Rockabilly had its roots in country; blues; folk; hillbilly; RB; boogie-woogie and most other indigenous Deep South forms of popular song that you could strum three chords along to or howl down a cheap microphone. It was young peoples music; made almost entirely by the first wave of teenagers; despised by adults in general and the country music establishment in particular. Its pioneer exponent; Elvis; eventually become respectable in the eyes of straight society but he was the exception.1950s rockabilly was a spontaneous outburst of spirited three-chord songs; tiny record labels; primitive studios; fiercely partisan audiences and wild-eyed; driven performers who werent even sure that their musical careers would last the week. The book charts the rise (and fall) of the original 50s wave of rockabillies. It will also follow the progress of the music; in clubs; on radio; TV and film; pinpointing the key record labels and important regional centres; showing how fashions eventually changed and left rockabilly high and dry; far too wild and primitive in an era of smoother sounds. Deacute;charneacute; traces the music to its Memphis roots.
#1052775 in eBooks 1997-12-31 1997-12-31File Name: B004DUMMTA
Review
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Did you ever think youd find a book with TOO MUCH nudity?By Tom TuerffThis book is positively fascinating for about the first half. You find out about the "nude dance" craze of the Weimar Republic and the dancers/dances/movements it inspired.However. Toepfers work is SO complete. SO intricate. it comes off more like a doctoral thesis than a book.As pure reportage. its a fine volume. But I kept waiting for some kind of idea of what the author thought about all of this; was it fascinating or does he just think it was weird? We never really find out.Still. some of the images he leaves you with makes you wish you could transport yourself back to some of these obviously sensual and often bizarre performances to see them for yourself.If youre a fan of dance history. or a nudist. I recommend this book. But dont be surprised if you put it down long before you finish; this is definitely more than most people would really want (or need) to know.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A valuable book for dance researchBy Satu Mariia HarjanneEstimated contributions in Carina Ari Librarys large collection of dance literature in Stockholm. [...]6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Sculpting Space with Naked Human FleshBy D. C. DoranThis meticulous investigation into the Weimer Republics naturist movements and its concurrent naked dance training/choreographic styles (together with the criticism/photography associated with them) will surely stand as the definitive study of these complex issues for many years to come. The dense chapters of this book serve up a most original interpretation of the ways in which "liberating divestiture" entered into the construction of the "identity of the avant-garde intelligentsia" through the visual presentation of the "modern body." Toepfer argues that both naturism and naked dance/ gymnastics aimed to break through the rationalizations for mass culture in a search of "transcendent" possibilities. In doing so. he takes advantage of much unpublished archival material and rare photographs. Quite a few of both are reprinted here. Perhaps one of the most interesting findings of this study is the central role played by women in the aesthetic enterprise between the Wars. A 23 page bibliography completes this important achievement. Toepfer is Professor of Theatre Arts at San Jose State University (California).
