"Drop the needle in the groove and start to move." So begins Big Sandy & His Fly-rite Boys' ode to vinyl on its song, "Power of the 45." But this song isn't something your grandmother used to listen to — instead, it was made in 2006; a throwback mantra worshipping records of past and present.

"There will always be a certain magic in holding something physical in your hand," said Big Sandy, the frontman of the Fly-rite Boys. "When you drop that needle into the groove there's a physical contact there."

The style of music that defines Big Sandy pairs well with his love for vinyl. The genres that classify the band include Western swing, rockabilly and American roots. His genre follows in the footsteps of artists such as Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson, and Elvis Presley as he recreates their sounds and solidifies their legacy.

"It was Elvis who sparked the whole thing," said Big Sandy in reference to rockabilly, "but it was already building up."

Like any genre, rockabilly had to evolve. It started with country, but it was the introduction of a younger audience that turned easy swing and two-step dancing into stinging twangs and high-pitched vocals.

"A country band would play for the older audience, and then they would have younger guys who would come up and play for the younger people in the crowd," he said. "This was before rock and roll even existed."

Big Sandy doesn't credit himself as a key player in the evolution of rockabilly — he still considers himself a fan more than anything else — but that's not to say he isn't essential to the maintenance of the genre. He and the Fly-rite Boys started in 1988 and have been playing ever since. He's shared the stage with the people he's admired such as Glen Glenn and Sleepy Labeef. It was from them that Big Sandy learned how to work a crowd.

"I like to see how other artists perform," he said. "We like the whole social element too. Having a few at the bar is just as fun as being on stage."