The town of Jackson, Tennessee, is roughly halfway between the musical juggernauts of Nashville and Memphis. Jackson lays its own claim to musical history as the home of the rock and roll genre know as rockabilly. The area is the birthplace of rock n roll artist Tina Turner, country singer Eddy Arnold, and Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Isaac Tigrett. Carl Perkins, without whom Paul McCartney once said The Beatles would not have existed, lived in and is buried in Jackson.
So today’s announcement that a new team in the MLB Prospect based in western Tennessee will be called the Jackson Rockabillys should come as no surprise. The logo, created by Ryan Foose of Fooser Sports Design, features a smirking billy goat (an homage to Johnny Cash) holding a guitar with a baseball bat for a neck. Per the team, the official colors are “No-Hitter Navy, Perfect Game Purple, Full Count Copper, Shutout Silver, Grand Slam Gray, and Home Plate White.”
Per designer Ryan Foose, the team went with the unusual pluralization Rockabillys (with a Y) instead of Rockabillies because they wanted to be unique, and it felt cleaner from a design perspective. The typography was inspired by the area’s distinct visual history.
“Originally there were thoughts of block/wood type like old show posters, but the name got a little long,” Foose said. “Then with the help of local historians, we started finding these flyers, albums, and other art that added a bit of flair to their type.”
The team plans to unveil more logos down the line that will speak to the 1950s and Tennessee culture at large. The Rockabillys’ opening act will take place next spring with the 2023 Prospect League season.
