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.
"Shake, Rattle and Roll" is a song written in 1954 by Jesse Stone and first recorded that year by Big Joe Turner, whose version ranked No. 127 on the Rolling Stone magazine list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Michael Barratt, known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s.
"The Green Door" is a 1956 popular song, with music composed by Bob "Hutch" Davie and lyrics by Marvin J. Moore. It was first recorded by Jim Lowe, which reached number one on the US chart in 1956. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including a version by Shakin' Stevens in 1981.
"Pledging My Love" is a blues ballad. It was written by Ferdinand Washington and Don Robey and published in 1954.
Frederick Albert Heath, known professionally as Johnny Kidd, was an English singer-songwriter, best remembered as the lead vocalist for the rock and roll band Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. He was one of the few pre-Beatles British rockers to achieve worldwide fame, mainly for his 1960 hit, "Shakin' All Over".
"I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" is a popular song with music by Fred E. Ahlert and lyrics by Roy Turk that was published in 1928. Versions by Nick Lucas, Aileen Stanley and, most successfully, Ruth Etting, all charted in America in 1929.
"One Night" is a song written by Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, and Anita Steiman. It originally was an R&B hit for Smiley Lewis in 1956, before being recorded with greater commercial success by Elvis Presley in 1958.
Thurston Harris was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1957 hit "Little Bitty Pretty One".
I'll Stay Me is the debut studio album by American country music artist Luke Bryan. The album was released on August 14, 2007 by Capitol Records Nashville. The album produced three singles with "All My Friends Say", "We Rode in Trucks", and "Country Man". The album has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Mona Lisa" is a popular song written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the Paramount Pictures film Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1949), in which it was performed by Sergio de Karlo and a recurrent accordion motif. The title and lyrics refer to the renaissance portrait Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1950.
The Epic Masters is a box set compilation comprising ten remastered albums by Shakin' Stevens. Released on 16 November 2009, the set contains nine albums originally released by Epic Records between 1980 and 1990, plus an exclusive CD of 12" extended mixes. The set was also made available as a download through iTunes.
"Turning Away" is a song written by Tim Krekel, and recorded by American country music artist Crystal Gayle. It was released in June 1984 as the third single from the album Cage the Songbird. The song was Gayle's fourteenth number one single on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the country chart.
"I'll Be Satisfied" is a popular song. Recorded and released by Jackie Wilson in 1959, the single peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a Top 10 R&B hit, peaking at # 6. It was written, like many of Wilson's early hits, by future Motown founder Berry Gordy along with Gordy's sister Gwendolyn and Roquel "Billy" Davis, writing under his songwriting alias of Tyran Carlo. This up-tempo rocker could best be described as "proto Motown", featuring many of the musical and lyrical features that Gordy would employ on his later recordings for his Motown Records label.
"Marie Marie" is a song by American rock and roll band the Blasters. It became an international success after being covered by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens.
Give Me Your Heart Tonight is an album by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens, released in October 1982 by Epic Records. To date, it is his last studio album to reach the Top-Ten in the UK, peaking at number 3 on the Album Chart.
Lipstick Powder and Paint is an album by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens, released in November 1985 by Epic Records. It peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart.
"Buzz-Buzz-Buzz" is a song written by John Gray and Bobby Day and performed by The Hollywood Flames. The lead vocals were by Earl Nelson, and later by Bob & Earl. It reached number 5 on the US R&B chart and number 11 on the Billboard pop chart in 1957.
"Teardrops" is a song by Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens, released in November 1984 as the second single from his Greatest Hits album. It peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song features The Shadows' Hank Marvin on lead guitar and was later included as a bonus track on the remastered version of Lipstick, Powder and Paint on The Epic Masters box set.
"Breaking Up My Heart" is a song by Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens, released in February 1985 as the third and final single from his Greatest Hits album. It peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. A limited pop-up gatefold sleeve version was also released, where Stevens pops up from the middle of the sleeve when opened.
