Hell Bent & Heaven Sent: The Origins of Rockabilly

An Ear Candy Update sure to blister your sisters and rattle your rafters. Here we explore the origins of the outrageous sound of rockabilly.


Feel free to steal the poster above. It's yours. Do with it what you will.

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Download to iTunes here: Hell Bent and Heaven Sent.mp3

It's really quite simply - rockabilly - that is. It is a mutant hybrid of country & western and rhythm & blues. Sure, sometimes it comes from the hollars of North Carolina and sometimes from the hills of Texas, but it's still rockabilly. Some of its high priests sported greasy pompadours and others sported clean high-top fades. It doesn't really matter. What matters is how heavy your upright bass is and how much abuse it can take - how much banging your big, fat hollow-body guitar can handle. Turn the volume up, strip out all the pretension and leave your audience panting, gap-mouthed on the dance floor shaking for more. Rockabilly has a kindred spirit with the punks in that the music is an urgent, frantic wail to anyone who'll listen. It is desperation and exasperation bundled in three chords no matter how fast they're played.

This edition of the Ear Candy Update digs into the origin of this outrageous, white-knuckle sound. The cuts on here aren't likely to make anyone's list of wildly influential tunes and only a handful of the artists have achieved any measure of national acclaim. Elvis' shadow looms large but sadly, most of these guys could fit in it for more than a year. Most of their rockstar ambitions ended before the ink on their contracts dried. That sort of stuff would never stop this show however. We dug up the stuff sure to rattle your rafters and blister your sisters. It was our pleasure.

- Duke Wilbury


If you have any suggestions, bitches, gripes, complaints or praise, email the Duke right here: Dukewilbury@gmail.com

How Can You Be Mean to Me - Dale Vaughn
Mystery Train - Elvis Presley
The Raging Sea - Gene Maltais
She's the One That's Got It - Allen Page
Put Your Cat Clothes On - Carl Perkins
Don't Be Gone Long - Bob Doss
Mean, Mean Man - Wanda Jackson
The Train Kept A-Rollin' - Johnny Burnette & His Rock'N'Roll Trio
Mad Dog in Town - Rocky Bill Ford
Jitterbop Baby - Hal Harris
Bop-a-Lena - Ronnie Self
Rockin' In the Graveyard - Jackie Morningstar
Wash Machine Boogie - The Echo Valley Boys
Pink and Black - Sonny Fisher
Get With It - Charlie Feathers
Come On Little Mama - Ray Harris
The Slide - The Rhythm Rockets
Big Green Car - Jimmy Carroll
Jello Sal - Benny Ingram
Mama's Little Baby - Junior Thompson
Save It - Mel Robbins
I Can't Find the Door Knob - Jimmy & Johnny
Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby - Freddie Franks
Scratching on My Screen - Ric Cartey
Rock to the Boogie - Roy Burk & The Bell Bottoms
Boppin' High School Baby - Don Willis
Snake Eyed Mama - Don Cole
I Got a Rocket in my Pocket - Jimmy Lloyd

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