Second Cup | 'Rockin Bones'

I heard a real interesting feature this morning on NPR about rebel music of the 1950's, rockabilly music. This article could redefine our notion of protopunk.


Morning Edition, September 19, 2006
Just as the Ramones, the Clash and Sex Pistols broke the rules in the 1970s, so did a slew of equally rebellious singers and their groups a generation earlier. Rockin' Bones, a new CD collection, features the music of 1950s rockabilly artists who were the iconoclasts of their day.

Ronnie Dawson's "Rockin' Bones" is the title song on a set that also features Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and other rock 'n' roll stars.

Well when I die, buried six foot deep / With a rock 'n' roll record at my feet / A phonograph needle in my hand / I'm gonna rock my way right out of this land.

"That's really great poetry," says James Austin, who produced the Rhino set.
(text by Renée Montagne, NPR)

Read the full article:
NPR: 'Rockin' Bones' Celebrates Rockabilly's Rebels