FERRUM, Va. – It’s not quite country. And it’s not quite rock ’n’ roll.
Well, maybe a little more like rock ’n’ roll.
The musical blend known as “rockabilly” grew out of a melting pot of styles, originating in the Big Band era of the 1940s, at the same time African-American artists perfected a blues-driven boogie.
Now add country and hillbilly swing.
Season with some early rock overtones.
Voila!
You come up with rockabilly, a musical style quite popular in the 1950s and ’60s.
And, all along the way, Virginia was there.
‘SMART-MOUTHED’
This is the state where you could find Janis Martin, sometimes called “The Female Elvis,” from Halifax County.
Virginia is also home base for Wise County’s Roy Hall, who co-wrote “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” – what would later become a giant hit – and rock ’n’ roll classic – for Jerry Lee Lewis.
And, you can learn about it all with “Virginia Rocks: The History of Rockabilly in the Commonwealth,” now on display through April 17 at the Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College.
This multi-faceted exhibit features rare film footage and audio tracks, biographical information, vintage photographs, records, stage costumes, concert promotional materials, juke boxes, studio recording equipment and, of course, guitars. A double CD and a gallery guide fill out the show.
“It is looking at the early era of rock ’n’ roll,” said Roddy Moore, the director of the Blue Ridge Institute. “Nobody used the term rockabilly. It was all rock ’n’ roll.”
Moore calls rockabilly “the smart-mouthed teenage child of country music and blues-driven boogie.”
‘INDIAN BOOGIE’
In Virginia, rockabilly’s energy captured thousands of teen fans – from the shores of Tidewater to the coalfields.
“Virginia Rocks!” showcases the Rock-a-Teens, a Richmond act that had a hit with “Woo-Hoo” in the late 1950s.
Also featured is Darnell Miller, primarily of the Bluefield region; The Sportsters of Bedford County; and Clint Miller in the Shenandoah Valley.
Here, too, is a biographical sketch of rockabilly pioneer Stuard Lesley “Buster” Pack, born in 1928 in Russell County.
The late Pack was the son of George Pack, who owned Pack’s Motel near Coeburn, Va.
As a musician, he led Buster Pack and the Lonesome Pine Boys to record “Indian Boogie” in 1952 on Rich-R-Tone Records, based in Johnson City, Tenn.
‘JUST SWEPT’
As the 1950s progressed, what was later called “rockabilly” was simply called “country rock,” Moore said.
Then the music “just took off,” Moore added. “You had the country musicians who saw what was happening and what was changing over. And, all of a sudden, you had people on TV: Every local community that had a TV station, the music just swept.”
“Virginia Rocks!” has been made possible in part with a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
In 2011, the exhibit is scheduled to move into an exhibit hall at the William King Regional Arts Center in Abingdon, Va., during the Virginia Highlands Festival.
“And,” Moore said, “we hope to have a rockabilly performer.”
IF YOU GO
What: “Virginia Rocks: The History of Rockabilly in the Commonwealth”
Where: Blue Ridge Institute, Ferrum College, Ferrum, Va.
When: Through April 17
How much: Free admission
Hours: The BRI galleries are open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., year-round.
Info: (540) 365-4412
E-mail: bri@ferrum.edu
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