As short as it is, this short 18-minute documentary from 1994 by Greg Wolske of Columbus (Ohio), is the best introduction to rockabilly music around. Rather than the planned film, this is a taster of a more ambitious project which has not yet – it would seem – been completed. This taster contains some testimonies and views of 50s singers of the genre (Sleepy Labeef, Groovy Joe Poovey, Eddie Bond, The Blue Caps, Johnny Carroll, Carl Perkins, Scotty Moore, Chet Atkins, Floyd Murphy, Ronnie Dawson, Wanda Jackson and Brian Setzer) as well as an interesting section titled ‘Eurobilly’ (at 11:55).
“This is the first film to comprehensively document Rockabilly music and recognize it as a separate American musical style, such as jazz and blues. Wolske has interviewed over eighty musicians from the 1950’s and today, and he has filmed numerous performances in the United States and Britain. The film is currently being edited and has twice been screened as a work-in-progress film at the Independent Feature Project film festival in New York City. The second documentary film is entitled, “The American Teenage Hot Rod”. This short film commemorates the teenage hot rod experience with interviews from several hot rod enthusiasts. Vintage hot rod film footage from Mr. Wolske’s personal film collection is also included. This short documentary was selected to screen at the Tiburon International Film Festival, The Ohio Independent Film Festival and the IFP in New York.”
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