rockabilly it is music that came out of the southern United States, mixed with elements of rock, blues, country, hillbilly boogie, and bluegrass. His genre is one of strong rhythm, emotion and a wild vocal style. And though it shone brightest in the 1950s, it never really went away. In fact, today it has joined the ranks of established music subcultures around the world.

It has been argued that the word rockabilly is synonymous with Elvis and that Presley invented the genre one night in Memphis in 1954.

The story goes that Elvis was recording at Sam Phillips’ Sun Studio with Scotty Moore and Bill Black. According to Moore, they were taking a break when all of a sudden Elvis started singing a song, jumping up and down and acting goofy. Moore says that Bill took up the bass and before long the three of them were jumping and playing.

Moore says Phillips had the control room door open and when he heard them knock he asked what they were doing. Moore says they had no idea, but Phillips asked them to stop, find a place to start, and do it again. Legend has it that rockabilly was born that night.

Sam Phillips went on to record many small bands with his sound of string bass, echoy acoustic rhythm guitar, and twangy lead guitar.

He also recorded what would become a virtual ‘who’s who’ of blues musicians, including Junior Parker, Bobby Bland, Little Milton, Howlin’ Wolf, Walter Horton, and most importantly, Carl Perkins.

Some of the other great rockabilly artists of the time included Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Wanda Jackson, and Roy Orbison.

For many, rockabilly remained the “purest” form of rock and roll. Though it only lasted a few years, it served as a model for the sound, image, and spirit of rock for the next 50 years. Its influence is certainly still felt today and several bands continue to play in the rockabilly tradition, with many more borrowing from the genre to create their own flavor.

While there have always been bands playing rockabilly, the Renaissance it really hit its stride in the post-punk era, when a number of new bands picked up the sounds. They not only played the music, but they celebrated and embraced the pop culture that surrounds Rockabilly. The most successful revival band was the Stray Cats in the 1980s.

While there hasn’t been a band that has enjoyed such widespread fame since Stray Cats, rockabilly still has a life of its own in the 2000s. Over the past decade there has been a convergence of the rockabilly style with the swing music scene. Stray Cats’ Brian Setzer has once again played a major role in bringing the sound to new audiences. He formed the Brian Setzer Orchestra as a rockabilly and swing musician. The Reverend Horton Heat, Rattled Roosters and the Royal Crown Revue are also popular on both scenes.

Today there are still lively rockabilly scenes in several major US cities, especially on the West Coast. There are a number of big festivals, including Viva Las Vegas and Hootenanny, along with the Heavy Rebel Weekend Festival on the East Coast.

The subculture also thrives in Europe, where there is a heavy focus not only on contemporary musicians reviving rockabilly traditions, but also on artists from the ’50s.

So why has rockabilly survived in one form or another for all these years?

Meg Appelton in her article “Rockabilly in the New Millennium” argues that rockabilly culture is antithetical to current trends as it takes its roots from the “old school” social fringes.

She says the rockabilly phenomenon has survived through the generations thanks to a growing dissatisfaction with the culture, music and mainstream stylistic icons.

“Rockabilly often becomes a way of life or lifestyle for those on the go, who see the bigger scene as a family,” he explains.