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.

To comment on this story:

william.kerns@lubbockonline.com | 766-8712

leesha.faulkner@lubbockonline.com | 766-8706

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.”

To comment on this story:

william.kerns@lubbockonline.com • 766-8712

leesha.faulkner@lubbockonline.com • 766-8706

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.

Two days after Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday, a tribute concert for the late Bill Griggs will take place from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday, at Pub 50, 5001 Ave. Q.

Bill Griggs united more than 4,000 people, from all over the world, loved Buddy Holly and his music and has taught people about Buddy and his family since the 1970s by conducting tours keeping a spotlight on Lubbock for the last 38 years, said Susan Griggs, his widow.

Griggs was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame on July 30, 2010, and died from cancer on March 29.

The evening’s entertainment:

■ 9 to 9:30 p.m., “Dangerous Dan” Earnest, Glenn Burch and Bobby McDowell.

■ 9:30 to 10:30 p.m., Mike Pritchard and Mark Wallney.

■ 10:30 p.m. to midnight, Jack Neal, Bartman Carter, Philip Spears and “Dangerous Dan” Earnest.

■ Midnight to 1:30 a.m., “Dangerous Dan” Earnest and friends.

Performers are expected to speak about the late Bill Griggs for a short time before their individual sets begin.

There is no admission charge.

Call 747-4001 for more information.

A broadcast through the Internet and an appearance by the Tolletts represent some of the all-day fun at the Buddy Holly Center, 1801 Crickets Ave., on Wednesday, Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday.

The Center won’t charge admission to view the 90 or so rock ‘n’ roll photographs curated by musician Graham Nash, presently on exhibit.

The exhibit will leave Lubbock Sunday.

Free events

Free events at the Center on Wednesday include:

■ 11 a.m., screening of “The Real Buddy Holly Story.”

■ 1:30 p.m., streaming Internet coverage of the late Buddy Holly’s star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

■ 3 p.m., one-hour tour of the Buddy Holly Gallery provided by BHC curator Jacqueline Bober with Gary and Ramona Tollett, who knew Buddy well and sang backup on “That’ll Be the Day.”

■ 4:30 p.m., Buddy’s birthday cake and punch will be served. No charge. The Tolletts will lead a rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

■ 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., The Prophets of Rockabilly.

■ 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Jack Neal, who performed with Holly as a teenager, and his friends will pay tribute to the late rock ‘n’ roll historian Bill Griggs.

■ 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Mike Pritchard and Mark Wallney will end the day by paying tribute to Buddy, rock ’n’ roll and Griggs.

Day’s details

Scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., “The Real Buddy Holly Story,” is a documentary financed by former Beatle Paul McCartney as his personal reaction to the inaccuracies in the 1978 movie “The Buddy Holly Story,” starring Gary Busey.

At 1:30 p.m. Lubbock time, coverage of the star ceremony in Hollywood, Calif., will begin, streamed live over the Internet to the Center.

The ceremony will include an introduction of Buddy Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly.

The president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will announce Buddy Holly and Louis Prima each receiving a 300-pound star set into a concrete block on Hollywood Boulevard.

Then, three supporters will honor Holly with brief speeches. Those three include: Phil Everly, of the Everly Brothers and one of Buddy Holly’s close friends; Peter Asher, formerly of Peter & Gordon and an internationally respected music producer of the new “Listen to Me” Holly tribute CD; and Busey, Oscar-nominated actor for his starring role in “The Buddy Holly Story.”

Expect Holly supporters to swarm to the Center, reportedly the only place for live coverage of the event.

Curator confident

Well-known Holly historian Griggs succumbed to cancer March 29. Holly supporters depended on Griggs’ personal asides while offering each year’s tour. This year, curator Bober must fill his shoes.

She is confident.

“I will try to do Bill justice,” she began. “But we are honored to have Gary and Ramona Tollett with us, too.”

Visitors to the Center want to see Holly’s glasses and his Fender Stratocaster, Bober said.

She will point out some childhood drawings of the late singer, Bober said.

When she reaches the point where Holly hit it big with “That’ll Be the Day,” Gary and Ramona Tollett can help.

This Lubbock couple met Buddy at the Arnett-Benson Drug Store and became fast friends.

The Tolletts sang beautifully, and Holly asked them to drive with him to the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, N.M., and sing backup on a demonstration record.

They made a bargain, agreeing to take part if Holly would promise to play guitar later when Gary Tollett recorded his own demos. No one would be paid.

Holly said yes and kept his promise.

The Tolletts and Holly waited until 9 p.m. to record in Clovis because of outdoor street noise.

They devoted three hours to making an acceptable recording of the flip side song, “Looking for Someone to Love.”

But the Tolletts said that everyone performed “That’ll Be the Day” so well, after the third run-through, producer Petty was satisfied.

Performers fooled

Nearly everyone in the room thought they had recorded a demo.

They were fooled.

Petty turned the recording into a master, and the song shot up the music charts in no time.

Everyone here and abroad assumed drummer Jerry Allison, guitarist Niki Sullivan and Joe B. Mauldin on standing bass, known as the Crickets, had overdubbed those background vocals.

Not so.

Petty asked Gary Tollett, Ramona Tollett and Cricket Niki Sullivan to sing background vocals simultaneously into one microphone while Holly played guitar and sang lead for “That’ll Be the Day.”

The song became famous in 1957 and 1958.

“Nobody at all knew who we were until we met with Bill Griggs for the first time in Lubbock in the 1990s,” Gary Tollett said. “Our part of ‘That’ll Be the Day’ came out in conversation, and Bill reported it. Then (author) John Goldrosen mentioned us in his biography of Holly.”

Rollercoaster Records

In 1999, British author John Beecher obtained masters recorded by Gary Tollett with Holly playing guitar, and they were released for the first time in England on Beecher’s Rollercoaster Records.

The Tolletts likely will share their story during Wednesday’s tour.

Ramona Tollett says she is most proud of being the only female to ever record with Buddy at the same time on one track.

Local musician Mike Pritchard considers it an honor to close Wednesday’s birthday celebration.

“Having literally grown up here, and being lifelong friends with the Holley family, it has even more meaning. My father, John Pritchard, was good friends with Larry and Travis Holley. And Buddy’s nephew, Eddy Weir, and I have known each other since we both attended J.T. Hutchinson Jr. High and are good friends today.”

Pritchard said he and Mark Wallney might perform a song or two from Holly’s songbook. It depends on what others have sung already.

“Thirty minutes is a short time. … It’s going to be fun any way you shake it,” Pritchard said.

To comment on this story:

william.kerns@lubbockonline.com • 766-8712

shelly.gonzales@lubbockonline.com • 766-8747

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/.

 What began as an overdue ceremony planned in Hollywood on Wednesday for Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holly has been transformed into a Los Angeles celebration and concert attracting many of the music industry’s most respected stars.

The Lubbock-born Holly died at age 22, having recorded more than two-dozen enduring hits in the two years prior to his death. He’s receiving his much-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on his 75th birthday — but there’s much more.

■ Wednesday is Buddy Holly Day in Los Angeles, voted on and approved by the Los Angeles City Council.

■ The star ceremony will attract a number of supporters and celebrity participants with an invitation-only reception afterwards inside one of Capitol Records’ historic recording studios. Holly’s star is close to 1750 Vine St., in front of the historic Capitol Records Tower.

■ An even bigger party will take place Wednesday night at the Music Box on Hollywood Boulevard where producer Peter Asher and performers will celebrate the release of Asher’s Buddy Holly tribute CD, “Listen to Me: Buddy Holly.”

Some of the 16 recording artists who reinterpreted Holly’s music on the CD, and many others, will perform in the concert, which will be filmed for later PBS broadcast.

Confirmed participants are Paul Anka, Michelle Branch, Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, Raul Malo, Graham Nash, Stevie Nicks, Boz Scaggs and Patrick Stump.

Lubbock native Holly is the only member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s inaugural 1986 induction class to not have a star on the famous Los Angeles street.

The other members of that class are Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers and Little Richard.

Kevin Magowan wanted to fix that oversight.

The longtime Buddy Holly fan made a pilgrimage from Los Angeles to Lubbock in 2009.

He continued to Dallas to meet Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, and tell her he wanted to help Buddy receive the star.

She gave him permission to represent her.

Maria knew the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will not accept a submission package for nomination without a $25,000 fee, to be used for the creation and installation of each 300-pound star and for general maintenance.

“I just thought, for me to do that, that is, for me to nominate my husband and pay the fee, would look tacky,” she told the A-J.

No corporation was willing to pay the full $25,000.

However, when Paul McCartney’s MPL Communications, Peer Music and Universal Records learned they could split the fee three ways, all agreed to fund the effort.

Magowan also played a key role in finding the best place for Buddy’s star: close to the Beatles. In fact, the block next to Buddy’s star is reserved for Paul McCartney, who has not had time to attend and be inducted.

Just like the West Texas Walk of Fame in Lubbock, it is mandatory any living honoree make a personal appearance at his or her induction ceremony.

The star induction ceremonies always take place at 11:30 a.m., or 1:30 p.m. Texas time, according to Ana Martinez at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Lubbock’s KCBD-TV will provide a live feed of the Buddy Holly star ceremony that can be viewed at a “watching party” at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Buddy Holly Center, 1801 Crickets Ave.

To comment on this story:

william.kerns@lubbockonline.com • 766-8712

leesha.faulkner@lubbockonline.com • 766-8706

If parents, teachers and store owners could know how indelibly they would be remembered half a century later by the children who pass their way, their jobs would suddenly seem monumentally important.

Freddie Webb, Class of 1961, Littlefield, is one who remembers:

“Of course, in our younger days, everybody remembers the School Store. It was called the School Store — it was across the street from high school, and even the little elementary students could go up there and have lunch,” she recalls today.

“That’s usually where we bought the school supplies because the people who owned it would stock our school supplies for us — for when we needed anything. The Big Chief writing tablets in the early years … you could go in at lunch and they always had hot dogs ready. I believe you could get a hot dog and a Coke for 25 cents.

“They had them wrapped in paper, and had them in that warming place — you could smell them when they would open it up to take those out.”

She remembers, “My Mother would give me 30 cents, and I could have lunch, and take a nickel and buy a handful of candy — they would put it in a little sack for you.”

Webb remembers that she was an impressionable child, and teachers were some of the people who impressed her. “I think of the ones I loved and the ones I was afraid of all through those years. And then when I grew up and looked back, those I was afraid of were really sweet people. There was one … I really didn’t think she was human, I was so scared of her. She really had her bluff in on us.”

As an adult, and with the lights of perspective turned on, that teacher also had become one of the sweet ones.

The Littlefield Class of 1961, which 50th anniversary co-organizer Sharon Collins remembers had more than 90 members originally, plans to meet at 5 p.m. Friday for dinner at the MAC Building. Then they will attend a homecoming game between Littlefield and Shallowater at 7:30 p.m.

“I’m just a weird guy who didn’t play football, but we were football crazy,” Gene Bitner remembers. “Our arch rival was Levelland, the Lobos.

“We held our own back then.”

He wasn’t attracted to sports at all as a player, though.

“They announced in third grade that the state was going to require physical education classes, and that did not impress me at all. I had a rather miserable fourth grade.

“But then in fifth grade, I happened to be talking to one of my friends, and he said, ‘Did you know that if you get in band, you don’t have to take P.E.?’ And I said, ‘You know, I’m going to look into that.’”

Bitner played a cornet in band for eight years.

For entertainment, there was always a movie at the Palace Theater in Littlefield. It was a popular hangout.

In later years, an attempt to raise money to save the Palace building failed. “It’s just a vacant lot now,” Bitner said.

His family was not wealthy, and he found it necessary to work afternoons after school. “I worked at the radio station. We had Distributive Education, and the older boys would get out of school at noon and work some place for on-the-job training.”

He eventually became a teacher.

Most of the Class of 1961, though, remember the basic, nearly universal form of entertainment: they dragged Main Street. They still refer to it as Main Street, even though it is Phelps Avenue now.

“It was so much fun going downtown and riding up and down the street honking at each other,” Collins remembers.

“I had a lot of friends, and we had so much fun together.”

The dragging downtown was one of the things that ended with their generation. “Gas got too high. They don’t do that now,” Collins said.

There was music in those years, also: “We loved Buddy Holly and Elvis of course. In fact, I have Satellite Radio in my car, and I listen to the 50s station all the time,” she said.

Ken Pounds, now of Amarillo, graduated in 1960, but married into the class of 1961 because his wife, Carol, is one of the members.

“We were like any other small town — there were a few fights, there was football, all the sports. We had Levelland — that was the big one when I was in school.”

He figures that generation’s music was the best.

“Elvis Presley was big, and we had — in my estimation growing up in that time period — we had all the cars and all the music, and nobody’s ever had it before, and nobody’s ever had it since like we did.”

Pounds was also interested in radio at Littlefield.

“I worked at the radio station there in Littlefield, KVOW, with Waylon Jennings. He was a disc jockey and I was a flunky.”

Pounds also recalls participating in the prime entertainment of Littlefield in the early 1960s:

“I drove a million miles up and down Main Street.”

And he recalls the Palace: “One of the first movies that my wife and I had a date for, was ‘Operation Petticoat,” and I think it was Cary Grant and … I don’t remember. That’s a long time ago. You cannot find good movies now.”

There were other diversions: “Yes, we came to Lubbock to the Hi-D-Ho. Of course that was a big deal after we got to be seniors in high school, to drive over there, because there were a lot of those Tech freshmen girls who were over there, so we had to come see about them.”

His wife remembers Main Street in Littlefield was the real meeting place, though. “We would get in a car and ride up and down Main Street and wave at the boys,” Carol said.

The drag, as the class called it, was so popular that traffic was heavy on a Saturday night, according to Webb.

“We drug Main Street from one end to the other. It would be bumper-to-bumper on Saturday night and Sunday. We would start at the courthouse and go all the way down Main Street, go down to the corner and turn around in front of Nelson’s Hardware store and go back up the street.”

Cars sometimes suffered in the slow traffic. “If the car started getting hot, we would go off of Main Street and ride around a big area, and come back up Seventh Street to Main Street again.

“It was because of all that idling up and down Main Street,” Webb said.

The Palace Theater was a close contender for Main Street.

“When we were a little younger, I saw my first horror show, and I still think about it to this day, because it was my first and only one that I ever paid money to go see. It was ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon.’ We wore the 3-D glasses — it was a big deal. But you see it now in the old classic movie channel, and it isn’t anything.”

It may have been the exhilaration of the moment that made it memorable, like the food at the School Store.

“I can still remember those hot dogs — they were the best hot dogs in the world, and I have never had one since that was that good.”

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The only question asked:

“As we approach what would have been Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday, why do you believe Buddy has remained relevant more than 50 years after his tragic death?”

Graham Nash

The answers:

■ Maria Elena Holly, Buddy’s widow:

“Buddy has stayed relevant because of the fans. There are so many of them around the world, and they have kept him alive. They love him; they have remained loyal to him; they keep his music alive; they still play his music.

“And also his fellow musicians who are recording his music today. They tell me that they take what they feel from Buddy’s songs, and then they make it their own. All of the musicians who keep playing Buddy’s songs, they also keep Buddy’s spirit alive.”

■ Larry Holley, Buddy’s older brother, songwriter:

“The reason Buddy still is going strong is because he was a four-star entertainer: innovation, songwriting, singing and guitar playing. He had the ability to take any song, rock or country, and do it up brown (ie, make it the best).”

■ Sherry Holley, Buddy’s niece, singer:

“Fans write me all the time and tell me that Buddy’s music still makes them happy, and cheers them when they are sad. He had such a way about expressing his feelings through his songs that people can relate to what he is singing about.”

■ Holly Kaiter, Buddy’s niece, singer

Terri Hendrix

“Buddy’s music is timeless. His songs are not dated. His thinking was way before its time. I think he basically invented, or let’s say brought out, guitar licks that pretty much every guitarist uses in his own music. He brought blues into the rock ’n’ roll era. He was a big fan of blues artists. My brother Eddy brought up something else I find interesting: He said England and many European countries did not have much to do with rock ’n’ roll until Buddy Holly came. After that, here comes the British invasion. Look at most musicians in that British invasion, and you find quote after quote about how they were influenced by Buddy Holly. Buddy is still relevant today.”

■ Jerry ‘J.I.’ Allison, Cricket and friend:

“The first I saw Buddy perform was at J.T. Hutchinson Junior High. He and Bob Montgomery sang a country song, and it was great. I got the same feeling I had the first time I saw Elvis at the Cotton Club. I think Buddy still is relevant today because he was a bit more intelligent, talented and ambitious than most people who have picked up a guitar. Buddy also made the world realize that you don’t have to look like Clark Gable or have a million dollar promotion to be a success.”

Larry Holley

■ Joe B. Mauldin, Cricket and friend:

“Buddy’s music was always simple and easy to remember, but it was always sincere. He always tried to make everybody he saw or met happy. People can easily remember someone who does good things a lot longer than people who do not.

■ Duane Allen, lead singer, Oak Ridge Boys:

“Buddy’s music weaves a place in the history of all our music.”

■ John Banister, directed British national tour of “Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story” and same show at Duchess Theatre in London’s West End:

“Buddy is relevant today because he was one of the original pioneers of rock ’n’ roll. He was an incredible songwriter and singer. Bands, such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Elvis Costello, Linda Ronstadt, were themselves heavily influences by Buddy, and so covered his songs. The music is timeless.”

Sherry Holley

“I believe Buddy Holly’s music has remained relevant because, when I listen to it, I still love it just like I did when I first heard it. It just has that appeal that transcends decades, which is why so many recording artists have released covers of his songs. It’s just great music!”

■ Ralph DeWitt. longtime music store owner:

“Buddy staying relevant is based on the sheer strength of his music, nothing else. The movie was over 30 years ago. The ‘Buddy’ stage musical comes and goes, but Buddy’s music is played somewhere on our planet every second of every day. Fifty years after his death, his songs are heard in movie and commercials. For him to create so many classic songs before his death at 22 is astounding.”

Andy Wilkinson

■ Dean Elliott, British actor and musician who starred in “Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story” more than 400 times in England, Europe, Scandinavia, the United States and Canada”

“Buddy remains relevant for one main reason: incredible songwriting. If Elvis was the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, then Buddy certainly was the Godfather. If Buddy was not as creative and innovative as he was for his time, there would not have been any Beatles or Stones, and music simply would not be the way it is today.”

■ Joe Ely, Texas singer-songwriter, recording artist:

“He made good music, that’s why. He was one of the first guys to compose and arrange… He wrote really good songs, the sort of melodies that you carry around with you your whole life.”

■ Andy Eppler, singer songwriter, recording artist,

“I think part of it is that people are fascinated by snuffed potential. Buddy had so much more to give.”

■ Phil Everly, one of Buddy’s best friends, pallbearer at his funeral, singer-songwriter, recording artist, producer:

John Banister

“Buddy Holly was a true original. That always lasts forever.”

■ Peggy Gerron, namesake of Buddy’s “Peggy Sue:”

“Buddy accomplished so much in his short life that, basically, he left all of us wondering what could have been if he had lived. For 53 years, we have studied his body of work and, with each year, we have found new relevance.”

■ Terri Hendrix, Texas singer-songwriter, recording artist:

“When I decided to truly learn to tackle playing guitar leads — in lieu of strumming — the first riff I tried to copy verbatim was the opening few licks of the classic “That’ll Be the Day.” I never quite got it right, but the lyrics stayed with me. The songs are simple, but they’ve stood the test of time. One of the main reasons might be because Holly’s music was capable of reaching such a diverse audience. When I have a gathering at my home, my “Best of Buddy Holly” is a constant in the mix pumping out of my stereo speakers. Toes tap. Glasses clink. My life without Buddy Holly? “That’ll Be the Day.”

■ Lloyd Maines, music producer, recording artist:

“Buddy created his music during the same time period that Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley were starting their music at Sun Studio. Buddy’s sound was different. He used the electric Stratocaster like an acoustic guitar. He and (producer) Norman Petty kept the sound stripped down and concise. His lyrics had an optimistic vibe. The Beatles became huge fans. When choosing a name for their band, they chose the Beatles because they loved the Crickets. Buddy’s music strikes a human nerve. Because of that, I expect Buddy Holly music to be around (and relevant) well into the next century. I still find it amazing that it took the city of Lubbock 20 years to honor Buddy with a statue.”

Joe Ely

“Buddy’s music was clean, simple, fresh, honest and unique. God rest his soul. Rave on.”

■ Graham Nash, singer-songwriter, recording artist:

“Simplicity, hummability and the closeness of his life and what he wrote about to everyone else’s life.”

■ Joe Nick Patoski, music show radio host, author, independent writer:

“Buddy Holly remains relevant because his music remains relevant. His was one of the purest, most acceptable forms of early American rock and roll, and not for nothing did a generation of British musicians grab on to it, reinterpret it, and expand the sound and the fan base, as was the case of bands such as The Beatles and The Hollies. Their embrace prompted several generations of English and American bands to discover Holly and emulate his sound, as artists continue doing in the here and now.

“The lyrics were sweet and simple. The instrumentation was forthright and rockin’. What gets lost in the appreciation is how much of that sound reflected a sense of place, specifically of the wide open spaces of the South Plains and West Texas. To others, the sound and the place remain mythic.

“It reminds me of what Jimmie Vaughan said of playing guitar: it is not so much about the notes you play, as the space between those notes. Buddy Holly is all about that, and then some.”

■ Doug Pullen, rock journalist, including El Paso Times, Rolling Stone, Texas Music, Lone Star Music:

“The guy knew how to write a song. Buddy Holly had a gift for melody, and he wrote songs that may have seemed quaint and innocent on the surface, but explored his very real feelings. He could easily have been forgotten had he not had such a profound influence on the next wave of rock ’n’ roll artists, particularly the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, who recorded their own versions of his songs and spoke reverently about him in interviews.

“They, in turn, influenced future generations of musicians who, whether they knew it or not, have been influenced by Holly’s relatively small but sturdy body of work and incorporated various aspects of his music (and his look) into their own.”

■ Amanda Shires, singer-songwriter, recording artist:

“It’s the songs. Buddy’s songs are beautiful little pieces of pop poetry that transcend time.”

■ Andy Wilkinson, Lubbock singer-songwriter, recording artist:

“The best music is grounded in both an understanding of the human condition and in the conviction that we humans can and should do better. It is clear-eyed, but optimistic. That is how I would describe both Buddy Holly and his music. I feel better when I hear it, better still when I perform it, and best when I think about how he was a mixture of humility and confidence and creativity. He’s the essence of what makes this place great.”

■ Matthew Wycliffe, British actor and musician who starred in “Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story” in a four-month UK tour and 18 months in London’s West End; also in Lubbock in 2009 and Canada in 2010.

“Buddy was iconic as a musician. You can pretty much hear the influence of his music when anyone plays the guitar in that trademark ‘strumming lead’ of his — and that style of playing is the backbone of rock ’n’ roll. He was prolific in his recording techniques, too, one of the first artists to layer his voice several times to give that choral feel. Along with his hiccuping vocals and songwriting skills, his innovative approach paved the way for generations of musicians. Buddy’s music still stands today as some of the best and most influential ever written. He also made it cool to wear glasses. he was one of the people who helped give the Fender Stratocaster its iconic status, and his drive and enthusiasm are legendary. It is these qualities that have kept Buddy Holly and his music so appealing, and have enabled him to stand the test of time.”

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James and Patti Simpson will pull back the curtain of their latest production Sept. 10 when they introduce an outline of a singer known to almost all West Texans — Buddy Holly.

This mock-up by Logan Bench from the Maize Co. shows the Buddy Holly cornfield maze that will open Sept. 10 two miles east of Shallowater on FM 1294.

This outline, fashioned into a 12-acre cornfield maze two miles east of Shallowater on FM 1294, tests the ingenuity of those who can find their way — or feel their way — through a labyrinth of corridors.

It can only be seen in its entirety from the air, but the object is to walk through the pathways and back to the outside without running into a wall of corn.

Despite the drought, the Simpsons, who carve a different maze each year, have been able to produce one of their best crops by utilizing an efficient drip irrigation system.

Referring to the time without rain, Patti said, “It has not affected us in the fact that our corn turned out well. Yes, we had to water constantly, but because we are only 12 acres of corn, and it is under a drip system, it’s been doable.”

She added, “Drip irrigation has been a huge factor. With it being underground, you don’t lose evaporation — it’s a very conservative way to water.”

Guests from across West Texas have tested their skills by seeing if they can walk through the field without asking for directions.

Tickets to the maze are $8, or $4 for those who prefer to stay outside for other attractions.

The project, launched by the farmers about 10 years ago under the name of At’l Do Farms, annually features a design produced by eliminating various portions of the corn. What remains is an intricate network of passageways formed by the growing corn.

The cornfield, which has been turned into a kind of amusement park, also offers a hayride to Pumpkin Hollow, a corn cannon, cow train and pumpkins for sale at prices ranging from $1 to $15.

The park is closed Mondays except for Oct. 31.

It offers this schedule for the public: 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays; and 2 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Reservations may be made for school field trips from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday for groups.

Information is available by calling 787-4222 or 787-4241, and email at atldofarms@door.net.

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Cornfield puzzle

■ What: At’l Do Farms’ Maize.

■ Where: Two miles east of Shallowater on FM 1294.

■ Optional route: From Fourth Street and Frankford Avenue, go seven miles north to FM 1294, west for less than a mile.

■ Open to public: 5-9 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays; 2-9 p.m. Sundays.

■ By reservation: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday for school field trips; 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday for groups.

■ Tickets: Maze admission, $8; non-maze admission, $4; children of 4 and younger, free.

■ Campfire reservation: $25.

■ Other attractions: Hayride, corn cannon, cow train.

■ Information: Phone 787-4222 or 787-4241; email atldofarms@door.net.

Everyday

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

■ 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.

■ Tuesday: “Words of Love” — How Lubbock plans to fete its favorite native son.

■ 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 will be in our Buddy Holly Archives at http://www.buddyhollyarchives.com/.