A Concise History. No youth cult has been so enduring, yet so misunderstood, as the Teddy Boys. They were maligned by a British Establishment that had no clue what they were about, and as the movement grew that scorn turned to fear. Teddy Boys tells of their roots, the music of jive and boogie artists, how the fashion became associated with violence and how the Teds fell into decline after the 1958 Notting Hill Riots. Their spirit was preserved by the Rockers of the 60s and through the rising popularity of rockabilly across Europe and beyond.