Rockabilly Mafia – Rockin’ in the Graveyard
Graveyard Records GR001 [1986]
Silly Little Lady – Rockin’ In the Graveyard – 4th Love Affair – Loneliness
Rockabilly Mafia released their debut ep in 1986 on their own Graveyard label. On this recording the musicians were Ted Harbeck (double bass and vocals), Kai Beyer (guitar) and Andreas Ding Dong Dalecki (drums). This early line-up – Beyer was quickly replaced by Tex Willer – defined their sound for the following years.
Rockabilly Mafia can be, in a certain manner, compared to the great Johnny Cash. The musicians of the band are not the most accomplished (especially on that debut recording) but they use what could be a limit to build their style. So what is their style? It’s a made of raw Rockabilly (more Meteor than Sun records) with slap bass to the fore, spare drums and light electric guitar with mixed with early Crazy Cavan and an attitude not that far from the first wave of Psychobilly bands. And to pursue the comparison with Johnny Cash, on top of all that, you find Tex Harbeck’s voice that is instantly recognizable.
Read our interview with Ted Harbeck here.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis