111-732: John Michael Dexter "Dex" Romweber (June 18, 1966 – February 16, 2024) was an American rockabilly and roots rock musician (primarily playing electric guitar) from Carrboro, North Carolina . Dex was best known as one-half of the seminal two-piece Flat Duo Jets . He fronted the Dex Romweber Duo with his older sister Sara Romweber . Romweber was born in Batesville , Indiana, the youngest of seven children. The family lived in Florida, moving to Carrboro, North Carolina in 1977. He attended Culbreth Junior High School and Chapel Hill High School , bringing
222-430: A "flamethrower", "a powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings," "a 120-mph fastball," and a "vocal tornado". Critics also note her idiosyncratic, "cryptic," "imagistic" lyrics, and credit her as a significant figure in the early 21st-century American revival of the tenor guitar . Case's body of work has spanned and drawn on a range of traditions including country, folk, art rock, indie rock, and pop and
333-552: A Teenage Werewolf". Lead singer Lux Interior 's energetic and unpredictable live shows attracted a fervent cult audience. Their " psychobilly " music influenced The Meteors and Reverend Horton Heat . In the early '80s, the Latin genre was born in Colombia by Marco T (Marco Tulio Sanchez), with The Gatos Montañeros. The Polecats , from North London, were originally called The Cult Heroes; they could not get any gigs at rockabilly clubs with
444-456: A blues song on one side and a country song on the other, both sung in the same genre-blending style. Presley's Sun recordings feature his vocals and rhythm guitar, Bill Black's percussive slapped bass, and Scotty Moore on an amplified guitar. Slap bass had been a staple of both western swing and hillbilly boogie since the 1940s. Scotty Moore described his playing style as an amalgamation of techniques he had picked up from other guitarists over
555-464: A break on July 5, 1954, Elvis started playing " That's All Right Mama ", a 1946 blues song by Arthur Crudup, and Moore and Black joined in. After several takes, Phillips had a satisfactory recording. "That's All Right" was released on July 19, 1954. Presley's version of "That's All Right Mama" melded country, a genre associated with European-American culture, and rhythm & blues, a genre associated with African-American culture . The resulting track
666-633: A breakthrough hit for Shakin' Stevens . Also in 1980, Queen scored a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the rockabilly-inspired single " Crazy Little Thing Called Love ". The Stray Cats were the most commercially successful of the new rockabilly artists. The band formed on Long Island in 1979 when Brian Setzer teamed up with two school chums calling themselves Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom . Attracting little attention in New York, they flew to London in 1980, where they had heard that there
777-557: A documentary about Dex and The Flat Duo Jets began playing at film festivals. Upon completion of Athens, GA: Inside/Out in 1987, director Tony Gayton began filming an untitled documentary of the Flat Duo Jets' national tour. After funding for the film fell through, production ceased and the film was forgotten. Funding the rest of the film himself, Gayton met up with Dexter in Los Angeles sixteen years later, and filmed new interviews with
888-996: A duet with Carl Perkins, and George Harrison collaborated with Roy Orbison in the Traveling Wilburys . In 1999, McCartney released Run Devil Run , his own record of rockabilly covers. The Beatles were not the only British Invasion artists influenced by rockabilly. The Rolling Stones recorded Buddy Holly's " Not Fade Away " on an early single and later a rockabilly-style song, " Rip This Joint ", on Exile on Main St. The Who , despite being mod favorites, covered Eddie Cochran's " Summertime Blues " and Johnny Kidd and The Pirates ' Shakin' All Over on their Live at Leeds album. Even heavy guitar heroes such as Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were influenced by rockabilly musicians. Beck recorded his own tribute album to Gene Vincent's guitarist Cliff Gallup — Crazy Legs —and Page's band, Led Zeppelin , offered to work as Elvis Presley's backing band in
999-455: A garage in the late 80s, the band's full-length debut LP, the self-titled Flat Duo Jets , was not released until 1990. In support of the album, the Flat Duo Jets went on a national tour opening for The Cramps , whom Dexter has cited as an early influence. 1990 also saw the band make an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman , where they performed a high-energy cover of Benny Joy 's "Wild Wild Lover". Their second LP, Go Go Harlem Baby ,
1110-572: A member of Let's Active and Snatches of Pink . Romweber died on February 16, 2024, at the age of 57. Romweber played the Silvertone 1448, which was built by Danelectro for Sears to sell under their Silvertone name. Rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South . As a genre, it blends
1221-663: A million copies. These same musicians would have two more releases in 1956, followed by another in January 1957. "Queen of Rockabilly" Wanda Jackson's first record came out in July, "I Gotta Know" on the Capitol label; followed by "Hot Dog That Made Him Mad" in November. Capitol would release nine more records by Jackson, some with songs she had written herself, before the 1950s were over. The first record by Jerry Lee Lewis , who would later be known as
SECTION 10
#17328633556751332-498: A mix of blues, country and early rockabilly. The Saturday Night Jamboree was a Memphis stage show held every Saturday night at the Goodwyn Institute Auditorium in downtown Memphis, Tennessee from 1953–1954. The Jamboree shows were sometimes broadcast live on KWEM. A number of future notables performed there, including Elvis Presley. The performers often experimented with new sounds in their dressing rooms, incorporating
1443-586: A name that sounded "punk", so the original drummer Chris Hawkes came up with the name "Polecats". Tim Polecat and Boz Boorer started playing together in 1976, then hooked up with Phil Bloomberg and Chris Hawkes at the end of 1977. The Polecats played rockabilly with a punk sense of anarchy and helped revive the genre for a new generation in the early 1980s. The Blasters , who emerged from the Los Angeles punk scene, included rockabilly among their roots rock influences. The song " Marie Marie ", first appearing on their 1980 debut album American Music , would later become
1554-553: A nationwide boogie craze starting in 1938, country artists like Moon Mullican , the Delmore Brothers , Tennessee Ernie Ford , Speedy West , Jimmy Bryant , and the Maddox Brothers and Rose began recording what was then known as "hillbilly boogie", which consisted of "hillbilly" vocals and instrumentation with a boogie bass line. After World War II , The Maddox Brothers and Rose were at "the leading edge of rockabilly with
1665-553: A performance at Lollapalooza 2009 in Grant Park , Chicago. In June 2013, Case announced a new album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You , which was released on September 3. In early March, 2018, Case released a teaser for an album titled Hell-On , her first solo work in almost five years. The teaser featured Case lying down singing a song of
1776-815: A pioneer of rockabilly and rock and roll, came out on December 22, 1956, and featured his version of " Crazy Arms " and "End of the Road". Lewis would have big hits in 1957 with his version of " Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On ", issued in May, and " Great Balls Of Fire " on Sun. There were thousands of musicians who recorded songs in the rockabilly style, and many record companies released rockabilly records. Some enjoyed major chart success and were important influences on future rock musicians. Sun also hosted performers, such as Billy Lee Riley , Sonny Burgess , Charlie Feathers , and Warren Smith . There were also several female performers like Wanda Jackson who recorded rockabilly music long after
1887-691: A punk-influenced style of rockabilly, often labeled as alt-country or cowpunk . They achieved critical acclaim and a following in America but never managed a major hit. The revival was related to the " roots rock " movement, which continued through the 1980s, led by artists like James Intveld , who later toured as lead guitar for The Blasters, High Noon , the Beat Farmers , The Paladins , Forbidden Pigs , Del-Lords, Long Ryders, The Last Wild Sons, The Fabulous Thunderbirds , Los Lobos , The Fleshtones , Del Fuegos , Reverend Horton Heat and Barrence Whitfield and
1998-620: A result, she is also considered a significant figure in Canadian music—both CBC Radio 3 and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada have referred to Case as an "honourary Canadian". In 2018 Case performed at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Case embraced country music on her 1997 album, The Virginian . The album contained original compositions as well as covers of songs by Ernest Tubb , Loretta Lynn and
2109-476: A rock and roll star in his own right), although they did not record the song until 1957. The Burnettes disliked the popular music McQueen played, so they began playing smaller shows on their own, focusing on their budding rockabilly sound. The trio released " Train Kept A-Rollin' " in 1956, listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top 500 rock songs of all time . Many consider this 1956 recording to be
2220-518: A rockabilly album titled Everybody's Rockin' . The album was not a commercial success and Young was involved in a widely publicized legal fight with Geffen Records who sued him for making a record that did not sound "like a Neil Young record". Young made no further albums in the rockabilly style. During the 1980s, a number of country music stars scored hits recording in a rockabilly style. Marty Stuart 's " Hillbilly Rock " and Hank Williams, Jr. 's " All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight " were
2331-404: A style different from the "preppy" campus. Romweber's mother was a pianist who encouraged her son's interest in music and purchased his equipment. His first band, started in the family's cellar, with classmate Hunter Landen (The Bad Checks) on vocals. When the duo decided they needed a drummer, they called his sister Sara and pulled together some pots and pans from the kitchen. At the time Romweber
SECTION 20
#17328633556752442-416: A succession of drummers including Mike Krause, Michael Rank, and Hunter Landen after Romweber had taken over vocal duties. Dexter began playing with Chris "Crow" Smith, with material culled mainly from his family's record collection. They called themselves The Flat Duo Jets, after hearing Gene Vincent refer to his Gretsch Duo Jet guitar. The Flat Duo Jets' first release, In Stereo , was recorded live in
2553-598: A surprise success. Although the band was originally conceived as a side project for its members, the New Pornographers remain a prominent presence in the indie rock world, having released its ninth album in 2023. In addition to recording with the New Pornographers, Case frequently collaborates with other Canadian musicians, including the Sadies and Carolyn Mark , and has recorded material by several noted Canadian songwriters, in particular on her 2001 EP Canadian Amp . As
2664-742: Is another example of the mixing of musical genres in the first half of the 1950s. Bill Monroe is known as the Father of Bluegrass , a specific style of country music. Many of his songs were in blues form, while others took the form of folk ballads, parlor songs, or waltzes. Bluegrass was a staple of country music in the early 1950s and is often mentioned as an influence in the development of rockabilly, in part owing to its favoring of fast tempos. The Honky Tonk sound, which "tended to focus on working-class life, with frequently tragic themes of lost love, adultery, loneliness, alcoholism, and self-pity", also included songs of energetic, uptempo Hillbilly Boogie. Some of
2775-453: Is diverse, drawing influences from jazz, surf, early instrumentals, Bill Haley , Ella Fitzgerald , and even Chopin . The band continued to rehearse and experiment every Thursday night in Romweber's garage. In 2016, Romweber released the record Carrboro on Bloodshot Records . His older brother, Joe Romweber, was the lead singer for UV Prom and Eraserhead, while his sister Sara Romweber was
2886-571: Is frequently described as defying or avoiding easy generic classification. Born in Alexandria, Virginia , Case is the only child of James Bamford Case and Diana Mary Dubbs. Case's paternal family surname was originally Shevchenko ; her great-aunt was the professional wrestler Ella Waldek . Her father, a Vietnam veteran serving in the United States Air Force , was based in Virginia at
2997-452: Is quoted as saying "Rock and Roll? Why, man, that's the same kind of music we've been playin' since 1928!... But it's just basic rhythm and has gone by a lot of different names in my time. It's the same, whether you just follow a drum beat like in Africa or surround it with a lot of instruments. The rhythm's what's important." After blues artists like Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson launched
3108-592: Is the World of the Theater." In 2016, Neko Case, k.d. lang , and Laura Veirs announced the case/lang/veirs project, with an album released in June 2016. Case recorded her third full-length album, Blacklisted , in Tucson, Arizona . It was the first full-length album credited to Case alone, without Her Boyfriends, and was released on Bloodshot Records on August 20, 2002. Some believe
3219-465: The Billboard 200 albums chart. It contains Case's most autobiographical song, "Hold On, Hold On". Case said: "the song is actually about me. It's not metaphorical about other people. It's not little pieces of my life made into a story about someone else or someone fictitious." "Hold On, Hold On" has since been covered by Marianne Faithfull on her 2009 album Easy Come, Easy Go . "Hold On, Hold On"
3330-571: The 56th Annual Grammy Awards . Case has appeared on Season 29 (2003–04) and 39 (2013–14) of Austin City Limits . In 2008, Case guest starred alongside Kelly Hogan on the season 5 episode of the adult animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force , Sirens , in which she (as "Chrysanthemum") and Hogan (as "The B.J. Queen") take the role of sirens who have taken former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman John Kruk (as himself) captive for arcane sexual purposes. Case also voiced
3441-750: The Jordanaires . In 1951 a western swing bandleader named Bill Haley recorded a version of " Rocket 88 " with his group, the Saddlemen . It is considered one of the earliest recognized rockabilly recordings. It was followed by versions of " Rock the Joint " in 1952, and original works such as "Real Rock Drive" and " Crazy Man, Crazy ", the latter of which reached number 12 on the American Billboard chart in 1953. On April 12, 1954, Haley, performing with his band as Bill Haley and His Comets , recorded " Rock Around
Dexter Romweber - Misplaced Pages Continue
3552-477: The Long Tall Sally EP (1964)). Long after the band broke up, the members continued to show their interest in rockabilly. In 1975, Lennon recorded an album called Rock 'n' Roll , featuring versions of rockabilly hits and a cover photo showing him in full Gene Vincent leather. About the same time, Ringo Starr had a hit with a version of Johnny Burnette's " You're Sixteen ". In the 1980s, McCartney recorded
3663-450: The 1930s and 1940s, two new sounds emerged. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys were the leading proponents of Western Swing , which combined country singing and steel guitar with big band jazz influences and horn sections ; Wills's music found massive popularity. Recordings of Wills's from the mid 1940s to the early 1950s include "two beat jazz" rhythms, "jazz choruses", and guitar work that preceded early rockabilly recordings. Wills
3774-560: The 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing , boogie-woogie , jump blues , and electric blues . Defining features of the rockabilly sound included strong rhythms, boogie woogie piano riffs, vocal twangs , doo-wop acapella singing, and common use of the tape echo ; and eventually came to incorporate different instruments and vocal harmonies. Initially popularized by artists such as Carl Perkins , Elvis Presley , Johnny Burnette , Jerry Lee Lewis and others,
3885-478: The 1970s. However, Presley never took them up on that offer. Years later, Led Zeppelin's Page and Robert Plant recorded a tribute to the music of the 1950s called The Honeydrippers: Volume One . The 1968 Elvis "comeback" and acts such as Sha Na Na , Creedence Clearwater Revival , Don McLean , Linda Ronstadt and the Everly Brothers , the film American Graffiti , the television show Happy Days and
3996-414: The 1974 Queen song " Misfire ". When the album was released, critics compared Case to honky-tonk singers like Lynn and Patsy Cline , and to rockabilly pioneer Wanda Jackson , particularly in her vocal timbre. On February 22, 2000, Case released her second solo album, Furnace Room Lullaby . The album introduced the "country noir" elements that have defined Case's subsequent solo career. That tone
4107-550: The 1980s in the UK (with four number ones in the singles chart) and number two across Europe, outstripping Michael Jackson , Prince , and Bruce Springsteen . Unlike The Stray Cats, who became successful due in part to MTV, Shakin' Stevens' success was initially due to him appearing on various children's television shows in Britain. Despite his popularity in Europe, he never became a big success in
4218-581: The Big Bopper ), the induction of Elvis Presley into the army in 1958, and a general change in American musical tastes. The style remained popular longer in England, where it attracted a fanatical following right up through the mid-1960s. Rockabilly music cultivated an attitude that assured its enduring appeal to teenagers. This was a combination of rebellion, sexuality, and freedom—a sneering expression of disdain for
4329-890: The Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll) ". The group became a popular touring act in the UK and the US, leading to respectable album sales. Edmunds also nurtured and produced many younger artists who shared his love of rockabilly, most notably the Stray Cats . Robert Gordon emerged from late 1970s CBGB punk act Tuff Darts to reinvent himself as a rockabilly revival solo artist. He recorded first with 1950s guitar legend Link Wray and later with UK studio guitar veteran Chris Spedding and found borderline mainstream success. Also festering at CBGB's punk environs were The Cramps , who combined primitive and wild rockabilly sounds with lyrics inspired by old drive-in horror movies in songs like "Human Fly" and "I Was
4440-526: The Clock " for Decca Records of New York City. When first released in May 1954, "Rock Around the Clock" made the charts for one week at number 23, and sold 75,000 copies. In 1955, it was featured in the film Blackboard Jungle , resulting in a resurgence of sales. The song hit No. 1, held that position for eight weeks, and was the number two song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 1955. The recording was, until
4551-866: The Decca label, and, as a member of the Teen Kings, Roy Orbison with "Ooby Dooby" on the New Mexico/Texas based Je-wel label. Holly's big hits would not be released until 1957. Janis Martin was only fifteen years old when RCA issued a record with "Will You, Willyum" and the Martin-composed "Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll", which sold over 750,000 copies. King records issued a new disk by forty-seven-year-old Moon Mullican: " Seven Nights to Rock " and "Rock 'N' Roll Mr. Bullfrog". Twenty more sides were issued by various labels including 4 Star, Blue Hen, Dot, Cold Bond, Mercury, Reject, Republic, Rodeo, and Starday. In April and May 1956,
Dexter Romweber - Misplaced Pages Continue
4662-496: The Jime ended with the death of Vince Gordon in 2016. Shakin' Stevens was a Welsh singer who gained fame in the UK portraying Elvis in a stage play. In 1980, he took a cover of The Blasters ' "Marie Marie" into the UK Top 20. His hopped-up versions of songs like " This Ole House " and " Green Door " were giant sellers across Europe. Shakin' Stevens was the biggest selling singles artist of
4773-521: The Jukebox Keep on Playing". Perkins and Presley in particular competed as the premier rockabilly artists. In March 1956, Columbia released " Honky Tonk Man " by Johnny Horton , King put out "Seven Nights to Rock" by Moon Mullican, Mercury issued "Rockin' Daddy" by Eddie Bond , and Starday released Bill Mack 's "Fat Woman". Two young men from Texas made their record debuts in April 1956: Buddy Holly on
4884-610: The National Billboard charts in 1956, and his "Guitar Rock" is cited as classic rockabilly. In 1953, 13-year-old Janis Martin was performing at the Old Dominion Barn Dance on WRVA out of Richmond, Virginia. Martin performed a mix of country songs for the show peppered with rhythm and blues hits in a style that has been described as "proto-rockabilly". She later stated, "the audience didn't know what to make of it. They didn't hardly allow electric instruments, and I
4995-603: The Rock and Roll Trio played on Ted Mack 's TV talent show in New York City. They won all three times and guaranteed them a finalist position in the September supershow. Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps' recording of " Be-Bop-A-Lula " was released on June 2, 1956, backed by "Woman Love". Within twenty-one days it sold over two hundred thousand records, stayed at the top of national pop and country charts for twenty weeks, and sold more than
5106-524: The Savages . These bands, like the Blasters, were inspired by a full range of historic American styles: blues, country, rockabilly, R&B and New Orleans jazz. They held a strong appeal for listeners who were tired of the commercially oriented MTV-style synthpop and glam metal bands that dominated radio play during this time period, but none of these musicians became major stars. In 1983, Neil Young recorded
5217-465: The Teddy Boy revival created curiosity about the real music of the 1950s, particularly in England, where a rockabilly revival scene began to develop from the 1970s in record collecting and clubs. The most successful early product of the scene was Dave Edmunds , who joined up with songwriter Nick Lowe to form a band called Rockpile in 1975. They had a string of minor rockabilly-style hits like " I Knew
5328-456: The Tennessee Two, consisting of Marshall Grant on bass, and Luther Perkins (no relation to Carl Perkins) on lead guitar. This song and another Cash original, " Cry! Cry! Cry! " were released in July. "Cry! Cry! Cry!" managed to crack Billboard's Top 20, peaking at No. 14. Presley's second and third singles were not as successful as his first. His fourth release, "Baby, Let's Play House",
5439-626: The US. In 2005, his greatest hits album The Collection reached number four in the British albums chart, and was released as a tie-in to his appearance on ITV entertainment show Hit Me, Baby, One More Time , going on to become the winner of the series. Other notable British rockabilly bands of the 1980s included The Jets , Crazy Cavan , Matchbox , and the Rockats . Jason & the Scorchers combined heavy metal , Chuck Berry and Hank Williams to create
5550-745: The United Kingdom were called Teddy Boys because they wore long, Edwardian -style frock coats , along with tight black drainpipe trousers and brothel creeper shoes. Another group in the 1950s that were followers of rockabilly were the Ton-Up boys, who rode British motorcycles and would later be known as rockers in the early 1960s. The rockers had adopted the classic greaser look of T-shirts , jeans, and leather jackets to go with their heavily slicked pompadour haircuts. The rockers loved 1950s rock and roll artists such as Gene Vincent, and some British rockabilly fans formed bands and played their own version of
5661-700: The age of 18 she was performing as a drummer for the Del Logs and the Propanes, playing in venues including a punk club called the Community World Theater. In 1994, Case moved to Vancouver , British Columbia, to attend the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design . While attending, she played drums in several local bands, including the Del Logs, the Propanes, the Weasels, Cub , and Maow . These bands were, for
SECTION 50
#17328633556755772-435: The album's fourteen songs are originals; the exceptions being covers of "Running Out of Fools", previously a hit for Aretha Franklin , and "Look for Me (I'll Be Around)" previously performed by Sarah Vaughan . Blacklisted finds Case even deeper in a "country noir" mood, and was described by critics as lush, bleak, and atmospheric. Case cited filmmaker David Lynch , composer Angelo Badalamenti , and Neil Young's soundtrack to
5883-452: The band in 2007 and was replaced by Dexter's sister, Sara Romweber. In 2009, the pair released their debut album, Ruins of Berlin , on Bloodshot Records. The album featured guest appearances from Exene Cervenka, Cat Power, Neko Case, and longtime friend Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids . The band toured the U.S. twice in support of the record, playing support for The Detroit Cobras on
5994-431: The band, and it was shortly after the release that, after nearly 15 years as a band, Dexter and Crow went separate ways. Dexter maintained that the primary reason for the split was embezzlement of the band's proceeds on the part of Crow, though Crow disputes this. In 2001, Dexter finally resurfaced with a new solo album, Chased By Martians , followed by Blues That Defy My Soul in 2004. Around this time, Dexter's influence
6105-557: The band; however, her parts were taken over by Kathryn Calder . On Challengers , released on August 21, 2007, Case contributes lead vocals to the title song as well as "Go Places", in addition to her backing vocals on the other tracks. The 2010 album Together features Case as lead vocalist on "Crash Years" and "My Shepherd." The 2014 album Brill Bruisers features Case as lead vocalist on "Champions of Red Wine" and "Marching Orders." The 2017 album Whiteout Conditions features Case as lead vocalist on "Play Money" and "This
6216-607: The best ones into their shows. In 1951 and 1952, brothers Johnny and Dorsey Burnette , as well as Paul Burlison , played a blend of blues, country, and rockabilly at live shows in and around the Memphis area. in 1953, they played with Doc McQueen's swing band at the Hideaway Club for a time. While there, they wrote a song called "Rock Billy Boogie", named after the Burnette brothers' sons Rocky and Billy ( Rocky Burnette later became
6327-434: The better known musicians who recorded and performed these songs are: the Delmore Brothers , the Maddox Brothers and Rose , Merle Travis , Hank Williams , Hank Snow , and Tennessee Ernie Ford. White sharecroppers' sons Carl Perkins and his brothers Jay and Clayton, along with drummer W. S. Holland , had established themselves as one of the hottest bands on the honky-tonk circuit around Jackson, Tennessee . Most of
6438-703: The character of Cheyenne Cinnamon in Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Dave Willis 's Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge . On March 3, 2010, Case appeared as a guest on the Australian music quiz show Spicks and Specks . Her team, led by Alan Brough , won 18–16. At the end of the show she sang a cover of Heart 's " Magic Man ", backed by Kelly Hogan and Paul Rigby. Case appeared on Season Two of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... . In July 2011, "I Wish I Was
6549-674: The charts stateside. Their third LP, Rant 'N' Rave with the Stray Cats , topped charts across the US and Europe as they sold-out shows everywhere during 1983. However, personal conflicts led the band to break up at the height of their popularity. Brian Setzer went on to solo success working in both rockabilly and swing styles, while Rocker and Phantom continued to record in bands both together and singly. The group has reconvened several times to make new records or tours and continue to attract large audiences live, although record sales have never again approached their early '80s success. The Jime entered
6660-565: The course of two years as Case worked on the live The Tigers Have Spoken and continued to play with the New Pornographers. Critics hailed the record not only for Case's trademark vocals but also her use of stark imagery and non-standard song structures. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood wound up on many "Best of 2006" lists, such as No.1 on the Amazon.com music editors' picks and No. 2 on NPR 's All Songs Considered . The album debuted at No. 54 on
6771-435: The covers were written by Canadian artists. The EP was initially available only at Case's live shows and directly from Mint Records' website, but it eventually saw wider release. Case also recorded her third full-length album, Blacklisted , while living in Chicago. In April 2003, Case was voted the "Sexiest Babe of Indie Rock" in a Playboy.com internet poll, receiving 32% of the vote. Playboy asked her to pose nude for
SECTION 60
#17328633556756882-435: The development of rockabilly. The Memphis blues musician Junior Parker and his electric blues band, Little Junior's Blue Flames, featuring Pat Hare on the guitar, were a major influence on the rockabilly style, particularly with their songs " Love My Baby " and " Mystery Train " in 1953. Zeb Turner 's February 1953 recording of "Jersey Rock" with its mix of musical styles, lyrics about music and dancing, and guitar solo,
6993-437: The drummer for the Louisiana Hayride , to join him for future dates. By that time, many rockabilly bands were incorporating drums, which distinguished the sound from country music, where they were then uncommon. In the 1956 sessions shortly after Presley's move from Sun Records to RCA Victor, Presley was backed by a band that included Moore, Black, Fontana, and pianist Floyd Cramer . In 1956, Elvis also acquired vocal backup via
7104-497: The film Dead Man as influences. I hope I can comfort people a bit—maybe show people that making music is fun and accessible to them as well. I'm not out to become Faith Hill , I never want to play an arena, and I never want to be on the MTV Video Music Awards , much less make a video with me in it. I would like to reach a larger audience and see the state of music change in favor of musicians and music fans in my lifetime. I care very much about that. 2003's Live from Austin, TX
7215-478: The film has yet to be picked up for distribution, though it had a brief run on DOC: The Documentary Channel . Dexter's band, The Dex Romweber Duo, began as Dexter and drummer Crash LaResh, who performed with Dexter from 1995 to 2007. The original Duo toured extensively and recorded several 7 inch releases and recorded two full-length albums ( Chased By Martians and Blues That Defy My Soul ), but these were credited as solo Dex Romweber releases. Crash LaResh left
7326-438: The first intentional use of a distortion effect on a rock song, which was played by lead guitarist Paul Burlison. Elvis Presley 's first recordings took place at Sun Records, a small independent label run by record producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee. For several years, Phillips had been recording and releasing performances by blues and country musicians in the area. He also ran a service allowing anyone to come in off
7437-399: The intention of completing the film. The film, entitled Two Headed Cow , was eventually completed using a recovered VHS version of the original 16mm black-and-white footage, edited together with new interviews with Dexter, detailing his life and career, as well as performances in and around Los Angeles and interviews with Jack White, Exene Cervenka of X , Cat Power and Neko Case. As of 2009,
7548-441: The late 1990s, The Flat Duo Jets signed a major label contract with Outpost Records, a now defunct imprint of Geffen Records. The result was 1998's Lucky Eye , produced by Scott Litt and Chris Stamey , which demonstrated a markedly different approach from their previous lo-fi efforts. The album featured a more polished sound for the band, accompanied by horn and string arrangements. Poor album sales were met with disappointment by
7659-412: The late 1990s, recognized by Guinness World Records as having the highest sales claim for a pop vinyl recording, with an "unaudited" claim of 25 million copies sold. Maine native and Connecticut resident Bill Flagg began using the term rockabilly for his combination of rock 'n' roll and hillbilly music as early as 1953. He cut several songs for Tetra Records in 1956 and 1957. "Go Cat Go" went into
7770-413: The loss of her student visa eligibility. She left Canada for Seattle , Washington. Before going, Case recorded vocals for a few songs that ended up on Mass Romantic , the New Pornographers ' first album. Her lead vocals on songs like "Letter from an Occupant" are straightforward, full-volume power-pop performances, shedding any country elements. Released on November 28, 2000, Mass Romantic became
7881-979: The magazine, but she declined their offer. She told Entertainment Weekly that I didn't want to be the girl who posed in Playboy and then—by the way—made some music. I would be really fucking irritated if after a show somebody came up to me and handed me some naked picture of myself and wanted me to sign it instead of my CD. In later interviews, she declined to discuss the survey at all. Case recorded and toured for several years as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends before performing solely under her name. She primarily performed her own material, but also performed and recorded cover versions of songs by artists such as My Morning Jacket , Harry Nilsson , Loretta Lynn , Tom Waits , Nick Lowe , Buffy Sainte-Marie , Scott Walker , Randy Newman , Queen , Bob Dylan , Neil Young , Sparks and Hank Williams . Albums released included The Virginian and Furnace Room Lullaby . The New Pornographers ' second album, Electric Version ,
7992-514: The most noteworthy examples of this trend, but they and other artists like Steve Earle and the Kentucky Headhunters charted many records with this approach. Neko Case Neko Richelle Case ( / ˈ n iː k oʊ ˈ k eɪ s / ; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers . Case' contralto voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as
8103-514: The most part, local punk groups. Case said of the vibrant Vancouver punk rock scene at that time, "A lot of women wanted to play music because they were inspired, because it was an incredibly good time for music in the Northwest. There was a lot of clubs, a lot of bands, a lot of people coming through, a lot of all-ages stuff—it was a very exciting time to live there." In 1998, Case left without finishing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, which meant
8214-543: The music. The most notable of these bands was The Beatles . When John Lennon first met Paul McCartney , he was impressed that McCartney knew all the chords and the words to Eddie Cochran's " Twenty Flight Rock ". As the band became more professional and began playing in Hamburg, they took on the "Beatle" name (inspired by Buddy Holly's band The Crickets ) and they adopted the black leather look of Gene Vincent. Musically, they combined Holly's melodic songwriting sensibility with
8325-500: The number one album of 2009. Middle Cyclone debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard charts in its first week of release, making it Case's first album ever to reach the top ten in the United States. At the time of its release, no other record from an independent record company had debuted at a higher position in 2009. She toured extensively to promote Middle Cyclone with dates in North America, Europe, and Australia, as well as
8436-560: The other ladies, Janis Martin, the female Elvis Jo Ann Campbell , and Alis Lesley , who also sang in the rockabilly style. Mel Kimbrough -"Slim", recorded "I Get Lonesome Too" and "Ha Ha, Hey Hey" for Glenn Records along with "Love in West Virginia" and "Country Rock Sound" for Checkmate a division of Caprice Records. Gene Summers , a Dallas native and Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee, released his classic Jan/Jane 45s in 1958–59. He continued to record rockabilly music well into 1964 with
8547-577: The release of "Alabama Shake". In 2005, Summers's most popular recording, School of Rock 'n Roll , was selected by Bob Solly and Record Collector Magazine as one of the "100 Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Records". Tommy " Sleepy LaBeef " LaBeff recorded rockabilly tunes on a number of labels from 1957 through 1963. Rockabilly pioneers the Maddox Brothers and Rose continued to record for decades. However, none of these artists had any major hits and their influence would not be felt until decades later. In
8658-626: The rockabilly scene in 1983, when Vince Gordon formed his band. The Jime was a Danish Band. The Jime was the band of Vince Gordon, rockabilly guitarist. Not only was he the nerve of the band, Vince Gordon was the band. He composed nearly all its songs and hits. Vince Gordon also left his mark on the rockabilly scene in many ways. Expert Fred Sokolow talks about the Vince Gordon style in Rockabilly due to his composing. Vince Gordon had many different musicians in his band. The lifetime of
8769-416: The rockabilly style waned in the late 1950s; nonetheless, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a revival. An interest in the genre endures even in the 21st century, often within musical subcultures . Rockabilly has spawned a variety of sub-styles and has influenced the development of other genres such as punk rock . There was a close relationship between blues and country music from
8880-569: The rough rock and roll sound of Vincent and Carl Perkins. When The Beatles became worldwide stars, they released versions of three different Carl Perkins songs, more than any other songwriter outside the band, except Larry Williams , who also added three songs to their discography. (Curiously, none of these three were sung by the Beatles' regular lead vocalists—"Honey Don't" (sung by Ringo) and "Everybody's Trying to be my Baby" (sung by George) from Beatles for Sale (1964) and "Matchbox" (sung by Ringo) on
8991-522: The same name while snakes move around her. The album was released on June 1, 2018. On November 13, 2015, Case released a compilation vinyl box set containing eight of her solo albums. The set contains her first six studio albums, including the first vinyl pressing of The Virginian , as well as a live album. On April 19, 2022, Case released Wild Creatures , described as "digital-only, career retrospective". The album contains 22 tracks from Case's discography, plus one new song, "Oh, Shadowless". Case
9102-565: The second tour. On the April 29 and 30, 2009, Dex and Sara were invited to record at Jack White's Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee, and they put out a 7-inch vinyl as part of Third Man Records' new "Blue Series". The sessions resulted in the Romweber original "The Wind Did Move", featuring Jack White on bass, background vocals and the saw, while the record's b-side was a cover of 1930s blues woman Geeshie Wiley's " Last Kind Words Blues ", on which Dex and Jack share guitar and vocal duties. It
9213-530: The slapped bass that Fred Maddox had developed". They had shifted into higher gear leaning toward a whimsical honky-tonk feel, with a heavy, manic bottom end and high volume. The Maddoxes were known for their lively, antic-filled shows, which were an influential novelty for white listeners and musicians alike. Along with country, swing and boogie influences, jump blues artists such as Wynonie Harris and Roy Brown , and electric blues acts such as Howlin' Wolf , Junior Parker , and Arthur Crudup , influenced
9324-496: The songs they played were country standards with a faster rhythm. It was here that Carl started composing his first songs. While playing, he would watch the dance floor to see what the audience preferred and adjust his compositions to suit, writing them down only when he was sure they were finished. Carl sent numerous demos to New York record companies with no success; the producers believed the Perkins' style of rhythmically-driven country
9435-402: The sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blues , leading to what is considered "classic" rock and roll. Some have also described it as a blend of bluegrass with rock and roll. The term "rockabilly" itself is a portmanteau of "rock" (from "rock 'n' roll") and " hillbilly ", the latter a reference to the country music (often called " hillbilly music " in
9546-545: The street and for a modest fee, record themselves on a two-song vanity record. One young man who came to record himself as a surprise for his mother, he claimed, was Elvis Presley. Presley made enough of an impression that Phillips deputized guitarist Scotty Moore , who then enlisted bassist Bill Black , both from the Starlight Wranglers, a local western swing band, to work with the young man. The trio rehearsed dozens of songs, from traditional country to gospel. During
9657-536: The studio in 1985 and originally released on cassette by Dolphin Records. The band was also featured around this time on MTV's The Cutting Edge , in a segment directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (who later went on to direct Little Miss Sunshine ). Relocating shortly to Athens, Georgia , the band made an appearance in the film Athens, GA: Inside Out , alongside other well-known Athens bands such as R.E.M. and The B-52's . Though recorded live to two tracks in
9768-514: The summer of 1958 Eddie Cochran had a chart-topping hit with " Summertime Blues ". Cochran's brief career included only a few more hits, such as "Sitting in the Balcony" released in early 1957, " C'mon Everybody " released in October 1958, and " Somethin' Else " released in July 1959. Then in April 1960, while touring with Gene Vincent in the UK, their taxi crashed into a concrete lamp post, killing Eddie at
9879-488: The time of her birth. Case's parents, who were teenagers when they had her, are of Ukrainian ancestry. Her parents divorced when Case began school. Case's family relocated several times during her childhood due to her stepfather's work as an archaeologist . She has lived in Western Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon and Washington. She considers Tacoma, Washington to be her hometown. Case left home at age 15. By
9990-478: The title Blacklisted alludes to Case being banned for life from the Grand Ole Opry because she took her shirt off during a performance on August 4, 2001, at one of their outdoors "Opry Plaza" concerts, though Case herself has denied this. Asked about the incident in 2004, Case said "I had heatstroke . People would love it to be a 'fuck you' punk thing. But it was actually a physical ailment thing." Most of
10101-440: The true realization of the Rockabilly genre. In addition to the fusion of distinct genres, Presley's recordings contain some traditional as well as new traits: "nervously up tempo" (as Peter Guralnick describes it), with slap bass, fancy guitar picking, much echo, shouts of encouragement, and vocals full of histrionics such as hiccups, stutters, and swoops from falsetto to bass and back again. In 1955, Elvis asked D.J. Fontana ,
10212-533: The very earliest country recordings in the 1920s. The first nationwide country hit was " Wreck of the Old 97 ", backed with "The Prisoner's Song", which also became quite popular. Jimmie Rodgers , the "first true country star", was known as the "Blue Yodeler", and most of his songs used blues-based chord progressions , although with very different instrumentation and sound from the recordings of his black contemporaries like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Bessie Smith . During
10323-412: The workaday world of parents and authority figures. It was the first rock 'n' roll style to be performed primarily by white musicians, thus setting off a cultural revolution that is still reverberating today. "Rockabilly" deviance from social norms, however, was more symbolic than real; and eventual public professions of faith by aging rockabillies were not uncommon. The first wave of rockabilly fans in
10434-560: The years. Presley's unique musical style rocketed him into the spotlight, and drew masses of followers. Nobody was sure what to call Presley's music, so Elvis was described as "The Hillbilly Cat" and "King of Western Bop". Over the next year, Elvis would record four more singles for Sun. Rockabilly recorded by artists prior to Presley can be described as being in the long-standing country style of Rockabilly. Presley's recordings are described by some as quintessential rockabilly for their true union of country and R&B, which can be described as
10545-400: The young age of 21. The grim coincidence in this all was that his posthumous UK number-one hit was called " Three Steps to Heaven ". Rockabilly music enjoyed great popularity in the United States during 1956 and 1957, but radio play declined after 1960. Factors contributing to this decline are usually cited as the 1959 death of Buddy Holly in an airplane crash (along with Ritchie Valens and
10656-460: Was 10 years old and his sister was 12. Soon after, Romweber joined with Chris "Crow" Smith on drums to form The Remainz. Romweber's next band, Crash Landen and The Kamikazees ("Kamikazees" was unintentionally misspelled, but it stuck), featured Hunter "Crash" Landen on vocals, with bassist Tony "Tone" Mayer (Good Old Chicken Wire Gang Boys Band Brothers), sister Sara on drums, and Eric Peterson on guitar. Soon Sara joined another band, and drums fell to
10767-626: Was an active rockabilly scene. Early shows were attended by the Rolling Stones and Dave Edmunds, who quickly ushered the boys into a recording studio. The Stray Cats had three UK Top Ten singles to their credit and two bestselling albums. They returned to the US, performing on the TV show Fridays with a message flashing across the screen that they had no record deal in the States. Soon EMI picked them up, their first videos appeared on MTV, and they stormed up
10878-528: Was an album of live recordings made for the "Austin City Limits" television series. In April 2004, Case played several shows with longtime collaborators the Sadies in Chicago and Toronto . These shows were recorded and released as a live album, The Tigers Have Spoken , by Anti Records in October 2004. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood was released on March 7, 2006. The album was recorded primarily in Tucson, over
10989-417: Was beginning to surface in interviews with artists like Neko Case , Cat Power and Jack White . Dexter has described his reaction to this influence as like being "locked away in a Gothic castle for many years" and "living in such isolation that I haven't even noticed." In 2006, Dexter released the album Piano , which consisted of 13 original classical piano compositions in the style of Chopin. Also in 2006,
11100-430: Was denied airplay on both country radio stations and R&B stations for being "too black" and "too white", respectively. Country deejays told Phillips they would be "run out of town" for playing it. When the song was finally played by one rogue deejay, Dewey Phillips, Presley's recording created so much excitement it was described as having waged war on segregated radio stations. All of Presley's early singles featured
11211-455: Was doing some songs by black artists." In 1954, both Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins auditioned for Sam Phillips . Cash hoped to record gospel music, but Phillips was not interested. In October 1954, Carl Perkins recorded his original song " Movie Magg ", which was released in March 1955 on Phillips's all-country label Flip. Cash returned to Sun in 1955 with his song " Hey, Porter ", and his group
11322-406: Was evident even from the cover photo, featuring Case sprawled out corpse-like on a concrete floor. On the album itself, her vocal style moves away from outright honky-tonk but retains her twang, garnering comparisons to musicians such as Cline, Lynn, Hazel Dickens , Tanya Tucker , and Dolly Parton . The title track was included on the soundtrack to Sam Raimi 's film The Gift , and "Porchlight"
11433-551: Was featured on the soundtrack to The Slaughter Rule . Case sometimes tours with Canadian singer and songwriter Carolyn Mark as the Corn Sisters . One of their performances, at Seattle's Hattie's Hat restaurant in Ballard , was recorded and released as an album, The Other Women , on November 28, 2000. In October 1999, around the time Furnace Room Lullaby was released, Case left Seattle for Chicago because she felt that Seattle
11544-597: Was honored as the Female Artist of the Year at the PLUG Independent Music Awards on February 2, 2006. Case's album, Middle Cyclone, was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Recording Package (with Kathleen Judge) at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010. In 2014, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at
11655-402: Was no longer hospitable to its local artists. Case's first work in Chicago was an eight-song EP that she recorded in her kitchen. Canadian Amp , her first recording without Her Boyfriends, was released on her own Lady Pilot label in 2001. She wrote two of the tracks, with the remaining six being covers, including Neil Young 's "Dreaming Man" and Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken". Four of
11766-687: Was not commercially viable. That would change in 1955 after recording the song " Blue Suede Shoes " (recorded December 19, 1955) on Sam Phillips ' Memphis-based Sun Records . Later made more famous by Elvis Presley , Perkins' original version was an early rock 'n' roll standard. In the early 1950s, there was heavy competition among Memphis area bands playing an audience-savvy mix of covers, original songs, and hillbilly flavored blues. One source mentions both local disc jockey Dewey Phillips and producer Sam Phillips as being influential. An early radio show on KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas quickly became
11877-545: Was produced by Jim Dickinson in 1992, and has been acknowledged as a huge influence on Jack White of The White Stripes , not least in the documentary It Might Get Loud . In the film, Jack White plays the record for Led Zeppelin 's Jimmy Page and U2 's The Edge , playing the Flat Duo Jets' version of the traditional " Froggie Went A-Courtin' " and discussing the impact that the band had on him. The film also features footage from their appearance in Athens, GA: Inside/Out . In
11988-688: Was released in May 1955, and peaked at number five on the national Billboard Country Chart. In August, Sun released Elvis's versions of " I Forgot to Remember to Forget " and "Mystery Train". "Remember to Forget" spent a total of 39 weeks on the Billboard Country Chart, five at the number one spot. "Mystery Train", peaked at number 11. Through most of 1955, Cash, Perkins, Presley, and other Louisiana Hayride performers toured through Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi. Sun released two more Perkins songs in October: "Gone, Gone, Gone" and "Let
12099-560: Was released on May 6, 2003. Case sang lead on even more of the songs on this album, and toured with the group again. Twin Cinema , the New Pornographers' third album, was released on August 23, 2005, with Case again providing vocals on several tracks. In addition to providing backing vocals on several songs, Case performs lead vocals on two ballads, "The Bones of an Idol" and "These Are the Fables". She opted out of most subsequent touring duties with
12210-907: Was released on vinyl on June 9, 2009, and on iTunes shortly after. Dexter and Sara also returned to Nashville in 2010 to play a show at Jack White's live venue. The show was recorded onto 8-track reel-to-reel analog tape and is available on vinyl from Third Man Records. In 2011, the Dex Romweber Duo released their second album on Bloodshot Records, titled Is That You in the Blue? . Romweber also fronted Dexter Romweber and The New Romans, an ensemble of 7 musicians and 3 female backing vocalists that began in 2006. They have released one limited CD called "Night Tide" and mainly play shows in their home state of North Carolina, more specifically in The Research Triangle area of Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham. The music
12321-606: Was used over an episode of The Killing (Season 1 Episode 6) before the final credits. "Hold On, Hold On" was used in the 2015 drama film One More Time . "John Saw That Number" was used in the snowboarding movie "City. Park City". Case's next album, Middle Cyclone , was released on March 3, 2009. In advance of a U.S. and European tour, Case appeared as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . Later in 2009 she also appeared on Late Show with David Letterman , The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon . Amazon.com rated Middle Cyclone
#674325