Gallery Walk of “Virginia Rocks! The History of Rockabilly in the Commonwealth” by Paul Levengood

Rockabilly was an energetic blend of blues and country powered by dramatic solo singers, fast-walking bass runs, strong guitar licks, catchy lyrics, and bold stage movements. Numerous Virginia bands and singers embraced the rockabilly style—and a few even gained national recognition—but their impact on Virginia’s cultural legacy has been largely overlooked by historians and musicologists. The exhibition “Virginia Rocks! The History of Rockabilly in the Commonwealth”—organized by the Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College—includes Virginia artists who recorded rockabilly records, performed on radio “dance party” television shows, and played for teenagers in dance halls and school gyms in the 1950s and early 1960s. The exhibit explores the rise of rockabilly as a then-radical departure from established popular music and an early chapter in the phenomenon of youth rebellion, the place of rockabilly in the larger youth culture of the pre-Beatles era, and the demise of the genre as the music and movie industries invested in the softer sound of “teen idols.” It includes photographs, rare audio and video recordings, stage costumes, a jukebox, and musical instruments.