David William Edmunds is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s-style rock and roll and rockabilly.
Edmunds performing with Rockpile at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, 1980
Cashbox advertisement, December 19, 1970
Edmunds playing in Sweden 2008
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 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" and "hillbilly", the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and electric blues.
Classic instruments associated with rockabilly are a hollow-body guitar, an upright bass, and a pared-down drum kit
Elvis Presley in a promotion shot for Jailhouse Rock in 1957
Bill Haley and His Comets during a TV appearance.
Teddy & The Tigers, a Finnish rockabilly band from Kerava, pictured in Helsinki, 1978