rockabilly (ˈrɒkəˌbɪlɪ)

—n
	a. a fast, spare style of White rock music which originated in the mid-1950s in the US South
	b. (as modifier): a rockabilly number

[C20: from rock (and roll) + (hill)billy]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

rockabilly

1956, from noun sense of rock (v.2), with the second element abstracted from (hill)billy music. First attested in a "Billboard" item about Johnny Burnette's "Lonesome Train."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

rockabilly

early form of rock music originated by white performers in the American South, popular from the mid-1950s to 1960, with a revival in the late 1970s. Record reviewers coined the term rockabilly-literally, rock and roll played by hillbillies-to describe the intense, rhythm-driven musical style introduced by Elvis Presley on his first recordings.

Learn more about rockabilly with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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rockabilly

rock·a·bil·ly