Rockabilly is a style of music, an early form of rock and roll. Some music experts describe rockabilly as a cross between country and rhythm and blues styles.
To many people, rockabilly sounds like an old style of rock and roll mixed with bluegrass or country — in fact, the word rockabilly first appeared around 1956, from a combination of rock and hillbilly. Musicians including Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis helped to make rockabilly popular, using vocal and guitar twangs, solid rhythms, and audio effects such as echoes. Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" is an example of rockabilly.