Craig Morrison
Contributor
Ethnomusicologist. Author of Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers.
Primary Contributions (11)
Ritchie Valens was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist and the first Latino rock and roll star. His short career ended when he died at age 17 in the 1959 plane crash in which Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper also perished. The musicians were in the middle of a tour known as the Winter Dance…
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Publications (2)
Rock and Roll (2006)
Rock and roll traces its roots to the music of the early 20th century. Its infectious sound, characterized by catchy guitar rhythms, a strong beat, and youthful lyrics, sparked a musical revolution beloved by the young and initially scorned by many adults. The emergence of rock and roll signaled a monumental change in popular music, and as rock grew, it assimilated a vast range of influences, including country, folk, jazz, gospel, and international styles, to become one of the most dynamic musical...
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Go Cat Go! Rockabilly Music and Its Makers (1996)
Go Cat Go! is the first solid overview of rockabilly, from its crystallization as a recognizable style in 1954 with Elvis Presley's first release through its fadeout at the end of the 1950s and subsequent revival in the late 1970s. Craig Morrison's lively account will bring back memories of "Blue Suede Shoes," "Be-Bop-A-Lula," Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, and more. Morrison defines the genre, plots its historical and stylistic development, identifies its main performers...
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