Hillbilly Boogie
tagStarted 1945Peak 1948-1953Last big hit 1955From United States
Located in 1 route
The country side of rock's birth: hillbilly vocals and string-band instrumentation set over a boogie-woogie bass line, with driving rhythm guitar, hot fiddle or steel breaks and a galloping shuffle. Twangier and more rural than R&B-rooted rock, it married barn-dance energy to a propulsive beat that pointed straight toward rockabilly's snap.
History
Country acts seized the late-1930s boogie-woogie craze: Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith's 1945 instrumental was an early breakout, and the Delmore Brothers' 'Hillbilly Boogie' (1946) named the style. Moon Mullican, Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Maddox Brothers & Rose drove hillbilly vocals over a boogie rhythm into the early '50s, laying the rhythmic groundwork that rockabilly and early rock would electrify.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Hillbilly Boogie — The Delmore BrothersSpotifyYouTube
- Guitar Boogie — Arthur "Guitar Boogie" SmithSpotifyYouTube
- Shot-Gun Boogie — Tennessee Ernie FordSpotifyYouTube
- Cherokee Boogie — Moon MullicanSpotifyYouTube
- Water Baby Boogie — The Maddox Brothers and RoseSpotifyYouTube
- Bloodshot Eyes — Hank PennySpotifyYouTube
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Boogie_(song)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freight_Train_Boogie
- https://www.npr.org/2011/11/15/140112547/the-history-of-hillbilly-boogies-earliest-days
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodshot_Eyes_(song)