Rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins once described his brand of music as "a country man's song with a black man's rhythm." This may be simplifying matters a bit, but you can decide for yourself after reading Craig Morrison's rockabilly bible, whose title also tips its hat to Perkins. All the major figures are here, including Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, and Jerry Lee Lewis. But rockabilly is a field particularly rich with obscurities and one-trick ponies, and Morrison makes room for them all. If you want to know about the genesis of Malcolm Yelvington's "Drinkin'Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee," or about Sonny Burgess's taste in clothes (all red, to match his guitar and dyed hair), this is the book for you.

Rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins once described his brand of music as "a country man's song with a black man's rhythm." This may be simplifying matters a bit, but you can decide for yourself after reading Craig Morrison's rockabilly bible, whose title also tips its hat to Perkins. All the major figures are here, including Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, and Jerry Lee Lewis. But rockabilly is a field particularly rich with obscurities and one-trick ponies, and Morrison makes room for them all. If you want to know about the genesis of Malcolm Yelvington's "Drinkin'Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee," or about Sonny Burgess's taste in clothes (all red, to match his guitar and dyed hair), this is the book for you.