what causes rockabillies to hate on Elvis?

what causes rockabillies to hate on Elvis?

Do they hate on Elvis? I can't imagine why. Pre-Army Elvis was really rockabilly in my opinion. Mystery Train alone puts him at the top of my list.

there are evil people on this forum that hate him completely.. but I cant say. I was hoping to lure the snake out of the bushes

Elvis was one of the greatest Entertainer of the world and he and his Blue Moon boys invented Rockabilly (besides Johnny Burnette and other great musicians at that time).

And people all over the world still love him these days.
So if Rockabilly guys really hate him i can´t understand this.
I cried in `77 when my mum told me Elvis is dead and i shared a tear last year in front of his grave.

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

there are evil people on this forum that hate him completely.. but I cant say. I was hoping to lure the snake out of the bushes

from down under?

I think it's for the same reason some rockabillies hate the Stray Cats...watched that documentary on the L.A. rockabilly scene a few years ago and they likened the Stray Cats to Fabian...just using the music as a gimmic. These people are f-ed in the head and they do not understand or bother to learn the conviction that Brian and the boys had and still have to this music. Elvis is the King!! Always will be.

in my 35 years of digging r&r, i've never met a rockabilly/ ted who hates Elvis. I've met couple who
sort of ignore him compared to let's say Gene Vincent, but hate, no.

On the other hand I've met several rockabillies / ted who do dislike Stray Cats and especially Setzer.
Although in many cases it was SC who introduced them to r&r music and it's roots.

Why, I have no idea. Maybe he's too damn good

Hahahah, one of those Elvis haters is me... and I am not a rockabilly.

To me, he is overvalued, and though of course, he was the precursor to many things,
I think that other artists in the RnR scene at that period deserved much better. Wish
the late Eddie Cochran had got such impact: he had the look, the style, sang a lot better
than Elvis (to me, of course) and he was talented as a song writer and as a guitar player.

Johnny Burnette was the pure image of what Rock N Roll is or means to me.

However, tastes are different and irrational... and this doesn't mean I don't like Burning
Love or Jailhouse Rock, but again, I believe Elvis is over rated.

hehheh, there's a huge difference in hating someone and thinking one or something is overrated.
But anyway, of course everyones entitled to have an opinion.

Personally I think BS is a far better guitar player than elvis, heh heh My image of rock & roll
is more on the Little Richard side, at least today it is.

It certainly is easy when someone reaches the sucess of an "Elvis" to consider him overrated...I suppose that is a valid point. However, like Tavo, it is difficult for me to not love rockabilly and love Elvis together as a whole. Although I know Mr. Setzer loves Eddie Cochrane, I find his guitar skills mediocre at best and his voice the same. He had a great look but other than a handful of songs....the song writing left much to be desired. There were very few writing and singing their own stuff back then. You were either a singer, or a song writer, but not both. Ya can't really fault Elvis for that. Listen to Big Mama Thorton's version of "Hound Dog" and then Elvis' and tell me he may as well have written it. Perhaps it's because I knew Elvis stuff well before the Stray Cats and subsequent rockabilly revivalists but to me, he is the best...Scotty Moore also helps, but you know. Okay, let me have it...please discuss...

I think a listen to "Really Rockabilly" might explain the exclusionary self-righteousness that inspires such snobbery towards the King.

Is it possible that some rockabillies strive to find the most obscure, underappreciated artists like Sid King, Joe Clay, and Ronnie Dawson (who are all fantastic) to prove their credibility to their peers. The punkish, underground, anti-establishment mentality of some of these really rockabillies might just hate an über-popular figure like Elvis, dismissing the seminal Sun recordings because of the RCA hits, cheesy movies, and bloated polyester jumpsuit years that followed.

It could be more complex than that. I've seen people resent Elvis because they feel he overshadows guys like Carl Perkins, Johnny Burnette, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, etc. What they fail to recognize is that Elvis' massive success helped make rock-n-roll big business, and labels like Capitol took a chance on Gene Vincent, Liberty on Eddie Cochran... I guess the really rockabillies might turn their focus to those artists who toiled in relative obscurity to perpetuate the exclusiveness of their "culture."

These are just theories. The really rockabillies aren't likely to enter the Thunderdome here to defend their position. Still, I welcome a healthy discussion from someone for whom Elvis just doesn't do it.

King Me-billy

You get it rickabilly...1956 underwear...thank you Brian

that is the best song ever

Funny this discussion is here again, I'm sure i remember something similar in an ancient copy of "Now dig this" (UK mag) in the 90's and just this last month the editor of "UK Rock 'n' Roll" - Johnny Hop, had a rant about selective protectionistic exclusivism (my take on it).

Several of the earlier comments about HATING Elvis or anyone else for that matter - very strong . Hate should be saved for Justin Bieber, One Direction et al.

I've known Teds and Rockabillies who both liked, loved and ignored Elvis, but hate him, I don't think so. As has also been mentioned before Elvis helped the massive exposure to this music and I think people must give credit where due - a lot of people have delved deeper into the genre because of Elvis.

Personally, I love the Sun stuff and think the change in record labels and the army (and the Colonel) ruined everything.

About a year ago my 11 year old heard the '68 comeback show, then the Million Dollar Quartet (and the musical in London) and thought they were great. He is now listening to early Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb and Marvin Rainwater. He also listens to Quo, the Who, Springsteen, Marley, and Aqua. Should I disown him because he isn't Really Rockabilly and listens to other stuff or should I just be happy about an 11 year old having such a knowledge and liking of different music?

Madman wrote:

Several of the earlier comments about HATING Elvis or anyone else for that matter - very strong .

This is what I meant or tried to say, basically

Elvis helped the massive exposure to this music and I think people must give credit where due - a lot of people have delved deeper into the genre because of Elvis.

Yes!! And the same thing with Stray Cats

Thanks!

Rickabilly wrote:

It could be more complex than that. I've seen people resent Elvis because they feel he overshadows guys like Carl Perkins, Johnny Burnette, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, etc. What they fail to recognize is that Elvis' massive success helped make rock-n-roll big business, and labels like Capitol took a chance on Gene Vincent, Liberty on Eddie Cochran... I guess the really rockabillies might turn their focus to those artists who toiled in relative obscurity to perpetuate the exclusiveness of their "culture."

King Me-billy

Good point. I think Stray Cats have achieved a similar effect.

We could also turn the question the other way around: Why do Elvis fans hate rockabilly? The weirdest Elvis fans seem to have him as a religion, and if you suggest other rockin' artists to them (I work in a music store, BTW), it's like asking a veggie to eat a steak, or a muslim to buy a bible, or whatever...

I know some rockers who strongly dislike Elvis (as a person or phenomenon or whatever, NOT his music though...), mostly for one reason: They've had the E-word (Elvis, that is) thrown after them by bullies and ignorants for years. Secondly, the Elvis impersonators do a good job ridiculing the man and his music IMO. Don't misunderstand me, I've been a fan since I was a kid, way before I even knew what rockabilly was. I'm just trying to come up with reasons here...

Brent wrote:

Although I know Mr. Setzer loves Eddie Cochrane, I find his guitar skills mediocre at best and his voice the same.

What can I say, Brent - you're wrong!

I'm surprised it took this long for someone to pick up on the Eddie thing... But you are right about the crazy Elvis people. They love eveything he ever did and little of anyone else. He can do no wrong as far as they are concerned and that is not true of any artist.

EC has lots of silly novelty songs, studio jams & experiments on overdubs etc. Plus enough killer tunes
to make him a Legend.

Although I really do not like Lennon or the Beatles I can’t disagree – in broad terms with Lennon’s famous quote ‘before Elvis there was nothing’. Elvis defined the quintessential look and sound of rockabilly – and anybody that claims that x, y and z etc were doing that before Elvis, they almost certainly weren’t. The souped up hillbilly stuff that people try to pass off as pre Elvis rockabilly on numerous compilations ISN’T rockabilly – it’s not the same thing. Elvis is year zero for rockabilly – Carl Perkins etc may meet some of the criteria in terms of music/feel etc but for me rockabilly is a particular combination of image and music combined – if it was a car it’s a 50s Cadillac with long tail fins – some may have had the sound but no-one had everything that Elvis had before him. Even when the music went off in later years the voice was still there, regardless of the material. Who else could make Sweet Caroline sound like a decent song? Elvis is under-rated – great rhythm guitarist (Mystery Train for example), great ear for an arrangement, great sense of what was hip and what wasn’t before anyone else ever considered such notions. As for the dig at Eddie Cochran –he certainly wasn’t a mediocre guitarist as attested by loads of examples from the various sessions he did plus he had that great voice and presence. To be an absolutist – if you don’t like –or at least appreciate Elvis in the 50’s then you really have a lot to learn about rock’n’roll!

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

what causes rockabillies to hate on Elvis?

...the fact he's Elvis?...

Pete isnt allowed to comment on Elvis, especially since he keeps a pic of the King inside his guitar pedal.