split). Rockabilly can be so many things to so many people, so I’ll keep my definition to what I think it is and perhaps others will add on through their comments. I will cover two areas that really define the rockabilly lifestyle: music and fashion.

Rockabilly Music
Rockabilly as a word is “rock+hillbilly” and many of the early musicians were considered country & western, like Rose Maddox & the Maddox Brothers and Charline Arthur. There were also quite a few jazz musicians that would contract in to a studio session, like Les Paul, and Sun Records was crawling with players from both genres. Sun Records is considered by most to be the birthplace of rockabilly music and they owe much of that to Elvis Presley. Here’s where it gets interesting- Elvis was heavily influenced by African American music, specifically gospel and R&B bop and jump blues, and this, coupled with the aforementioned genres, provided the driving beat that really gave rockabilly it’s unique sound.

When people think rockabilly they usually remember the men of the genre, like Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, etc. However, there was a huge female contingency that could rock just as hard as the men- Wanda Jackson (as pictured), Janis Martin, LaVern Baker and Barbara Pittman

Wanda Jackson

Rockabilly music unfortunately went as quickly as it came, mostly because of social issues and a fear of “the beat, the beat, the beat.” Luckily, interest was revised in a big way in the 1980s by groups like The Stray Cats and The Blasters. Psychobilly (punk+rockabilly) also came out of this movement led by the group The Cramps.

Rockabilly Fashion

There really are no hard and fast rules about rockabilly fashion, which can be liberating and frustrating at the same time. Usually the look is based on fashion from the 1950s and moves its way outward. Some people like the nostalgic 50s look with sweaters, pencil skirts and crinolines. Others go for a harder edge and prefer jeans, leather jackets and tattoos. Or maybe you mix the two. The big thing is to accessorize! If you wear glasses, get online and find a pair of vintage cat-eyes or raybans; if the glasses aren’t too petite or fragile you can usually have your prescription put into them. Guys, get a chain wallet or letter sweater. Gals, hair flowers are a must- in every color.

For a list of sites that carry rockabilly clothing, music examples or for more information on rockabilly, visit my blog at www.TartDeco.blogspot.com.

Stephanie Lewin is a rockabilly singer, seamstress, reenactor, and soon-to-be music librarian who loves to create beautiful things. She started her blog Tart Deco to help plan rockabilly weddings on a budget and understand the culture.