The School Of Rockabilly

Darrel’s pick of five influential players and songs from the 1950s to give you a rockabilly education

1. Scotty Moore Hear: Elvis Presley – Baby Let’s Play House

“I think that’s the blueprint really there. Because of what Scotty is playing while Elvis is singing… and bear in mind there’s no drums on that record so it’s just Elvis singing and playing acoustic guitar, Bill Black slapping his double bass and Scotty trying to fill out the sound as much as he can with this picking sound. He’s also playing these fabulous bluesy-type solos.”

2. Cliff Gallup Hear: Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps – Hold Me, Hug Me, Rock Me

“I would choose any Gene Vincent song with Cliff Gallup on guitar but particularly that one because the solos are just absolutely unbelievable.”

3. Eddie Cochran Hear: Skeets McDonald – You Oughta See Grandma Rock

“It isn’t a song of Eddie’s but a track where he’s playing lead guitar for another artist. Because on that Eddie kind of takes over the whole track and does this solo that’s so exciting and the whole song explodes in that moment. That is rockabilly to me. That’s hairs on the back of your neck time – that’s what that’s all about.”

4. Grady Mart in Hear: Johnny Burnette – Rock Billy Boogie

“A player who was very similar to Cliff Gallup in that he was a very fluid player with lots of single string stuff, but there was a lot of aggression in what he did. And the intro to Rock Billy Boogie is so effective. It’s so simple but so aggressive and absolutely fabulous. His solos are deceptively simple and you listen to them and think, ‘I could probably pick that up in five minutes,’ but 40 years later you’re still trying to work out how to play them note for note!”

5. Joe Maphis Hear: Ricky Nelson - Stood Up

“His solos on that are absolutely wonderful and, again, very aggressive sounding.”