Roots Revival
In contrast to the modern, technically advanced rock players, retro stylists such as The Stray Cats with Brian Setzer (b. 1959) emerged in the 1980s. Their music, based on 1950s rock 'n' roll, helped to start the "rockabilly" revival, and Setzer creates a satisfying, authentic feel using chords, chord breaks, and single lines in a smooth, melodic style. The vocabulary is based on 1950s licks and devices, and he uses echo and a clean sound that sometimes goes to the edge of natural distortion. On "Stray Cat Strut" (1981), he adds shakes and bends with a Bigsby arm to chord breaks and inventive lines. "Rock This Town" (1981) has echo-laden rhythm, chiming fills, and a grooving solo.
In a climate increasingly receptive to traditional music, the outstanding figure to emerge was Stevie Ray Vaughan (see page 61). After appearing on David Bowie's album Let's Dance (1983) and recording the tour deforce blues album Texas Flood (1982), he looked to material with a more modern rock sound on the album Couldn't Stand The Weather (1984). The title track features stop-start riffs and funky chords, and there is an accomplished recreation of Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile," on which Vaughan simulates the sonic effects and ambience with great skill.
DANNY GATTON
A great all-arounder who defies categorization, Danny Gatton (1945—94) derives his playing from a wide range of music, and his considerable facility enables him to use single lines, double stopping and chords alongside a complex vocabulary taken from almost every major genre. On his album Unfinished Business (1987), the zany instrumental "Lappin' It Up" has bright, twangy guitar that is rootsy as well as quirky and characterful. Gatton's breaks sound as if they come from a succession of different guitarists: shifting textures and skipping lines with fast improvisation meld elements from virtually every major American genre. On his album 88 Elmira Street (1991), the rocking "Funky Mama" has cutting blues breaks and Gatton takes off with a distinctive, crunching, glassy tone. Surreal rockabilly is conveyed on "Elmira St. Boogie," where he plays with echo and adds unexpected dissonance and a series of almost disconnected passages to traditional material, using effects for a mocking edge.
