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Rockabilly music spanned a surprisingly wide range of styles. Some acts were more country and others more blues. Some were characteristically wild while others were a bit more polished. So which acts really define the genre? Of all the acts that made rockabilly music throughout the mid to late 1950s, there are a few that really have to be considered mandatory listening for fans of rockabilly music.

1. Elvis Presley: Naturally, you have to count the King among those that you really need to be familiar with if you want to know rockabilly music. Rockabilly sprung up from many sources, so in my opinion, you can't really say that Elvis alone "started" it all. But he certainly started a branch of the genre and there's no doubt that he catapulted it to incredible heights of fame.
2. Carl Perkins: Along with many others, I call Perkins the "Godfather of Rockabilly." Carl didn't have Elvis' incredible magnitude and sheer force of presence, but he may have actually been the more talented total musician of the two. The songs he wrote really cemented the tone for the genre and his influence on guitar players that came after him is undeniable. His only smash hit, "Blue Suede Shoes," might be the most perfect rockabilly song ever written and was the first song to hit the top five in each of the pop, country, and Rhythm and Blues charts. It was also the first gold record for Sun Records for which he and Elvis both recorded in the early years.
3. Wanda Jackson: The tiny lady with the growly voice, Jackson holds the title of "Queen of Rockabilly." Her departure from the cowgirl outfits that other women performers tended to wear to sensually-glamorous dresses set a new standard for female performers as did her attitude which was brimming with confidence and mischief. Jackson's early rockabilly numbers are classics of the genre.
4. The Burnette Brothers Rock and Roll Trio: Johnny and Dorsey Burnette along with guitarist Paul Burlison, created an absolutely wonderful body of all-out energy rock and roll. Their "Train Kept a'rollin'" featured some of the most creative guitar work of the genre (possibly played by ace session man Grady Martin). Johnny had a standard-setting wild and energetic vocal style and the band always played all out. The band never reach superstar status, but they certainly should have!
5. Gene Vincent: Vincent and his Blue Caps were another incredibly influential group. His "Be Bop a Lula" carved a new and different facet onto the rockabilly diamond with its unique style. The original Blue Caps featured another of the greatest guitarists of the genre, Cliff Gallup. Gallup's solo work on the early recordings set the standard for hundreds of guitarists that came after him and continues to do so today. His solo work on "Race With the Devil" is often mentioned as some of the greatest soloing in the history of rock and roll.
6. Eddie Cochran: Cochran died tragically young in a car crash that also seriously injured his friend Gene Vincent. Cochran had the charm and charisma that many thought could give him what he needed to even surpass Presley as a rock and roll idol. He was a natural musical talent and another of rock and roll's foundational guitar players. His good looks and easy nature also made him the standard by which many modern rockabilly bands define their visual image. He died before he ever realized his full potential, but left some wonderful rockabilly classics behind such as "Something Else," "20 Flight Rock," and the popular favorite, "Summertime Blues."

There are so many other great artists who made critical contributions to the history of rockabilly and rock and roll that it hardly seems fair to limit this list to just these few. But if you have to limit it to mandatory listening, then these artists absolutely must be on that list!