Tammi Savoy On Bringing Underappreciated Rockabilly To Modern Audiences

It’s easy to see Tammi Savoy & The Chris Casello Combo as a band out of time. Dedicated to old school American soul, blues and rockabilly, and styled with the gorgeous trimmings of the 1950s, the sound certainly is from a pre-digital age. But talking on the phone before their tour, Tammi Savoy confirms this isn’t a heritage or museum piece. 

“A lot people say to me, ‘I think you were born in the wrong era,’ but I honestly think that I’m not. I think the fact that I am born in this era, I do appreciate all the women that made it possible for me to do what I can do today. Because back then things were very different, and a lot of the things that I do now I wouldn’t be doing if it weren’t for the people who helped paved the way. I feel like if I would have been born back then it would have been extremely tough.”

Savoy’s approach is energetic and refreshing, making sure that material from the past remains relevant. Her process of selecting work is key to this – all about celebrating the triumphs of the past rather than just revisiting for no particular reason.

“A lot of the songs that I do, are more obscure songs that didn’t really get a lot of appreciation when they first came out. And a lot of people now don’t really know a lot about these songs, so I like to reintroduce these songs to people. I’m glad that I’m able, and that’s why I feel like I’m born in the right era because I feel like I’m able to pay homage to the people before me and bring it out now so that more people can appreciate it. Back then people couldn’t, but it can be done now, so I’m glad that I can help make that happen, you know.” 

Particularly important for Savoy is making sure that the music will make sense for listeners now, which could be something of a gamble, as Savoy works with material people may have missed before, potentially because a sound or theme was a bit ahead of its time or not in fashion at its release. 

“I know that can be kind of risky, because nowadays people want to do the songs that people knew a long time ago, and you know, more familiar music, but I just want to do something different… Because some of the topics from some of the songs from back then were kind of crazy, because it was a different time. They still went through the same things but things were different, and sometimes I don’t want to choose a certain song because it might say something in there that I might not want to really say today, because it doesn’t really relate to what I’m doing. So I don’t. Sometimes it’s hard choosing what songs to sing.”

The tension between choosing songs that represent a time, but also still speak to Savoy as a contemporary woman, is one that is settled with a simple test when she and her husband go through old records at home. 

“We go through and we listen to songs together, and if I feel something from it, then that’s what I’m going to go with,” Savoy says. “Some stations do have songs on there, but a lot of the old obscure songs come from records, and if I find something I like then I try to look it up and find it, but sometimes you can’t find it. It also makes it hard to try and sing the songs because you have to find the lyrics, so I have to listen really closely because often you can’t find the lyrics online. A lot of the older songs don’t have the lyrics there, only the newer songs. So I guess there is a lot of work to what I do,” she exclaims.  

Confession time – has she ever just made up lyrics that she can’t quite make out?

“Oh, umm, sometimes! Sometimes it’s not very clear so I’m like, ‘It sounds like this, so that’s what it’s going to be,’ and it works,” she laughs.