Hillbilly Rock
tagStarted 1986Peak 1989-1993Last big hit 1996From US South, United States
Located in 1 route
Twang-drenched, backbeat-driven country built on slapping upright-feel bass, chicken-pickin' Telecaster, fiddle and high lonesome harmony pushed to rockabilly tempo. Hot honky-tonk shuffles collide with bluegrass flatpicking and a hard rock 'n' roll snare crack — rhinestone suits, greased pompadours and a stomping, danceable strut.
History
Coined by Marty Stuart for his 1989 MCA album and title single, the term named a late-'80s Nashville neo-traditionalist current fusing rockabilly fire with honky-tonk and bluegrass. Dwight Yoakam's Bakersfield revival fed it; Stuart and Travis Tritt's duets crowned it. Grunge and pop-country crowded it out after the mid-'90s, leaving a roots-revival legacy.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Hillbilly Rock — Marty StuartSpotifyYouTube
- Tempted — Marty StuartSpotifyYouTube
- Burn Me Down — Marty StuartSpotifyYouTube
- The Whiskey Ain't Workin' — Travis Tritt & Marty StuartSpotifyYouTube
- This One's Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time) — Marty Stuart & Travis TrittSpotifyYouTube
- Guitars, Cadillacs — Dwight YoakamSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Rock
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Stuart
- https://www.allmusic.com/album/hillbilly-rock-mw0000110660
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_One's_Gonna_Hurt_You_(For_a_Long,_Long_Time)