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Originally Posted by Pookie
I'd say buy as many Ace compilations as possible. I can honestly say that as a fan of rockabilly for the last 30+ years, the very best stuff can be found on compilations. There are two particularly good albums: "The Best of Ace Rockabilly" and "Rarest Rockabilly & Hillbilly Boogie" which Ace released as a single CD.
Another worth getting is "Gene Vincent Cut Our Songs: Primitive Texas Rockabilly & Honky Tonk"* (does wot it says on the tin!).
As for single artists, you have to start with the queen of rockabilly, Wanda Jackson. You could get her first two albums (Wanda Jackson & Rockin' With Wanda) which contain a combination of rockabilly, country and pop, but the one to go with is "Queen of Rockabilly" (on Ace again!) which has all of her rockabilly stuff from the early years and is simply breathtaking. She had such an incredible voice, makes me go weak at the knees.
Then get "Bill Haley: From Western Swing to Rock". Some rockabilly snobs may turn up their noses, but this great 4 CD set documents Haley's move from hillbilly in the 1940s to rock 'n' roll in the fifties. The hillbilly stuff is great even if you're not a fan of his "pop r n r".
Also check out Wynonie Harris, a blues shouter from the 1940s who greatly influenced rock 'n' roll (Good Rockin' Tonight covered by Elvis some years later, and the incredibly un-PC Sittin' On It All The Time) and Louis Jordan for the same reason (Chuck Berry nicked the opening riff for Johnny B Goode from Jordan).
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Awesome, thanks. The Ace comps I've got so far are the
Rarest Rockabilly/Best of Ace Rockabilly (which really is superb),
Good Girls Gone Bad, and
Texas Rockabilly. I think i'll order the Wanda Jackson comp next, but can honestly see myself getting all of them eventually.
Thanks again.