In the beginning, rockabilly was a uniquely American phenomenon. Having grown out of the roots of various American music forms including the blues, country, gospel, and rhythm and blues, it was American music through and through. But it didn't take long before the language of rockabilly transcended borders and spoken-language barriers. It quickly became part of the universal language of rock and roll music.
When rockabilly exploded on the popular-music scene with the arrival of Elvis in 1954 it spread across America like wildfire through a field of dry grass. The music started deep in the south but quickly broke out of the small local southern markets to gain regional and then national significance.
Soon musicians from all over America where joining in to make rockabilly music and fans from all over American were loving it. It was only a matter of time then, as the music began to sell in the American market, that promoters would begin trying to break it in other markets as well.
Before long, the kids in England and Australia were also singing the language of rock and roll and they began to love the original American artists even more than the American fans did. Several of the early rockabilly pioneers found eager fans in foreign markets who couldn't get enough of the music. This was a career saver for many of these artists who'd been all but forgotten at home in the states.
Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many other artists found great success in both record sales and live concert appearances in the UK including Australia. This success often revitalized flagging careers and gave the artists new energy to continue creating.
Today, rockabilly music ties fans from all over the world together like never before. Their love for rockabilly music gives them a common bond that strengthens the rockabilly scene even more. Fans who may not speak the same verbal language can nonetheless communicate via rockabilly.
Rockabilly festivals, conventions, parties, and other events draw attendance not only from the local crowd, but from throughout the world. Fans who don't know anything else about one another at least know they share their love of rockabilly and that's enough to bind them together as life-long friends.
When the original rockabilly cats were making their music, they couldn't have known what an impact they were to have on the world. They could never have predicted that their simple, straight-forward songs would become a universal language spoken by devout fans throughout the world 55 or 60 years after they'd made the music. And yet, that's exactly what's happened. Fans throughout the world use the Internet to communicate with other fans, follow their favorite bands from across the globe, and share music and their love for it. In this way, rockabilly music truly has become a universal language.
When rockabilly exploded on the popular-music scene with the arrival of Elvis in 1954 it spread across America like wildfire through a field of dry grass. The music started deep in the south but quickly broke out of the small local southern markets to gain regional and then national significance.
Soon musicians from all over America where joining in to make rockabilly music and fans from all over American were loving it. It was only a matter of time then, as the music began to sell in the American market, that promoters would begin trying to break it in other markets as well.
Before long, the kids in England and Australia were also singing the language of rock and roll and they began to love the original American artists even more than the American fans did. Several of the early rockabilly pioneers found eager fans in foreign markets who couldn't get enough of the music. This was a career saver for many of these artists who'd been all but forgotten at home in the states.
Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many other artists found great success in both record sales and live concert appearances in the UK including Australia. This success often revitalized flagging careers and gave the artists new energy to continue creating.
Today, rockabilly music ties fans from all over the world together like never before. Their love for rockabilly music gives them a common bond that strengthens the rockabilly scene even more. Fans who may not speak the same verbal language can nonetheless communicate via rockabilly.
Rockabilly festivals, conventions, parties, and other events draw attendance not only from the local crowd, but from throughout the world. Fans who don't know anything else about one another at least know they share their love of rockabilly and that's enough to bind them together as life-long friends.
When the original rockabilly cats were making their music, they couldn't have known what an impact they were to have on the world. They could never have predicted that their simple, straight-forward songs would become a universal language spoken by devout fans throughout the world 55 or 60 years after they'd made the music. And yet, that's exactly what's happened. Fans throughout the world use the Internet to communicate with other fans, follow their favorite bands from across the globe, and share music and their love for it. In this way, rockabilly music truly has become a universal language.
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