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| The Crickets - Think It Over |
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Remembering Buddy Holly
3rd February 1959
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Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper played
their last concert at Clear Lake Surf Ballroom, Iowa,
on 2nd February 1959.
At 00.55 early the next morning they took off from
Mason City, Iowa, and their plane crashed in a snow-storm
several minutes later. The day the music died.
Links
Buddy Holly
Ritchie Valens
Big Bopper
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| Statue of Buddy in his home town of Lubbock, Texas |
Web Links
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Sites for The Crickets
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3rd February 1959 - Newsflash
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| From tribute site to dead rock stars |
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Buddy and Crickets songs
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| great snippets of their songs - don't miss |
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Up to the time of Holly's death The Crickets included (from
time to time) Joe B. Mauldin (b), Jerry Allison (d, v, g), Nicki
Sullivan (g, v), Larry Welborn (b), Sonny Curtis (g, v ), Earl
Sinks (v ) and Buddy Holly.
For the most part of 1957 / 1958 it was Buddy (guitar and vocals),
Jerry (drums), and Joe (bass) - with the '4th Cricket', Nicki
Sullivan (guitar and vocals), touring throughout most of 1957.
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Buddy Holly and the Crickets - Discography - Singles
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Remarks
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| That'll Be The Day |
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| Oh Boy |
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| Maybe Baby |
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| Think It Over |
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| Early In The Morning |
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| It Doesn't Matter Anymore |
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Buddy Holly and the Crickets - Discography - Album
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Remarks
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| Chirping Crickets |
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| Buddy Holly |
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Buy Buddy Holly
Albums and CD's
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Quotes
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"Someone once asked me where I thought music
would've taken Buddy.
I said 'you're asking the wrong question.
Where was Buddy gonna take music?"
- Waylon Jennings |
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"It all came out of this idea of three chords, a group
standing up there playing your instruments...you can see
echoes of Buddy Holly and the Crickets in the Beatles."
- Paul McCartney |
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"He made it okay to wear glasses. I WAS Buddy Holly."
- John Lennon |
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| " Holly passed it on via the Beatles and via us. He's
in everybody...This isn't bad for a guy from Lubbock,
right?" - Keith Richards |
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"Buddy Holly was a poet. Way ahead of his time."
- Bob Dylan |
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"When someone like Paul McCartney says 'If it wasn't
for the Crickets, there wouldn't be any Beatles', I say
'Excuse me? I'd like to hear that again!"
- Jerry Allison |
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"At least the first forty songs we wrote were Buddy
Holly influenced".
- Paul McCartney |
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FAQ - Buddy and Crickets
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His records have sold over 40 million copies
since his death. |
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Buddy Holly - bio
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Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock,
Texas, USA in 1936.
The Holleys were a musical family and as a young boyBuddy
Holly learned to play the violin, piano and guitar. As
a teenager he was already singing professionally as part
of a country duo. Holly's big break came when they opened
for Bill Haley and the Comets at a local rock show.
He was signed by a scout from Decca Records to a solo
recording contract. However, early success as a solo artist
eluded him.
Back in Lubbock, Holly formed his own band, "The Crickets",
and began making records at Norman Petty's studios in
Clovis, New Mexico. Among the songs they recorded was
That'll Be the Day, which takes its title from a phrase
which John Wayne's character says repeatedly in the movie,
The Searchers.
Norman had music industry contacts, and believing that
That'll Be the Day would be a hit single, he contacted
publishers and labels. Coral Records, a subsidiary of
Decca, signed Buddy Holly and The Crickets. This put Buddy
in the unusual position of having two record contracts
at the same time!
Holly's music was sophisticated for its day, including
the use of novel instruments (for rock and roll). Holly
was an influential rhythm guitarist, notably on songs
such as Peggy Sue and Not Fade Away. While Holly could
pump out boy-loves-girl songs with the best of his contemporaries,
other songs featured more sophisticated lyrics and more
complex harmonies and melodies than had been previously
shown in the genre. Holly also managed to bridge some
of the racial divide that punctuated rock, notably winning
over an all-black audience when accidentally booked for
New York's Apollo Theatre (though, unlike the fictional
portrayal in his movie biography, it took several performances
for audiences to be convinced of his talents). After the
release of several highly successful songs, in March of
1958, he and the Crickets toured the United Kingdom. In
the audience was a teenager named Paul McCartney, who
later cited Holly as a primary influence (his band's name,
The Beatles, was later chosen partly in homage to Holly's
Crickets). Holly's personal style, more controlled and
cerebral than Elvis's and more youthful and innovative
than the country and western stars of his day, would have
an influence on youth culture on both sides of the Atlantic
for decades to come, reflected particularly in the New
Wave movement in artists such as Elvis Costello and Marshall
Crenshaw, and earlier in folk rock bands like The Byrds
and The Turtles. He married Maria Elena Santiago on August
15, 1958 In 1959, Holly split with the Crickets and began
a solo tour with other notable performers including Ritchie
Valens and J.P. Richardson, "The Big Bopper".
Following a February 2nd performance at the Surf Ballroom
in Clear Lake, Iowa, a small four-passenger Beechcraft
Bonanza took off into a blinding snow storm and crashed
into Albert Juhl's corn field several miles after takeoff
at 1.05 a.m. The crash killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens,
J P Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson, leaving Holly's
pregnant bride, Maria Elena Holly, a widow. (She would
miscarry soon after.)
This event inspired singer Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad
American Pie, and immortalized February 3rd as The Day
The Music Died.
Funeral services were held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church
in Lubbock, Texas, and Buddy Holly was interred in the
City of Lubbock Cemetery. [edit] Tributes Monument at
Crash Site – September 16, 2003.
In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the '50s era,
erected a stainless steel monument depicting a steel guitar
and a set of three records bearing the names of each of
the three performers. It is located on private farmland,
about one quarter mile west of the intersection of 315th
Street and Gull Avenue, approximately eight miles north
of Clear Lake. He also created a similar stainless steel
monument to the three musicians near the Riverside Ballroom
in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That memorial was unveiled on
July 17, 2003.
The dramatic arc of Holly's life story inspired a Hollywood
biography The Buddy Holly Story, for which actor Gary
Busey received a nomination for Academy Award for Best
Actor for his portrayal of Holly, as well as a successful
Broadway musical documenting his career.
Buddy Holly is considered one of the founding fathers
of rock 'n roll and one of its most influential. Although
his career was cut short, his body of work is considered
some of the best in rock music history and his music would
influence not only many of his recording contemporaries,
but also the future direction music would take. |
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| b. Charles Hardin Holley, 7 September 1936, Lubbock,
Texas, USA, d. 3 February 1959, Clear Lake, Iowa, USA.
Holly was one of the first major rock 'n' roll groundbreakers,
and one of its most influential artists. He wrote his
own songs, recorded with a self-contained guitar-bass-drums
combo, experimented in the studio and even changed the
image of what a rock singer could look like: until he
came along, the idea of a bespectacled rock idol was unthinkable.
Holly's hiccuping vocal style and mature, melodic compositions
inspired many of the rockers who would emerge in the 60s
and 70s, from the Beatles and Bob Dylan to the Hollies.
Later, British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello would
emerge with an unabashed Holly-inspired physical appearance.
Like many other early rock 'n' rollers, Holly's musical
influences included both country music and "race" music,
or R&B. He made his first stage appearance at the age
of five, joining with his brothers Larry and Travis in
a talent contest; he won $5. During his childhood, Holly
learned to play guitar, violin and piano, taking formal
lessons but teaching himself boogie-woogie rhythms on
the piano. At 12 years old he was entertaining friends
with Hank Williams songs and in 1949 formed a bluegrass
duo, Buddy And Bob, with friend Bob Montgomery (b. 12
May 1937, Lambasas, Texas, USA). He learned to play banjo
and mandolin during this period. Holly made his first
recording on a home tape recorder in 1949, a song called
"My Two-Timin' Woman". By 1952 Buddy And Bob had become
popular around Lubbock, recording two songs together at
Holly's home that year and another in 1953. In September
of that year Holly and new partner Jack Neal appeared
on KDAV radio, performing two numbers. Adding Larry Welborn
on bass, they were given their own programme, The Buddy
And Jack Show, which was retitled The Buddy And Bob Show
after Neal left to get married and Montgomery returned
to accompany Holly. The duo performed country material
primarily, but occasionally included an R&B song by artists
such as Hank Ballard. KDAV disc jockey Hipockets Duncan
became the trio's manager and secured work for them in
the West Texas area. Further recording took place at KDAV
but none of it was released. In 1954, the trio added fiddler/guitarist
Sonny Curtis and steel guitarist Don Guess to the group,
and together made more recordings in Lubbock and at Nesman
Recording Studio in Wichita Falls, Texas. That year the
group, now including drummer Jerry Allison (b. 31 August
1939, Hillsboro, Texas, USA), opened concerts for Bill
Haley And His Comets and Elvis Presley in Texas. Holly
was impressed by Presley and began thinking about performing
in the new rock 'n' roll style. However, in the meantime
he continued to play country. In December 1955, Nashville
agent Eddie Crandall requested of KDAV disc jockey Dave
Stone that Holly and his group record four demo songs,
believing he could secure them a contract with Decca Records.
The group, now minus Montgomery and known as Buddy And
The Two Tones, sent five songs, and Decca brought them
to Nashville where they recorded four songs produced by
Owen Bradley at Bradley's Barn Studio on 26 January 1956.
Decca issued "Blue Days, Black Nights", backed with "Love
Me", under the name Buddy Holly And The Three Tunes (the
Crickets were not contracted to Decca at this time), in
April. Several other records were recorded in two sessions
for Decca during the autumn of 1956, but Holly, dissatisfied
with Decca's insistence that he continue to play country
music, together with the loss of his group to insensitive
sessionmen, began making plans to secure a new contract.
He was officially dropped by Decca in January 1957. In
February 1957, Holly, Welborn and Allison traveled to
Norman Petty's NorVaJak studios in Clovis, New Mexico,
where they recorded a rock 'n' roll version of Holly's
"That'll Be The Day", a song from their period in Nashville.
The song was a revelation and contained one of the most
gripping vocals and distinctive galloping riffs of any
record released during the 50s. Upon returning to Lubbock,
Holly formed the Crickets with Allison, rhythm guitarist
Niki Sullivan (b. 23 June 1937, South Gate, California,
USA, d. 6 April 2004, Sugar Creek, Missouri, USA), and
bass player Joe B. Mauldin. A number of record companies
turned down "That'll Be The Day" until it was issued by
Brunswick Records in May, ironically a division of Decca.
Another Decca subsidiary, the artistically independent
Coral Records, signed a deal to issue records under Buddy
Holly's name. With Petty as manager, "That'll Be The Day"
underwent heavy promotion until it reached number 1 in
September 1957. It also reached number 1 in the UK. Just
as the record was being released, the Crickets performed
at such venues as the Apollo Theatre in New York and the
Howard Theater in Washington, DC, winning over predominantly
black audiences and helping to further break down racial
barriers in rock. They spent the next three months touring
the USA. The Crickets recorded prolifically in 1957, including
such indisputable classics as "Words Of Love" (April),
"Not Fade Away" and "Everyday" (May), "Peggy Sue" (named
after Allison's girlfriend and originally planned as "Cindy
Lou"), "Oh Boy" and "I'm Gonna Love You Too" (June), "It's
Too Late" and "Send Me Some Lovin'" (July), and "Maybe
Baby" (September). Holly was innovative in the studio,
making much use of newly available production techniques,
such as overdubbing vocals and double-tracking guitar
parts. The vocals on "Peggy Sue" were a typical example
of Holly's technique. Although simple in structure and
execution, Holly somehow managed to recite the words "Peggy
Sue" differently in every line, as if fascinated by the
very syllables of her name. A seemingly straightforward
song like "Everyday" is similarly transformed by the ingenious
use of a celeste (played by Petty's wife, Vi) and the
decision to include Jerry Allison slapping his knee, in
place of drums. Brunswick continued to issue recordings
under the Crickets name despite Holly's solo contract
with Coral Records. Most releases featured the entire
group, often with other musicians (Vi Petty on piano)
and a vocal group (the Picks). Of these Holly "solo" releases,
"Peggy Sue" reached number 3 in the USA and "Rave On"
number 37 during 1957-58. Contrary to the legend, Holly
and the Crickets charted less than 10 times in the USA
during their brief career. No albums charted during Holly's
lifetime. The Crickets closed 1957 with an appearance
on the influential Ed Sullivan Show, following which Niki
Sullivan left the group citing the harsh tour schedule
as his reason. The Crickets returned to the Ed Sullivan
Show at the end of January 1958 before recording "Rave
On" and "That's My Desire" in New York and touring Australia
for six days. Further Clovis recording sessions, including
"Well ... All Right" and "Think It Over" occupied February.
Jerry Allison also recorded "Real Wild Child" which was
later released under his middle name of Ivan. This was
followed by a UK tour beginning on 2 March at the Trocadero
in London, which also included appearances on the UK television
programmes Sunday Night At The London Palladium and Off
The Record. The UK tour finished on 25 March at the Hammersmith
Gaumont. Holly and the group enjoyed immense popularity
in Britain, with 10 Top 10 singles. "Maybe Baby" became
the fourth Holly/Crickets single to chart in the USA in
March, eventually peaking at number 17 (and number 4 in
the UK). The group returned to the USA in late March and
immediately embarked on a US tour instigated by disc jockey
Alan Freed, also featuring such popular artists as Jerry
Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. Coral released the frantic
Holly single "Rave On" in May and although it reached
only number 37 in the USA, it made number 5 in the UK.
Following the tour, on 19 June, Holly recorded two songs
written by Bobby Darin in New York without the Crickets;
they remained unreleased but signalled an impending rift
between Holly and the group. While in New York Holly met
Maria Elena Santiago, whom he married two months later.
During that summer Holly returned to Petty's studio in
Clovis and recorded "Heartbeat", "It's So Easy" and "Lonesome
Tears'. Guitarist Tommy Allsup played on these sessions
and was subsequently asked to join the Crickets. During
September sessions in Clovis, extra musicians including
saxophonist King Curtis and guitarist Phil Everly joined
Holly. Waylon Jennings, then unknown, provided backing
vocals on one track; during the same period, Holly produced
Jennings" debut single. By September three more Holly/Crickets
singles had charted in the USA, but none fared very well.
Holly and the Crickets toured the north-east and Canada
during October, by which time there was apparently friction
between the Hollys and the Pettys. Buddy and Maria Holly
travelled separately from the group between dates. During
the trip, Holly decided to try recording with strings,
but prior to returning to New York for that session in
October 1958, he announced to manager/producer Petty that
he was leaving him. To Holly's surprise the other Crickets
chose to leave Holly and remain with Petty; Holly allowed
them use of the group's name and they continued to record
without him (Sonny Curtis joined the group after Holly's
death). Meanwhile, on 21 October, Holly, producer Dick
Jacobs and studio musicians (including a string section)
recorded "True Love Ways", "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"
(written by Paul Anka), "Raining In My Heart" and "Moondreams".
They were held for later release while "It's So Easy"
was released; it failed to chart in the USA. "Heartbeat"
was issued in December and became the last Holly single
to chart in the USA during his lifetime. The superb "It
Doesn't Matter Anymore" was released posthumously and
its lyrics betrayed an unintended elegiac mood in light
of the singer's fate. The song provided Holly with his
only solo UK number 1 hit and served as a perfect memorial.
The flip-side, "Raining In My Heart", was equally inventive,
with a touching melody reinforced by the orchestral arrangement
in which strings were used to startling effect to suggest
tearful raindrops. In December 1958 Holly, now living
in New York with his wife, recorded six songs at home
on his tape recorder, presumably to be re-recorded in
the studio at a later date. During Christmas Holly returned
to Lubbock and appeared on radio station KLLL with Jennings.
He is prompted by a bet to write a song ("You're The One")
in less than 30 minutes. Back in New York during January
1959, Holly made other demos at home by himself. That
month he began assembling a band to take on the "Winter
Dance Party" tour of the US Midwest. Allsup was hired
on guitar, Jennings on bass and Carl Bunch on drums. They
were billed as the Crickets despite the agreement to give
Holly's former bandmates that name. Also starring Ritchie
Valens, the Big Bopper, Dion And The Belmonts and the
unknown Frankie Sardo, the tour began on 23 January 1959
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On the afternoon of 1 February
the tour played in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but an evening
show was cancelled owing to bad weather. The 2 February
date at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, went ahead.
It was following this show that Holly, Valens and the
Big Bopper chartered a small plane to take them to the
next date in Moorhead, Minnesota, rather than travel on
the tour bus, which had a defective heater and had previously
broken down several times. In the dark early hours of
a freezing cold morning and as a result of the snowy weather,
the plane crashed minutes after take-off, killing all
three stars and the pilot. (The tour actually continued
after their deaths, with Bobby Vee, Jimmy Clanton and
Frankie Avalon filling in.) Holly's popularity increased
after his death, and his influence continues to this day.
Several of the posthumous releases fared particularly
well in the UK. In 1962, Norman Petty took the demos Holly
had recorded at home in 1958 and had the instrumental
group the Fireballs play along to them, creating new Buddy
Holly records from the unfinished tapes. In 1965, Holly
In The Hills, comprised of the early Buddy and Bob radio
station recordings, was released and charted in the UK.
Compilation albums also charted in both the USA and the
UK well into the new millennium. During the 70s the publishing
rights to Holly's song catalogue were purchased by Paul
McCartney, who began sponsoring annual Buddy Holly Week
celebrations. A Buddy Holly Memorial Society was also
formed in the USA to commemorate the singer. In 1978,
a movie called The Buddy Holly Story, starring actor Gary
Busey as Holly, premiered; members of the Crickets, in
particular, denounced it as containing many inaccurate
scenes. The following year, a six-record boxed set called
The Complete Buddy Holly was released in the UK (it was
issued in the USA two years later). A 1983 release, For
The First Time Anywhere, contained original Holly recordings
prior to overdubbing. In 1990, Buddy, a musical play that
had previously been staged in London, opened on Broadway
in New York. Buddy Holly's legacy lives on, not only with
tributes such as these, but in the dozens of cover versions
of his songs that have been recorded over the years. Holly
was an initial inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of
Fame in 1986. To have a catalogue of songs of this calibre
behind him at the age of 22 was remarkable. How would
he have approached the 60s and subsequent decades? Such
was the quality of his work that few could |
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