By Sherri Cruz | For the Avalanche-Journal

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Buddy Holly tattoos, Buddy Holly glasses, even a Buddy Holly flash mob.

You couldn’t ask for more on Buddy Holly Day in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, accepted Holly’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Capitol Records building on Vine Street.

Gary Busey speaks next to Maria Elena Holly during a ceremony on Wednesday where Buddy Holly’s star was unveiled on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Busey portrayed Holly in the movie “The Buddy Holly Story.”

Big stars and big fans were there. Holly’s music was playing.

Gary Busey, who starred as Holly in “The Buddy Holly Story,” began by saying: “This is a magical day.”

Busey said he wasn’t chosen to play Holly by the studios or the casting agents.

“I do sincerely feel in my heart, Charles Hardin Holly chose me to play him in the movie,” Busey said.

The actor was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Holly. Music producer Peter Asher and Phil Everlyof the Everly Brothers also spoke.

Asher produced “Listen to Me: Buddy Holly,” a Holly tribute record released Tuesday, featuring artists Stevie Nicks, Zooey Deschanel and Chris Isaak. Asher donned a pair of Holly’s trademark horn-rimmed glasses while he spoke.

He said they were the first pair of glasses he ever bought. “These are the actual glass from back then.”

Maria Elena Holly choked up when she talked about what Holly might think of the day. She also thanked the fans.

“I’m saying now, my dear Buddy, you loved to go to the movies. You told me one of your dreams was to write scores for movies and make your mark in Hollywood,” she said. “Well, my dear, half of your dream unfortunately didn’t come true, but the other came true with a beautiful star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

The fans were in full force.

Peter Asher speaks next to Maria Elena Holly during a ceremony on Wednesday where Buddy Holly's star was unveiled on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

Wednesday would’ve been his 75th birthday.

Larry Stump and his wife, Laurene, drove up from Phoenix. “We came just for this,” he said.

He brought a poster from Buddy Holly’s last performance. He remembers being in high school the day Holly died in a plane crash in Iowa in 1959.

“After we heard about it, we left school,” Stump said. “Me being in trouble my whole senior year, I got in trouble for leaving.”

Mike Randall and his wife, Janine, also from Phoenix, wouldn’t have missed the ceremony for the world.

They both play in a Buddy Holly tribute band.

Brad Tierney stood out in the crowd with a little bit of a Buddy Holly look going on.

“I’ve always been a huge Buddy Holly fan,” he said.

He and his girlfriend, Kristy Helton, also a Holly fan, are from Iowa.

Pat Tyson’s interest in Buddy Holly’s music rose after watching “The Buddy Holly Story.” She said he was one of a kind.

“Even his look with the horned-rimmed glasses defied the look of the time.” She drove from Glendale, Calif.

Jennifer Shaw’s dad got her into Holly and roots rock ’n’ roll when she was a little girl. Her father used to come to Lubbock every year for Buddy Holly week.

After her father died, she got a tattoo — Buddy Holly glasses across her back.

Kevin Magowan, the man who worked to get Holly’s star on the Walk of Fame, was feeling fine.

“I feel blessed, grateful and thankful. It’s a dream come true. You plant the seeds, you water them, you work hard. Then the day comes,” he said. “That’ll be the day is today.”

Lubbock-born singer-songwriter Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holly was honored posthumously Wednesday — his 75th birthday — with the 2,447th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

More than 500 people swarmed to Los Angeles just to see the 11:30 a.m. ceremony in person, according to Ana Martinez, who has produced hundreds of similar ceremonies for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Sarah Isett sports some Buddy Holly glasses near the statue of the Lubbock music great on Wednesday, which would have been his 75th birthday.

About 80 fans and Holly family members showed up at

the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock by 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to observe a live video feed of the ceremony by KCBD-TV, said center director Brooke Witcher.

The hometown fans applauded whenever they heard fans in Hollywood cheering Holly’s name.

But the streaming Internet would not properly broadcast in Lubbock, and the half-hour video feed had problems.

Visuals never were sharp, but the real problem was the sound, which, for the largest part of the half hour, could not be understood at all.

Gary and Ramona Tollett, who sang backing vocals on Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” 54 years ago, were not at all pleased.

Speaking for many, Gary at last concluded, “It was a waste of time. You couldn’t see anything. You darn sure couldn’t hear anything. Therefore, we did not enjoy anything. People all around me were getting up to leave the room.”

Responding to an email, Martinez called The Avalanche-Journal and reported Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, was the emcee. Aside from Buddy’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, and Phil Everly, Peter Asher and Gary Busey — and everyone could hear Busey say, “God bless Buddy Holly! — the only other person to speak was Los Angeles City Councilman Tom Labonge,

It was Labonge who, acting upon Los Angeles resident Kevin Magowan’s request, enticed the City Council to vote and decree Wednesday — Sept. 7, Buddy Holly’s birthday — to be “Buddy Holly Day” in all of LA.

Meanwhile, at the Buddy Holly Center, a number of fans asked why the Lubbock City Council had not followed suit and decreed Wednesday to be “Buddy Holly Day” in Lubbock, the musician’s hometown.

Despite the unexpected technical glitch, it appeared most visitors stayed and capitalized on the fun offered throughout the day at the Buddy Holly Center.

No doubt deserving some praise for lifting spirits were British musician and director John Banister; Andy Christopher, star of Lubbock Moonlight Musicals’ “Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story”; and Eddy Weir, the late Holly’s nephew.

Although not on the announced program, the trio walked to their cars, collected their guitars and gave an impromptu concert of Holly songs in the Buddy Holly Center’s courtyard.

Fans again applauded, and Shauna Wiseman, a 30-year-old woman with Down syndrome, continually danced both in the audience and in front of the musicians.

Christopher, by the way, pointed out that this year’s final performance of the Holly stage musical will be at today’s opening of the Clovis Music Festival in Clovis, N.M.

As for Christopher, he also can be seen starring in “Godspell” the next three weekends at the Garza Theater in Post.

Already, he has made plans to move to New York City in January and begin auditioning for stage projects there. Three years ago, he planned a career in medicine; the music and theater bugs double-teamed him.

Not surprisingly, fans appeared to be arriving continually at the Buddy Holly Center from all directions on the map, most looking forward to the guided tour of the Buddy Holly Gallery, birthday cake and punch and, of course, more hours of live music.

Hal and Sandy Wilkerson dropped in from Tulia, and Sandy said her husband is the real rock ’n’ roll fan.

“Well, the older rock ’n’ roll,” he said, smiling. Both said they like Buddy Holly music.

Nadine Lealert and Peggy Brando, describing themselves as two widows from Amarillo, said Wednesday marked their first visit to the Buddy Holly Center. Peggy, especially, was excited by an opportunity to have her photograph taken with Buddy’s older brothers, Larry and Travis Holley, one at a time.

The brothers had been sitting on the front row during the video feed from Los Angeles.

“That was pretty disappointing,” said Travis.

Outside, Joe Hays was having his own picture taken with the giant sculpture of Holly’s black eyeglasses.

He and his wife, Sheilda, call Senoia, Ga., home, but they are on a road trip, their intention being to simply explore most of Texas.

“We just saw a sign that said ‘Buddy Holly,’ and we decided to pull over and check it out. Then we found out all these events were happening,” Sheilda said.

Buddy Holly Center curator Jacqueline Bober found 50 to 60 fans inside the Holly Gallery when she prepared to give the annual gallery tour at 3 p.m.

She maintained control, sharing historical facts and fun factoids, and appeared to have a good time in the process.

Those taking the tour received more than one bonus.

Making a special appearance was Echo McGuire Griffith, Buddy’s high school girlfriend. She smiled while revealing she actually dated both Buddy Holly and his best friend, Bob Montgomery, in the beginning.

“I usually went with one to a football game on Friday night, and to the movies with the other on Saturday night,” said Griffith.

Echo’s husband, Ron, revealed Echo still has 35 photographs of her and Buddy together that no one has ever seen.

Rather than market the pictures, she plans to include them in a book she has started to write.

The Tolletts joined Bober when the guided tour reached Holly’s recording sessions in 1957, offering a detailed account of their work with Holly and producer Norman Petty on “That’ll Be the Day.”

More visitors arrived when “Happy Birthday” was sung, cake was served and local musicians entertained during the celebration’s last few hours.

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When Kevin Magowan asked for permission to work to obtain a Hollywood Boulevard star for Buddy Holly, the late singer-songwriter’s widow had no reason to believe the petitioner.

Maria Elena Holly had lost count of the friends and strangers who told her Holly deserved a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

No one had to convince her of that.

Twenty-five years after Holly and nine other recording artists became the inaugural class in Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only one didn’t have a star on the walk.

Buddy Holly and the Crickets appeared on the nationally televised "Ed Sullivan Show," which was filmed in New York City, in December 1957 and January 1958. Buddy mentioned Lubbock during his interview with Sullivan, and the host requested more applause "for these youngsters from Texas."

Buddy Holly.

Although many pointed out the gap, nobody wanted to devote the time, energy or money necessary to make Holly’s star a reality.

So, when Magowan offered, Maria dared not hope.

Holly pilgrimage

The journey to the star began with a pilgrimage.

Four years ago, Magowan left his job for a trip from Los Angeles and his family to the Norman Petty studio in Clovis, N.M., where Holly had recorded his hits.

Next stop: Lubbock — to visit every possible site related to Holly.

As money began running low, Magowan

continued to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to meet Holly’s widow.Maria recalls answering her phone and Magowan introducing himself and saying he’d love to talk with her about Buddy.

“I asked him, ‘Where are you?’ ” said Maria.

She continued, “And he told me, ‘I’m right here in the neighborhood.’ ”

She invited him over, and a friendship grew as they talked.

Magowan

They spoke by telephone each month.

In November 2009, Magowan told Maria he wanted Holly to have a star.

She gave him her blessing, but says she was not confident.

Now she gives Magowan all the credit for Buddy Holly receiving his star at 1:30 p.m. today in a public ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Magowan chose the date, Sept. 7, Holly’s 75th birthday, obtained the financing and ensured Holly’s star would rest next to those of The Beatles in the shadow of the Capitol Records tower.

Music occupation

Magowan works in the music industry, overseeing synchronization rights for music whenever someone wants to link a song to an image on a television program or in the movies.

He lost track of the Holly project for a few months.

“I forgot about everything through the holidays,” he said. “Sometime in mid-March (2010), it just hit me that I didn’t even know the deadline yet.”

Magowan called the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and learned how to nominate Holly.

Next stop: the $25,000-per-star fee and the submission form, requiring Holly’s biography, discography and qualifications.

“I wrote all of that out, just using my head, all the facts about Buddy’s life and songs that I remembered,” said Magowan.

The form asked for examples of community service.

“I decided, for that part, I would ask five really important people to write letters supporting Holly,” Magowan said. “I was lucky that, because of my job, I know a lot of industry people and I can get past a lot of the usual red tape.”

Protecting privacy

He won’t reveal the names of the five, only to say they are part of the Buddy Holly story.

He mentioned the $25,000 fee to Maria Holly.

“I told Kevin that, for me to pay for Buddy’s star, would just look tacky. I wasn’t going to do it,” she said.

Magowan had ideas — exactly three: Paul McCartney’s MPL Communications, Peer Music and Universal Records.

McCartney has purchased Holly’s music catalog.

Peer also handled Holly’s music. Maria worked as a secretary at Peer in New York when Holly met her and proposed the same day.

Universal Records distributes Holly’s music.

Magowan received permission from Maria to approach all three, and each agreed to pay one-third of the $25,000 fee.

With the May 31, 2010, deadline four days away, Magowan turned in his proposal with the money.

Rapid reply

He didn’t have to wait long, but it felt like eons.

On June 17, Magowan received approval.

Buddy would receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Four days later, Magowan took his teenage son, Ryan, with him for a drive to Hollywood Boulevard.

He took pictures of the site where he wanted Holly’s star.

Although the approval came in plenty of time for a ceremony on Holly’s birthday last year, Magowan wanted it to be on the 75th birthday.

“Everything was defined in my mind,” said Magowan. “It made perfect cosmic sense. It was my vision.”

But he wasn’t through.

Magowan again called Ana Martinez, nicknamed StarGirl, at the Hollywood chamber. She had helped produce dozens of star ceremonies. Magowan wanted Phil Everly as a presenter.

Later, the list finalized: Everly — one of Holly’s close friends and a pallbearer at his funeral, music producer Peter Asher and actor Gary Busey.

Buddy Holly Day

Magowan recalled seeing Los Angeles City Councilman Tom Labonge at a John Lennon ceremony, so he knew the official liked music.

So Magowan wrote to Labonge, asking the City Council to declare Sept. 7, 2011, “Buddy Holly Day” in Los Angeles.

This, too, came to pass.

Since Saturday, Magowan has planned Maria Elena Holly’s days in Los Angeles, and served as her escort.

He was able to book appearances on radio show “Breakfast with the Beatles” and television’s “Good Morning LA,” all to spread the word and increase attendance at today’s ceremony.

“I don’t know. A few hundred would be nice,” he said when predicting attendance.

“Not many people would take so much time to do this when they have a family and a job,” Maria said.

But Magowan said he acted on a passion and a desire to do the right thing for Buddy.

“And in the end,” he later declared, “all is as it should be.”

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Everyday

Lubbock’s most famous native son would turn 75 Wednesday. To honor Buddy Holly and his legacy, the A-J will be running the following stories:

■ Saturday: “Down the Line” A look at James and Patty Simpson’s cornfield maze in Buddy’s likeness.

■ Sunday: “Not Fade Away” — Phil Everly, Graham Nash and a host of others tell A-J entertainment editor Bill Kerns why Buddy’s music remains relevant today.

■ Monday: “Rave On” — How his birthday will be celebrated in Hollywood.

■ Wednesday: “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” — The man responsible for Buddy’s Hollywood Star tells how a dream became reality.

■ Thursday: “Oh Boy!” — Coverage of Buddy’s star on the Walk of Fame; Lubbock’s soiree

■ Friday: “Well … All Right” — Coverage of an all-star concert supporting a second tribute album released this year.

If you miss a day, all these stories and more are on our Buddy Holly Archives at http://www.buddyhollyarchives.com/.
Kevin Magowan
■ Age: 55.
■ Birthday: March 29.
■ Family: Wife Leslie; daughter Kaitlin, 20; son Ryan, 15.
■ Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nev.
■ Home: Burbank, Calif.
■ Occupation: Supervising music clearance, licensing for EMG, Inc. in Studio, City, Calif.
■ I drive: SUV Grand Jeep Cherokee.
■ Favorite music style: Roots rockin’ country rock ’n’ roll / 3 chords and the Truth. I also love heart-filled love songs.
■ Favorite Buddy Holly song: Differs every day; I am in love with “The Apartment Tapes.”
■ Favorite singer, male: Elvis Presley.
■ Favorite singer, female: Judy Garland.
■ Favorite band: The Beatles.
■ Recent CD purchased: “So Beautiful or So What,” by Paul Simon.
■ Favorite concert venue: Greek Theatre.
■ Place I like to take LA visitors: My home.
■ Favorite vacation spot: Somewhere I have not visited before.
■ Favorite book: “Conversations with God, Volume 1.”
■ I am now reading: Music magazines.
■ Favorite movie: “Gone with the Wind.”
■ Last film seen at a theater: “Cowboys and Aliens.”
■ Last film purchased: “Love Eat Pray.”
■ Favorite TV show: “Boardwalk Empire.”
■ Favorite meal: Mexican at El Coyote on Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood.
■ I am aggravated by: People who do not respond.
■ Morning or night person: Both.
■ Coffee or tea: Coffee.
■ “Star Wars” or “Star Trek”: “Star Wars.”
■ Five people, living or dead, I’d like to hang with: Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Ben Franklin and Mark Twain.
■ One thing my friends don’t know about me: My friends know me.
■ When I want to relax, I: Play my guitar and sing songs I have written (and) covers of Buddy, the Beatles, Dylan and Springsteen.

Today at Buddy Holly Center
■ 11 a.m. — screening of “The Real Buddy Holly Center.”
■ 1:30 p.m. — Streaming Internet coverage of Buddy Holly’s star ceremony on Hollywood Walk of Fame, with presentations by Phil Everly, Peter Asher and Gary Busey.
■ 3 p.m. — Guided tour of Buddy Holly Gallery at Buddy Holly Center, led by center curator Jacqueline Bober. Guest appearance by Ramona and Gary Tollett.
■ 4 p.m. — Buddy’s birthday cake and punch served.
■ 5:30 p.m. — Music by The Prophets of Rockabilly, with special guest J.P. McDermott.
■ 7:30 p.m. — Music by Jack Neal & Friends, tribute to Holly and music historian Bill Griggs.
■ 8 p.m. — Music by Mike Pritchard and Mark Wallney.

The organizers of a Sept. 9 concert by Buddy Holly impersonator Johnny Rogers have been slow to identify themselves, but attorney Stephen Easley, representing client Maria Elena Holly, intends to take them to court if they follow through with the concert.

Independent promoter Larry Baker, claiming to represent the businesses on Buddy Holly Avenue and in the Depot District, said Thursday the show will go on as scheduled.

Maria Elena Holly

The concert originally was billed as a Buddy Holly Birthday Bash. It is to take place outdoors in Depot Alley behind Melt, 1711 Texas Ave.

Baker said the concert’s name actually is the Buddy Holly Avenue Birthday Bash, although he said he also refers to it as the Forbidden Concert.

Easley, based in Washington, D.C., said he sent cease and desist letters to KDAV Radio, station owner William Clements and the general management at Melt Restaurant and Lounge.

Maria Holly owns the rights to Buddy Holly’s name, image and likeness. Promoters must negotiate for her permission before using Holly’s name or photograph.

Easley emphasized he also represents the Buddy Holly Center because Maria Holly granted an exclusive license for use of the Holly name and trademarks in Lubbock for the next 20 years to the center.

“The Buddy Holly Center has a Birthday Bash of its own planned for Buddy’s birthday (Wednesday), and that is the event that has Mrs. Holly’s support,” said Easley.

Easley thought the cease and desist letter was being obeyed.

“The use of Buddy’s name and image has been removed from the (KDAV) website, and places I’ve seen,” said Easley. “And we will have people there in Lubbock to report if anything happens.”

Baker said, “The advertising was removed. Who cares? It’s been going on for 45 days. But we’re going on with the concert and the after-party at the Corner Bar.”

He said the Corner Bar is a new business. No street address or phone number was available Thursday.

The promoter noted Ingrid Kaiter and Eddy Weir, Buddy Holly’s niece and nephew, respectively, were hired to open the show. Both of them dropped off the show after Easley’s letters were received.

Baker said, “I understand why they left. I don’t want anything to happen to them as family members, and Maria Elena scared them off.”

Even though the event is taking place two days after Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday, Baker said businesses on Buddy Holly Avenue can hold a concert and call it the Buddy Holly Avenue Birthday Bash without breaking Maria Holly’s licensing agreement.

Asked which businesses are taking part, Baker answered, “Every business on Buddy Holly Avenue signed a loud speaker agreement, allowing us to have the show. They displayed their support when they signed the agreement, which you can see at the city secretary’s office. And Melt is the main organizer and is catering the show.”

No one representing Melt as owner or manager could be reached Thursday.

Select-A-Seat box office manager Lisa Burns said her ticketing contract lists sources as “KDAV, Larry Baker.”

KDAV owner Clements could not be reached, but KDAV business manager Peggy Sue Gerron stated via email, “Bill C. is not producing this concert, and I’m certainly not. I’m only aware of this event due to the fact it is being advertised on KDAV, 1590 AM. As KDAV’s business manager, you know that is what we do here. This is being brought to you by some of the businesses on Buddy Holly Avenue.”

But Easley also is concerned with the entertainment. He said there are several licensed Buddy Holly impersonators, and Johnny Rogers is not one of them.

At least once, Maria Holly has shut down Rogers’ act, accusing him of unauthorized use of her property, the attorney said.

Holly welcomes celebrations of Buddy Holly and his music, and she does not want to stop anyone from celebrating, Easley emphasized.

He added, however, that this federal law must be followed to the letter because, “Under federal trademark and copyright law, if you do not protect your (trade)marks, if you do not approach those making unauthorized use of them, it can be deemed by the court as abandoning your (trade)marks. In this case, what is most important is that the Buddy Holly Center’s rights are not violated.”

Baker accused Maria Holly of keeping a Buddy Holly Festival from taking place in Lubbock.

“Clear Lake (Iowa, where Holly died in a plane crash) has a yearly festival that is hugely successful,” Baker said. “Clovis, N.M., where Buddy recorded, has a great festival. Maria does not even own Buddy’s songs; Paul McCartney does. Lubbock is where Buddy is from, but there’s no festival.”

He said Rogers ranks with the best Holly impersonators and predicted a line of people trying to get in to the free after-party.

Easley added, “Had the organizers approached Mrs. Holly or myself, we would have encouraged them to speak to the Buddy Holly Center and try to work with them as part of the official celebration.”

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William Frederick “Bill” Griggs, without a doubt the foremost authority on Lubbock legends Buddy Holly and the Crickets, died Tuesday.

He was 69.

Already suffering from cancer at the time, Griggs was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame on July 30.

Holly was the first person inducted in 1979.

Griggs said prior to his induction, “Wow, I have spent 42 years researching and publishing items pertaining to West Texas music and Buddy Holly and the Crickets. To be recognized now for that input by the city of Lubbock with a plaque that will be around long after I am gone, is an honor I cannot really describe.”

He compared the plaque to gold records received from Holly’s record company.

Griggs was born in Hartford, Conn.

He founded the International Buddy Holly Memorial Society in 1975, operating under a license from the Holly estate, and moved his family to Lubbock in 1981 to pursue his research on Holly and the Crickets.

He produced the first of 11 annual Buddy Holly Conventions in Lubbock in 1978, and that year reunited the Crickets for the first time since Holly’s death in 1959.

By 1990, the Holly Memorial Society had members in all 50 states and 34 countries. Total membership exceeded 5,500 people.

His widow, Sharon Griggs, said, “As far as final words, the only thing he has repeated over and over is that he had a great life. He is so proud because of all the fans that he has brought together, and all the friends that he made all over the world because of Buddy Holly, the music and (his) Rockin’ ’50s Magazine.”

“I liked Bill a lot,” said Travis Holley, one of Buddy’s older brothers, Tuesday night.

“He was a good guy and a great historian. If you needed to know any little thing about Buddy, or about any of those singers from back in the ’50s, Bill always was the best guy to call.”

Charles Pike, another music historian, said Tuesday, “With his loss, we are left with a giant archive of historical treasures, rediscovered music from artists who history had passed by, recordings, interviews and videotapes of the musicians and songwriters in a small section of America, whose work and sound went on to influence, and even change, popular culture.

Ryan Vandergriff, writer of a book about Holly’s final tour, said, “Bill’s legacy is that of rescuing Buddy Holly and the Crickets from the mists of time.

“He completed a job that had been set into motion by the likes of John Beecher and Don McLean. In short, he became a living, breathing repository of information about a particular era and series of events from the 1950s that had long since left center stage.”

Beecher, who began fan clubs in England as early as 1960 for Holly and the Crickets, emailed that Griggs’ legacy will be “his meticulous assembly of facts concerning Holly and those who worked with him.”

A career highlight was his publication of a five-booklet set, “Buddy Holly Day-By-Day,” in which Griggs documented where Holly was, and what he was doing, on all but a dozen dates during the artist’s career.

Funeral plans have not been completed, but Griggs said he always hoped to be buried in City of Lubbock cemetery, “near Buddy’s grave.”

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A field about five miles north of Clear Lake has long featured a memorial to the three musicians, but until Wednesday little was said about pilot Roger Peterson.

The 21-year-old Peterson, of Clear Lake, was blamed for the crash.

The new metal marker is shaped like a pair of wings and includes Peterson’s name and the date of the crash.

The musicians had played at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. They had intended to fly from the airport in nearby Mason City to Moorhead, Minn.

—–

Information from: KIMT-TV, http://www.kimt.com

The third-annual heavy metal concert, scheduled for Sept. 6 at the Lonestar Amphitheater, had sparked controversy after members of Buddy Holly’s family raised objections to the festival’s name.

Nessman said it was a change in the concert’s lineup, however, not family complaints that led to the last-minute name change.

“Zakk Wilde (ex-guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne), who was in the co-headlining slot with Black Label Society, went to the hospital about a week ago. Nobody thought it was serious or anything, but it turns out he has a whole bunch of blood clots in his legs and lungs. With him out, we have to redo all of our materials anyway. With him out, we need to focus on the bands that are playing, and not this other stuff,” Nessman said.

This week’s news that Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, is in negotiations with local promoter Gary Boren to revive Lubbock’s defunct Buddy Holly Festival also played a role in the decision, Nessman said.

“I may be wrong, but my belief is the reason they kicked up a fuss after three years is to promote and/or protect their event. That’s one of the reasons why I’m happily walking away from the name,” he said.

“I wasn’t looking to aggravate anybody,” Nessman said. “Thirty-year-old people, when they hear ‘Bloody Holly,’ they hear a play on words. They don’t picture Buddy Holly in any way, shape or form. He’s not on their radar.”

So, it’s not a cop-out or anything. With one of the co-headliners dropping out, we need to not be saying the name (of the festival); we need to be saying the name of the bands. So even if this hadn’t have cropped its ugly head, you wouldn’t have been hearing ‘Bloody Holly’ on the air right now. You’d be hearing ‘Mudvayne, Static-X’,” he said.

Other bands performing include metal acts Bury your Dead and Suicide Silence, Negative 263 from Abilene, and local bands Blood Red Summer, Darker Shade of Grey and Hail to Arms.

“There’s also a sideshow circus thing called Hellzapoppin that’s happening between some of the acts. It’s the kind of guys that stick needles in their faces and throw darts at each other. . You know, that kind of stuff,” Nessman said.

Promoters have no plans to add another band to replace Black Label Society on the tour.

“If you were going to the show just to see Zakk,” says a posting on KFMX.com, “you may return your tickets to the place you purchased them for a refund.”

Pedal To The Metal Tour

• Headliners: Mudvayne, Static-X, Bury your Dead and Suicide Silence.

• Texas Stage: Negative 263, Blood Red Summer, Darker Shade of Grey and Hail to Arms.

• When: Sept. 6, 4:30 p.m.

• Where: Lonestar Amphitheater, 602 E. 19th St.

• Tickets: $40.75, available at Ralph’s Records, 3322 82nd St.

“I have people calling me from the UK and other places, and they would like to see a Buddy Holly Festival,” Holly said. “I think it would be a great idea if we start again to do it with the right people in Lubbock.”

Lubbock hosted a Buddy Holly Music Festival several years ago, she explained, but arrangements fell apart when the city’s negotiations with the widow broke down.

“Unfortunately, the wrong people were involved,” Holly said, “and then there were a lot of problems – trying to get this, trying to get that, people trying to put feathers in their cap – when that’s not the idea. The idea was to bring revenue to the city, build whole new hotels, everybody’s happy. Unfortunately, the wrong people got involved. Or the right people that were there at the time were not willing to do it.

“They had a problem with me,” she said, laughing. “I have a middle name: Scapegoat. That’s my middle name.”

However, she thinks she may have found the right person this time.

Boren, head of Llano Estacado Music, has been in discussions with the widow about the possibility of reviving the festival for several months, though she admits that his credibility took a big jump with this summer’s successful execution of the Bob Dylan Show at Jones AT&T Stadium.

“He’s a wonderful individual, very nice,” Holly said. “And he’s responsible. I know he just finished a big concert there. I understand that it was perfect. The man knows his business because, and as far as I know, he did a great job.”

According to Boren, the feelings are mutual.

“She’s been a very delightful person for me to work with,” Boren said. “And I’ve always found her to be straightforward and honest. She’s always been very agreeable, trying to make things happen, and it’s just been a real delight in my life to get to know her.”

And they’ve had a little time to get to know each other. As it turns out, Boren and Holly tried once before to revive the Buddy Holly Festival, but fell a little short.

“We were working with the Bob Dylan concert, using that as a Buddy Holly overlay, and they were very open to it,” Boren said. “They were trying to work with us, but things happened so fast we couldn’t make it happen. Bob Dylan was very respectful of Buddy.”

No Bob Dylan, then. Anybody else on the performer wish list?

“Well, we would like it to be someone top notch, so I’ve asked her with help on Paul McCartney, and she’s offered to do anything she can,” Boren said.

“It’s just a matter now of working out details,” he said, “and Mrs. Holly and myself are on the same page as far as wanting something to be done.

“She wants it to be first class. She wants it to be a gift to Lubbock, to be something that’s special, and we’re not far apart on working something out. It’s just a matter of working out the format. She’s very complimentary of the city of Lubbock – the mayor and city council for the way they’ve worked with her.”

Boren also said that, if things go according to plan, Lubbock shouldn’t have to wait long for this new festival to come to fruition.

“We’re open for any date, anything we can put together, and she’s willing to do it,” Boren said. “Best case, I’d love to do something on the 50th year of the tragic death of Buddy Holly (2009) – Lord willing. I can’t say it will happen, but it just seems right to. But if we can’t make it, we’re certainly shooting for 2010.

“The main thing is we do it right in a manner that honors the name, honors the family that’s here in Lubbock and Mrs. Holly,” Boren said.

Tens of people attended the Buddy Holly tribute concert by John Mueller & The Reminiscing Band on Sept. 13 at the Fiestas del Llano celebration, then wondered aloud why the show flopped.

A better question is whether the Crossroads festival can survive. Because far too much money was spent on far too little entertainment this year, and a continued frustration with or fear of – take your pick – Buddy Holly’s widow, Maria Elena, will find the festival date moved so that it never again can be mistaken for a Holly tribute.

If renaming the event the Crossroads Music Festival was intended to kill the Buddy Holly Music Festival, moving it to a different month will remove all doubts, slam a stake in the Holly festival’s corpse and assure that it never can be reborn.

Only mourned.

Mind you, I owe an explanation for my published comments about Berry’s concert. I saw the beginning of the show, then walked down a side street for about 10 minutes so that I could call in a story revision for another edition of The Avalanche-Journal. Bad timing. I did not witness any of Berry’s sniping at the crowd about videotaping or photography, nor his threats to leave the stage.

Berry’s reputation preceded him

I returned, watched the rest of the show from the side of the stage and, well, it was pretty much what I’d expected from Berry at age 73. He’s always been cocky, demanding and often rude, although musicians here maintain that he was never insulting. He can play. Anyone who expected Berry to be Mr. Sunshine had not done his homework.

No, what is appalling is that Chuck Berry was paid $40,000. That’s eight times what he was paid in Lubbock by a different promoter in 1969. One agent booking nostalgia acts said that Berry still performs dates for $25,000. (Special routing can find salaries rise drastically.)

And those 40 gees all were given to Chuck, according to Don Caldwell, who booked festival talent for Market Lubbock Inc. The fee did not include payment for Berry’s backup band or the cost of renting and shipping Berry’s vintage Fender amplifiers of choice.

The 1999 package show including The Coasters, The Big Bopper Jr., Charlie Thomas, Chris Montez and Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon cost $30,000.

Festival had $140,000 price tag

David Sharp, chief executive officer of Market Lubbock, told me that the budget for the 2000 Crossroads Music Festival was approximately $140,000.

Local acts, a cover band … and Berry. Not much bang for so many bucks.

Yes, a Berry concert could have been special – that always depends on the man’s mood – but does it constitute a festival? Perhaps organizers should have labeled this year’s event a Crossroads Music Concert and left it at that.

Allowing music fans to check out Depot District acts, provided they buy a football game ticket in advance, did not make this event any more festive.

Still, as Market Lubbock Inc. was the official financier of the annual event, utilizing hotel-motel tax funds, it has to accept the brunt of the blame for the event stagnating rather than growing.

And considering fumbles and uncorrected mistakes – an Everly Brothers concert advertised but never contracted last year, a free post-football game concert announced but never contracted this year – either Market Lubbock needs to consider getting out of the festival business or chairman Sharp must take a firm hands-on approach and also take the time to research firms and individuals with festival experience.

Next year finds Holly’s 65th birthday arriving on a Friday. What an opportunity! Yet it seems destined to be ignored. The 13th annual National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration already has dibs on that weekend.

The Crossroads Music Festival now is gearing for Memorial Day weekend in 2001 and a probable move to October in 2002. Without the Buddy Holly Music Festival name value, tourism already has been minimized in early September.

Color those dollars lost.

Mueller smiled and said backstage, “I saw they booked Chuck Berry. Man, they could have booked us four times for what he got.”

Then again, Caldwell mentioned that organizers of the Crossroads fest cannot book Mueller without expecting Maria Elena Holly to raise a stink and demand her cut because her late husband’s likeness again is being used.” I tend to believe him.

By WILLIAM KERNS
A-J Entertainment Editor

The Buddy Holly Statue in Lubbock | Charlie Stout

It was about 30 minutes into John Mueller’s first set of Buddy Holly tunes Wednesday when the entertainer briefly paused and said, ”OK, dinner time’s over. So the rest of Lubbock is gonna show up now, right?”

Sorry. Evidently not.

Nevertheless, close to 100 rock ‘n’ roll fans seated in front of the stage on the opening night of Fiestas del Llano still had a terrific time as Mueller, his aptly named Reminiscing Band and a few special guests brought the ’50s back to musical life.

And unlike recent festival headliner Chuck Berry, Mueller wasn’t about to shortchange even a small audience, mentioning before the concert that he and his band planned to explore most of Holly’s repertoire.

”We know about 50 Holly songs,” said the headliner who starred in the touring musical ”Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” six years ago. ”And I expect we’ll do about 40 of his songs tonight. Each of the three sets we perform will be different.”

The physical setup for Fiestas del Llano has improved, with the concert stage now elevated so that entertainers face an audience located in the northwest lower parking area of the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

Wednesday’s show kicked off 30 minutes late because the area had not been cleared soon enough for stage construction, according to Tom Prather, owner of The Electric Ear. ”We’re basically doing a two-day set-up in one day,” he explained.

To his credit, the stage was prepared sooner than expected and the sound quality was just right for an open air concert.

Mueller greeted the crowd at 7:35 p.m. and led his animated four-piece band into ”Looking for Someone to Love,” the small turnout soon smiling and clapping along to the opening percussion of ”Not Fade Away.”

Whether playing Holly originals or Little Richard tunes that Holly recorded, Mueller and his band played with enthusiasm.

The Big Bopper Jr., who was so good at the 1999 Crossroads Music Festival, made another fabulous guest appearance. Backed by the Reminiscing Band, he opened with a fun rendition of ”White Lightning.”

When Holly historian Bill Griggs walked on stage with a telephone, every fan knew the next words from the Bopper would be ”Hello, baby” as he launched into ”Chantilly Lace.”

The evening’s other guests included Fernando Vega with a tribute to the late Richie Valens, and Holly’s niece, Sherry.

By WILLIAM KERNS
A-J Entertainment Editor