Pioneer rock-and-rollers have blocked, at least temporarily, a proposal to call their music “rockabilly,” an artificial term applied years after rock and roll had transformed American music.

There’s a campaign to recognize U.S. Highway 67’s importance in the history of rock and roll, and somebody wants to use the name “Rockabilly Highway” for that stretch of 67 that runs through Northeast Arkansas and was once home to a number of musical venues. But Sonny Burgess, of the legendary Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, told a committee considering the matter, “In 1956, we weren’t rockabilly. That term didn’t even exist.” Joyce Riley, wife of the also-legendary Billy Lee Riley, said that to call the road “Rockabilly Highway” would be “like changing history.” Everyone old enough to remember when Burgess and Riley, Presley and Perkins, et al, were playing the clubs of Highway 67 knows that she’s right. Highway 67 is rock and roll forever.

Advertisement

A reader saw an Arkansas Times reference to “radical” actions by Mike Huckabee, a conservative Republican, while Huckabee was governor. He writes:

“Wouldn’t Huckabee’s actions be considered ‘reactionary’ and not ‘radical’? From my studies of history and political science, I remember far-right actions are considered reactionary. Radical is reserved for the far left.”

Advertisement

I seem to remember learning something like that myself. I seem to remember forgetting it, too. Apparently there’s been some change in the rule. Random House says that reactionary is still reserved for “extreme conservatism; opposing political or social change,” and that radical is an antonym of reactionary. But the dictionary also says that a radical is “a person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles; extremist.” That sounds like a radical could come at you from either end of the spectrum. William Safire says the phrase “radical right” was introduced in the ’50s. He quotes Alan Barth as saying of the radical right “there is nothing conservative about them. They are much more in a rage to destroy than a fervor to conserve.”

Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas

Join the ranks of the 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts who know that the Arkansas Times is the go-to source for tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been on the front lines of the fight for truth, and with your support, we can do even more. By subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers and expand our coverage. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make a difference with your subscription or donation to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article Natural storyteller Next article Distrust keeps wounds open