Bakersfield Rockabilly (Rockabilly family)
tagStarted 1954Peak 1955–1964Last big hit 1990
In its rockabilly-family framing, Bakersfield rockabilly highlights the point where California country twang, hillbilly boogie, and early rock and roll share the same stage. The result is trebly, slapping, danceable, and more hard-edged than classic southern rockabilly.
History
The Central Valley's club culture and migrant crossover made Bakersfield especially fertile for mixing country and rockabilly strains. Early California performers, later roots revivalists, and players influenced by Buck Owens and West Coast bar-band sonics kept this hybrid audible even after rockabilly's first commercial wave faded.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Britannica
- Bakersfield histories
- rockabilly revival histories