Buddy Holly wearing contact lenses? That’ll be the day.

It might have happened except for poor technology, Dr. J. Davis Armistead and Phil Silvers, not necessarily in that order.

“Back in the early days of contact lenses, the technology had not been developed,” said Armistead, a longtime Lubbock optometrist who counted Holly among his patients. “I had gone to a contact lens seminar in Los Angeles, and Buddy wanted me to try and fit him.”

Holly, who would in just a short time become one of the most influential performers ever to appear on the rock ‘n’ roll scene, became a patient of Armistead’s while in junior high. As Holly’s musical talent blossomed, Armistead said Holly was not convinced eyewear should be a part of his on-stage personality.

“He did not like glasses,” Armistead, 92, said. “He was preparing for an audition in Tennessee, and he insisted I try and fit him with contacts. I got him where he could wear them an hour or two, and we tried to think of a plan where he could get through the audition while only wearing them for a short period of time.”

Armistead said he told Holly, who suffered from near-sightedness and a touch of a stigmatism, not to be first in line at the audition, but to wait until just a few others were in front of him.

“Then I told him to excuse himself, go to the restroom, fill the contacts with saline solution and put them on,” Armistead said.

Armistead, a Lubbock resident since 1949, said contact lenses were much larger during the 1950s. They had to be filled with saline and would fit over the entire cornea and sclera.

“When he got back, I asked him how it went, and he said it was a disaster,” said Armistead, whose office was located in the McAfee Building on Avenue Q not too far from Lubbock High. “He told me he followed our plan just as we had discussed it. When there were just a couple of people in front of him, he excused himself and went to the restroom to put the contacts in. But when he returned, the judges went to lunch.

“He said when the judges got back an hour or so later, he couldn’t see the front row. One thing that was always important to him was to see the reactions of the people when he was performing for. We didn’t try that again.”

Armistead said contacts at that time required a lot more care. The saline solution would become cloudy after approximately an hour, and the lens would have to be removed and refilled after the eye was flushed.

Holly was still no fan of glasses, but Armistead thought he might find a way to change that. He said the idea crystallized one night while watching comedian Phil Silvers on television.

“I was watching a late movie with him when the thought occurred to me that what was making his personality were those heavy, black-framed glassed he wore,” he said. “I told Buddy I had an idea of putting heavy, black-rim frames on him. The idea didn’t really interest him.”

Armistead said the next challenge became finding the right frames, and he was unable to locate frames he thought would be suitably distinctive for Holly in the United States.

“I had a contact in Mexico City, and those frames were a style they were using then,” he said. “I told Buddy I was
going to go to Mexico City and find some frames.”

In the end, he picked up two frames — one was black and the other was demi-amber.

“I brought those frames back with me and showed them to Buddy,” Armistead said. “I put his prescription in them, and he picked the black pair. He had gotten started (on his way to stardom) about this time, and he came back by the clinic and gave the glasses a thumbs-up. He said they were great. He was pleased and didn’t want the demi-amber. He wanted black.”

The glasses became a Holly trademark, and the groundbreaking star, who died Feb. 3, 1959, also was said to be the first young rock star to perform while wearing glasses, according to the 2006 article, “The Definitive Story of Buddy Holly’s Glasses,” which indicated Holly blazed a trail for future eyeglass-wearing performers such as Elton John and John Lennon.

“It was Buddy’s perception that the glasses helped make him,” Armistead said. “He was really pleased.”

Holly remained a patient of Armistead’s up until the time of the rock star’s tragic death in an Iowa plane crash.

“He always had a gang with him when he came by the clinic,” Armistead said, “and he was always getting his glasses out of alignment. I always knew when he was out front because I could be with a patient and hear them beating the time (to a song) on the corner table in the waiting area.”

Armistead recalled charging Holly “between $10 and $20” for a pair of glasses, and their value skyrocketed over the years. In 1990, a pair was sold in an auction for $50,000, according to an Avalanche-Journal story. Eight years later, Civic Lubbock Inc., spent $80,000 on the glasses the rock star was wearing at the time of his death and donated them to the city’s Holly exhibit. They are now on display at the Buddy Holly Center.

According to the article, that pair was discovered in 1994 after spending 22 years in an Iowa sheriff’s office. They were then turned over to Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, who sold them to Civic Lubbock.

Armistead said Holly was a great patient who did not allow fame to change him.

“He simply had an eye problem that we were trying to take care of,” he said. “This was a growing period for him, and we were keeping up with changes in his physical growth, as well. He was nice to me the entire time I saw him, and his family was nice to me. Buddy was just an ordinary kid growing up.”

This photo, supplied by Heritage Auction Galleries, shows Buddy Holly on the day he married Maria Elena Holly, just months before his tragic death.

Q. Buddy’s given last name is Holley, yet he recorded and performed as Holly? Why?

A. Buddy’s name was misspelled in his first recording contract. Rather than wait for the contract to be retyped and mailed back to him, Buddy decided to drop the e for his stage name.

Q. Is a woman’s voice used on the recording of “That’ll Be the Day”?

A. Yes. The Lubbock duo of Gary and Ramona Tollett were friends and were asked to sing backup, working for free.

Q. What John Wayne film played a major role in the creation of a Buddy Holly song?

A. “The Searchers.” John Wayne’s often repeated phrase in the movie was “That’ll Be the Day.” Buddy saw the movie with Jerry Allison. They thought the phrase would make a good song title.

Q. Where did Buddy Holly meet his wife, Maria?

A. Maria Elena Santiago, who was born in Puerto Rico, was working as a receptionist for Peer-Southern Music in New York City when Holly walked in and asked her out.

Q. Did Buddy and Maria Holly have a child?

A. Maria told The A-J in a 2008 interview that she was two weeks pregnant when Buddy left on the Winter Dance Party tour, and that she miscarried and lost her baby after learning of Buddy’s death in the plane crash. Maria later remarried Joe Diaz, and gave birth to a daughter and two sons.

Q. How many times did the Crickets play at Lawson’s Roller Rink in Lubbock?

A. That was a trick question. The Crickets never played at that site. Those appearances were by Buddy and Bob (Montgomery) and Buddy and Jack (Neal).

Q. Who replaced Buddy Holly on the Winter Dance Party tour?

A. Bobby Vee, then an unknown, was asked to perform in Holly’s place at the very next concert on the tour, in Moorhead, Minn. Then Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton and Fabian were hired to finish out the tour in place of the three headliners who died.

Q. Where was the plane carrying Holly headed before it crashed?

A. The plane was to land in Fargo, N.D. The next concert was in nearby Moorhead, Minn.

Q. The song “Peggy Sue” originally was called “Cindy Lou.” Who was Cindy Lou named after?

A. Buddy’s niece was named Cindy, and Lou was the middle name of Cindy’s mother (Buddy’s sister, Patricia Louise)

Q. Where and when were Buddy Holly and Maria Elena Santiago married?

A. The couple was married on Aug. 15, 1958, at the home of Buddy’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. L.O. Holley.

Q. In what countries did Buddy Holly & The Crickets perform?

A. United States, Canada, England, Wales and Australia.

Q. Who was the American recording artist who referenced Holly’s death in a song, and what was the name of the song?

A. Don McLean’s “American Pie.”

Q. How many brothers and sisters did Buddy Holly have, and what were their names?

A. Two brothers and one sister, all older: Larry, Travis and Patricia.

“He was a very visible person in the school,” Wilson said. “Everybody knew him.”

One thing Wilson remembers particularly well is Buddy’s music.

“His music was distinctive and quite loud and wasn’t really my kind of music, but I sympathized with him,” she said.

Buddy was an active person in the school, she said. During his senior year at Lubbock High, Buddy was vice president of the Vocational Industrial Club, said Rickey Woody, the school’s assistant principal for activities. You could always count on Buddy for entertainment during an assembly, Wilson said.

“I think most everybody liked him. His wiggle was very well-known,” Wilson said, adding Buddy was always in a hurry.

And even though Wilson said she never had much contact with Buddy, she remembers him.

“He was there, and he was quite a presence,” Wilson said. “You’d never miss him.”

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

I think there are a lot of people who don’t realize what a talented singer Buddy was, not just a rock ‘n’ roller. Buddy and Bob Montgomery were performing at J.T. Hutchinson Jr. High when I was in the seventh grade, and I thought they were great then. Check out page 146 of the 1954 Lubbock High Westerner yearbook. Buddy was in the senior A choir, and he was a junior. Also on page 138: Bob won the round-up song contest with “Flower of My Heart.”

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

We recorded “Tell Me How” after weeks on the road playing every night, so we were playing well together. But my favorite is “That’ll Be the Day” as it was the first song Buddy and I wrote, and our first taste of success.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was visiting my folks on Sixth Street in Lubbock, and Sonny Curtis was sleeping on their couch. Probably around 8 a.m., our neighbor, Olte Hall, came over and said that she heard on the radio that Buddy had been killed in a plane crash. Sonny knocked on my bedroom door, woke me, and told me. I couldn’t believe it. (It is) still hard to believe now.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

I cannot pin down a favorite, but I have an unbelievable amount of great ones. I’ve also heard Keith Richards and Paul McCartney say, “If not for Buddy Holly & The Crickets, there would have been no Beatles or Rolling Stones.”

Larry Corbin

LARRY CORBIN

Both he and his good friend Waylon Jennings were critical in getting the statue of Buddy Holly built; he worked at KLLL when his brother, Sky, announced Buddy’s death on the air before the family had been notified.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Oh Boy” and “Rave On” because they were co-written by Bill Tilghman, who was a basketball teammate and classmate of mine at Levelland High School.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 20 years old when I was on my way out to the KLLL Radio transmitter, located at 50th Street and Quirt (now MLK) Avenue. Sky (Corbin, his brother) came on KLLL with the news and, for an hour or so, we thought Waylon (Jennings) also had been killed. The UPI (United Press International) wire story said it was Buddy and his band on the plane. One of the unfortunate things was that Sky was unaware that the Holleys had not been contacted, and we found out Mr. Holley first heard about Buddy’s death on KLLL.

Sky and Slim (another brother) went to the Holleys’ house the next day to explain and apologize. Everyone felt bad about running the UPI story, assuming they had been notified. But the Holleys learned about it on KLLL’s news bulletin.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My favorite memory of Holly was when we were in the KLLL studios shortly before he and Waylon were to go on the fatal tour. Buddy said, “Come on guys, let’s go get Waylon some clothes because he can’t work for me dressed like he is now.” To say Waylon was a poor dresser due to economic and other reasons was an understatement.

Several of us trooped downstairs to Malouf’s small men’s store that was in the same block. Worth Trammell, who was a salesman there, picked out several outfits for Buddy’s approval, not Waylon’s.

Waylon was still wearing one of the new outfits when we started to leave. Worth held up Waylon’s old outfit that he wore in. He asked, “What do you want me to do with this?”

Waylon told him to put them in a bag and he would take them with him. Buddy said, “Hell no, throw them in the trash. You’re not going to wear clothes like that anymore.”

Since the old outfit was probably the best clothes Waylon owned, I thought he was going to cry. But we left without them.

Buddy fully intended to rework Waylon and make him a star. He saw the talent in Waylon before any of the rest of us, and history proved him to be right.

Sonny Curtis was a guitar player for the Crickets. Curtis still performs today.

SONNY CURTIS

Guitarist with the Crickets, still performing today.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

I can’t think of anything people wouldn’t already know about Buddy.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

This is a hard one, but I’d say it’s “Not Fade Away.”

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I spent the night at J.I. Allison’s folks’ house. I was up the next morning visiting with J.I.’s mom when the lady who lived across the street came over and told us she had just heard it on the radio. J.I. and Peggy Sue were still asleep, and it became my sad task to wake them with the awful news.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

I met Buddy in about 1953 and played lead guitar on his first records on Decca in 1956. I think his influence on me was subtle in the beginning and probably asserted itself more down through the years. Looking back, I’m aware of things now about him that never occurred to me then. His guitar playing was very distinctive, and his singing style was stylish and unique. I wonder sometimes how he grasped that at such an early age. Buddy and Elvis opened up a new world of rock ‘n’ roll and blues for me. As friends and musicians, I’d like to think that Buddy and I influenced each other.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

Buddy and me sitting in his car late at night, listening to the blues from Stan’s Record Rack in Shreveport (La.).

Mac Davis

MAC DAVIS

Singer-songwriter/recording artist

Where did you first see Buddy?

I first saw Buddy at Lawson’s Roller Rink on College Avenue.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Peggy Sue.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

At the roller skating rink.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 17, and I recall it made me feel very sad.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

In my eyes, he proved that a kid from a small town could live his dreams.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

I was sitting on my front porch, across the street from Jones Stadium, and I watched Buddy cruise by in his brand new Pontiac Catalina convertible with a couple of awesome girls and an attitude. He was so cool. And I thought to myself, “If Buddy Holly can make it that far, I can too!”

Ralna English

RALNA ENGLISH

Recording artist from Lubbock; also a featured performer on “The Lawrence Welk Show.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“That’ll Be the Day.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I heard his music around town, of course. But I remember how excited we all were as musicians when his first record came out. I played it over and over. I can remember thinking what a different sound he had – like nothing I had ever heard before.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 16 years old. I remember feeling shocked and very sad, but what I remember most was that it felt surreal. I really just couldn’t believe, and certainly didn’t want to believe, that it was true.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

Buddy Holly & The Crickets and my band, Ralna English and the Adlibs, were in a Battle of the Bands one Saturday night at a local movie theater in Lubbock. It was the Plaza Theater at 25th Street and Canton (Avenue), caddy corner from Roscoe Wilson School. Much to our surprise, Ralna English and the Adlibs beat Buddy Holly & The Crickets that night! I consider this my true “claim to fame.” We had no idea at the time that Buddy would become the icon he has, and I am just honored to have known him.

Echo McGuire Griffith was Buddy Holly's first love. The two met in fourth grade and dated for a time in high school.

ECHO McGUIRE GRIFFITH

Buddy’s high school girlfriend.

Where did you first see Buddy?

Buddy was born four months before I was. We were both delivered by the same doctor, Olen Key. I first met Buddy in the fourth grade at Roscoe Wilson Elementary School. We also attended J.T. Hutchinson Junior High and Lubbock Senior High together; we became friends toward the end of ninth grade.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Buddy was not only well known for his music, but he also was a talented leather tooler. He made a pair of leather chaps when he was in high school, with my initials on one leg and his on the other. He also hand-tooled a pair of boots, with his initials on one and mine on the other. Unfortunately, those items were among the many personal belongings of Buddy that were auctioned off.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

I liked all of his music, but I guess my favorite was “True Love Ways.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

At J.T. Hutchinson Junior High School.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 22, and my husband and I had moved to Missoula, Mont., where I was a senior education major at the University of Montana. I was busy getting ready for school. I was “practice teaching” second grade that semester. My mother called long distance early that morning and gave me the devastating news.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

Buddy had a great personality and would often say things that he knew I would react to, just to get my response. He loved to joke, but he also was very intense and focused about his music and career.

Bill Griggs

BILL GRIGGS

President of the Buddy Holly Memorial Society, publisher of Reminiscing and Rockin’ ’50s magazines, music historian and an expert on the life of Buddy Holly. He is called for consultations by music and Holly biographers and music studio executives.

Where did you first see Buddy?

I saw Buddy at the State Theater in Hartford, Conn., in November 1957.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Before the Crickets were formed, and before Buddy Holly had received any real national publicity, he was involved with a knife-wielding shoplifter in his hometown of Lubbock. He, and several friends, saw this shoplifter running out of a store. They jumped out of their car and chased him. The shoplifter brandished a knife, but the youths were too much for him. They held him until a Lubbock motorcycle officer came to the scene.

Further, when I contacted the officer (V.E. Patterson) years later, he told me he also was the lead motorcycle for Buddy Holly’s funeral entourage to the cemetery in 1959. The shoplifting incident took place on Dec. 29, 1956, and was a front page story in The A-J.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

Has been since I first heard it: “That’ll Be the Day.” When I heard the group make a tempo change in the song and not miss a beat, I was hooked.

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

In July 1957. I appeared in a dance exhibition that month and my partner, Patty, and I danced the bop to a song by Buddy.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 17 and driving home from school for lunch. The radio was not playing something I liked, and I twisted the dial until I found WPOP in Hartford playing “That’ll Be the Day.” When the song ended, the disc jockey said, “And that’s another song by the late Buddy Holly, who was killed in an airplane crash this morning.”

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

After I began my life-long research and learned more and more about him, I found that Buddy never was afraid to try something new. If it failed, he put it aside and went on. If it succeeded, he expanded on it. Buddy always set his goals way up high, and then tried to reach them.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

When I saw Buddy perform for the first time in 1957, it was at a theater with a 70-feet-wide stage. Buddy walked, as he played and sang, to the edges of that stage and performed to the “bad seats.” I always respected him for that.

Wanda Jackson

WANDA JACKSON

Performed with Elvis Presley on April 10, 1956, at a show opened by Buddy, Bob & Larry at the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock. She and Buddy also were separate opening acts during a 15-day tour by Hank Thompson that began on Jan. 9, 1957.

Where did you first see Buddy?

I was appearing with Elvis Presley and some others in Lubbock on April 10, 1956. I was 18 years old at the time. Buddy and the Crickets (actually Bob & Larry) opened the show. The local people all clearly loved him and his music, that’s for sure.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Raining in My Heart,” which I recorded for an album of mine in the late 1970s. Also on that album was “Rave On” and “Oh Boy.”

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 21 years old. I heard the news of his death on the radio. I did not want to believe that those three beautiful and talented young lives were snuffed out. It made me very sad for a long time!

Buddy Holly's niece, Ingrid Kaiter, performs with her band, The Ingrid Kaiter Band.

INGRID KAITER

Buddy Holly’s niece, his sister Pat’s daughter, sings in The Ingrid Kaiter Band

Where did you first see Buddy?

My mother, Patricia (born Patricia Lou Holley), was Buddy’s older sister. Buddy died before I was born. But growing up, I always knew him as Uncle Buddy. Mom had photo albums with many pictures of him, mostly family photos of the two of them with my Grandmother and Granddaddy. So I knew Buddy as family first, musician second.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

One of Buddy’s favorite things to eat was tomato soup. His favorite architect was Frank Lloyd Wright. He had blueprints drawn up after he started making it big, for a house to be built for my grandparents. The house was never built. In the plans are a design for a recording studio and also one labeled “Buddy’s room.” In my opinion, he had plans on coming back often, or to even stay for a while, because he designed the studio and had a room specifically for himself.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Well … All Right.” I love this song. It is one of the few Buddy Holly songs that I sing. The song is timeless. The meaning is the same today as when Buddy wrote it. Also, I think the song describes so much of what I was told Buddy’s personality encompassed. He did things his way, and stood his ground. “Well … All Right, so I’ve been foolish. Well … All Right, let the people say that these foolish kids can’t be ready for the love that comes their way.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I assume that when mom brought me home from the hospital, she was playing her brother’s music. Mom had an RCA turntable that sat inside a deep cabinet. You would lift up the lid and see that it housed the tunrntable with room for a stack of Buddy’s alnums. As a kid, I asked her to play my favorites: “Rock Around with Ollie Vee” and “Blue Days, Black Nights.” I remember mom always would tape a penny to the stylus to keep it from skipping. I would listen as she did the housework and sang along with each song. I thought that’s what everyone did.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I wasn’t born yet.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

There is no doubt in my mind that Buddy had an influence on me. It’s not just because I am related to him. I got to know another side of Buddy as family. However, it was by listening to his music and hearing stories of how he stood his ground and did things the way he felt, that encourged me.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My favorite memory that my mom told me about was when my brother Eddy (lead guitarist for the Ingrid Kaiter Band) was a toddler, he whacked Buddy in the head with a croquet mallet.

My mom told Buddy it served him right, because Buddy had hit her husband in the head with a baseball bat when he was younger.

Joe B. Mauldin played standup bass with The Crickets. Mauldin still plays.

JOE B. MAULDIN

Played standup bass with the Crickets, still playing

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Well … All Right.”

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 18 years old. My sister called and told me the news. I refused to accept it as the truth until after the funeral.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My own personal favorite memories of Buddy Holly is when we used to go out riding our motorcycles or going water skiing.

Graham Nash, of Crosby, Stills and Nash, first saw Buddy Holly perform on the BBC in England in 1958. Nash named his group, The Hollies, after the Lubbock rock legend.

GRAHAM NASH

Of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; formed The Hollies

Where did you first see Buddy?

I first saw him on the BBC in England in 1958.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Probably (that he) used bubble gum in place of a missing tooth.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

There are so many: “Rave On,” “Think It Over,” “Maybe Baby,” “Raining in My Heart.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I first heard Buddy on a show called 6-5 Special. It was “That’ll Be the Day.”

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was celebrating my (17th) birthday on Feb. 2, which was the night of Buddy’s last concert. Then when I found out that Buddy was dead, I remember I was standing on the corner on Langworthy Road in Salford, near Manchester (England). I was with my best friend, Allan Clarke, who later started the Hollies with me. We were distraught to say the least … tears and more tears. We had lost a great friend … one of us … a rock star with glasses.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

I was influenced by the simplicity and unbelievably clear structure of Buddy’s songs. (They) communicated strongly and found their way deep inside, and can never be dislodged.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

As I approached the local fair, the music being played was “Peggy Sue.” It became louder and clearer, the closer I got. I love Buddy’s music.”

John Pickering

JOHN PICKERING

A member of The Picks, a vocal group that sang backup on many of Buddy Holly’s early releases, often without credit.

Where did you first see Buddy?

Because of a mutual interest in music, my family and the Holley family met in Lubbock as far back as the 1940s. … The Holley family listened to the Pickering Family Quartet on KFYO and KSEL in Lubbock. The first time I actually met Buddy was at the original KDAV radio station. I was an emcee and soloist for Lawrence Ivy’s Piano Show, and Buddy and his country group were practicing in an adjoining studio. This was about 1954. … I heard Buddy and his group sing “Johnnie and Jack” – country music style.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Most people do not know that Buddy mostly sang the tenor part when singing country duets with Bob Montgomery in 1953 and 1954. “Buddy and Bob” featured Bob on lead and Buddy on tenor. I don’t remember Buddy singing solo until I heard Buddy, Bob and Larry (Welborn) perform at Lubbock High School’s Westerner Days, an annual event. Bob sang lead on a country song or two with Buddy on tenor – but then Buddy stepped up and soloed “That’s Alright,” sounding just like Elvis’ version.

It wowed me and everyone there. I believe that performance before a large, enthusiastic audience was the beginning of Buddy Holly’s conversion to rock ‘n’ roll. Somehow, his voice and that style of music just clicked, and his unique, rhythmic lead guitar style fit the pattern perfectly. From his expression, I could tell that he knew it.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

The Picks backed Buddy on hits like “Oh Boy” and “Maybe Baby,” but my own favorite Buddy Holly song is “True Love Ways.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

The first time I heard him on a record was in 1956, when my brother Bill, a KLLL disc jockey at the time, played Buddy’s “Blue Days, Black Nights” on the radio. I liked it a lot.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 25, and turned 26 shortly after it happened. I was hired by an oil company after I graduated from Texas Tech and moved to Corpus Christi. A friend called me at work and told me (about the plane crash). I was stunned. My wife called a short time later. She was in tears and I joined her. I could not imagine what Buddy was doing in a small plane in Iowa. My heart went out to his young wife and family. We’d hoped to sing with him again, and Maria Elena told Bill and me in 1984 that Buddy was planning to do just that.

I was not able to attend Buddy’s funeral in Lubbock because it was a 1,200-mile trip and my wife was eight months pregnant. My brother Bill did attend, representing The Picks, and he sang at the funeral. He told me later that he sang “Beyond the Sunset.”

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

Buddy influenced me to keep singing and writing songs no matter what the obstacles may be, to “make hay while the sun shines.” He worked hard in music with a maturity beyond his years. He accomplished so much in 22 years that he changed the face of music and influenced many lives and careers. I have tried to honor him with two published tribute songs: “Buddy Holly Not Fade Away” and “Forever 22.”

It has been a distinct honor for me to have sung behind Buddy Holly on some of his records, and then to hear those songs being played for his fans a half century later.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My favorite memory of Buddy happened after the 1957 release of “The Chirping Crickets” (Brunswick BL54038). Our group, The Picks, backed him vocally on nine of the 12 songs on that album. One day, Buddy saw my brother Bill and me standing on the sidewalk next to Hemphill-Wells department store. Buddy just stopped the traffic behind his car, got out and rushed over to thank us personally for our work on that album. He smiled, shook our hands, and told us we did great and he would never forget us. We never saw him in person again.

“The Chirping Crickets” was the only Crickets album released while Buddy was still alive. … Buddy Holly is the star of every song. There is no doubt about that.

Gary & Ramona Tollett

GARY & RAMONA TOLLETT

Sang backup for Buddy Holly on “That’ll Be the Day” and “Looking for Someone to Love” at the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, N.M.

Where did you first see Buddy?

We met Buddy at the Arnett-Benson Drug Store on College Avenue in Lubbock. It was August 1956.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Ramona: Most people do not know that there was a female voice on “That’ll Be the Day.” Fans know it, but the general public does not.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

Gary: “That’ll Be the Day.”

Ramona: “Blue Days, Black Nights.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

We first heard Buddy on KDAV Radio in Lubbock.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

Gary: 26. Ramona: 22. We were shocked and not able to believe what had happened. We had lost a close personal friend. We still miss him.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

His happy-go-lucky personality was contagious. He influenced our outlook and our appreciation of music.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

Gary: His ability to play lead guitar and sing with ease and enthusiasm.

Ramona: He made me feel comfortable working with him, and his laughter is a very strong memory.

George Tomsco played with The Fireballs, a group at the same recording studio as Buddy Holly and The Crickets in Clovis, N.M.

GEORGE TOMSCO

With The Fireballs, an instrumental group that shared recording time at the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, N.M. with Buddy Holly & The Crickets.

Where did you first see Buddy?

At Norman Petty’s studio. It was on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 1958. After setting up the amplifiers and microphones about 4 p.m., we went down to Foxy’s to grab a burger, and then come back to stop recording. When we got back to the studio, there was a pink Cadillac with Texas plates parked in front of the studio, and we wondered who was there.

When we walked in, there was a strange looking guy with dark rimmed glasses playing my brand new Fender Strat with his foot up on my brand new Fender Tremolux Amp. I was ticked off, to say the least.

He was playing my new guitar better than I could. Humiliating! I addressed Norman in a sarcastic manner: “Who’s that guy in there playing my guitar!!!” (Because I didn’t give anyone permission.) Norman looked up at me, then he looked through the double-pane window into the musicians’ room, and then he looked at me again and said, “That’s Buddy Holly.”

And he immediately punched the talk-back button into the other room and said, “Buddy, come in here and meet these guys from Raton.” (Of course, I’d had an immediate attitude adjustment about him playing my guitar.) Buddy walked into the control room and Norman said, “Everybody, introduce yourselves to Buddy.” Which we did. And then…silence.

It was quiet for too long a time because all of us Fireballs were awestruck and speechless for anything more to say in Holly’s magnetic presence. So Buddy broke the silence with, “Well, what are ya’ll gonna do? Make a record?” We all got a giggle out of that and there was some more small talk for a few minutes. Then we left the control room and went to the musicians’ room so we could get started, but by now we were anxious and scared.

Norman and Buddy talked for a few more minutes, and then Buddy left and we started our session.

That was the only time we met and saw Buddy. From there he was going to New York, and five months later the plane crash happened.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

I remember him not being as tall as he looked in some of his photos, but maybe it was because he was very slender.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

The most intriguing cut is the unedited version of “True Love Ways,” where Buddy clears his throat quietly before he starts singing. Wow, it makes you think you can hear his mind working for that perfect pitch for that first-word entrance to the song: “Just you know why…”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

On KOMA in Oklahoma City, an analog monaural AM radio station. We would have to wait until about 8 p.m. before we could start receiving it. It would start its wavy drift-in drift-out staticky signal, and usually would take about an hour before you could hear a whole song without it drifting away. Then it was uninterrupted rock ‘n’ roll from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. What a treat.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 18. I walked into Norman’s office that morning, and he told me. It was sort of like my mind went into park and stayed there the rest of the day. It was like my mind was in denial about those kinds of thoughts. Only thing was, the radio kept broadcasting about it all day long, and it was hard to accept the facts. But all three musicians dead?

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

He influenced me by his unique, definitive style. When you are 18, the only word that I would have expressed back then was just: cool. But looking back now, I recognize it was really a gift from God: Buddy’s sound and especially his unique musical style.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

Favorite memory? Seeing him in the studio with my guitar! He was playing “Malaguena.” Ole!

Bobby Vee

BOBBY VEE

Major recording act, also hired as a teenaged performer to replace Buddy Holly on stage in Moorhead, Minn., the next stop for the Winter Dance Party after Buddy died.

Where did you first see Buddy?

I saw Buddy Holly & The Crickets for the first time on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” He appeared edgy, intense.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Early in my recording career, my producer, Snuff Garrett, received a demo from the Holley family. The song was called “Buddy’s song.” The writer was listed as Ella Holley (Buddy’s mother), and the singer was Waylon Jennings (Buddy’s friend, a KLLL disc jockey and musician). The song was made up of Holly song titles loosely woven together to create a story line. It was a clever song, and I recorded it for my tribute album “I Remember Buddy Holly.” A year or so went by and, one day as I was listening to the song, I suddenly realized the melody sounded familiar. I dug out all of Buddy’s records and apartment tapes and, sure enough, “Buddy’s Song” shared the very same melody as “Peggy Sue Got Married.”

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“True Love Ways.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

On my local radio station in Fargo, N.D.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 15 and a sophomore at Fargo High School. I lived close to the school and had gone home for lunch. As I walked into my house, I heard a DJ talking about three stars (I had a ticket to the show that night) and I quickly realized that it wasn’t good news. They were talking about a plane crash. I couldn’t take it in. I was stunned. I thought there had to be a mistake.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

Yes, I still love all of his music. He was my Elvis. Over the years, I have recorded two tribute albums to him, and I am happy to say (50 years later) that his music didn’t die.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

As I track Buddy’s music from start to finish, it is clear to me that he gave us a lifetime of great music – and that he still had so much more to give.

Don McLean

DON McLEAN

Recording artist, writer of “American Pie.” I have talked with Don more than once, but, with all the demands on his time, he did not care to answer our five questions. Instead, he asked that a passage from his biography, written by Alan Howard and published in 2007 as “The Don McLean Story: Killing Me Softly with His Song,” be printed instead. Howard also gave his blessing.

“Of all the unique oddities of my career, I am perhaps proudest of the fact that I am forever linked with Buddy Holly. … Buddy was a huge part of my childhood dream. Long before I decided how I would use music or what kind of artist I would be, Buddy was there. When I listened to his music, a mood overtook me which was both happy and sad, and I often looked at the record covers wile the music played.

“Buddy’s music is so musical. The number of great recordings he made in his very short life places him at or beyond the level of any musical artist in almost any category. Elvis never wrote songs, while Buddy composed a large number. In my opinion, looking back, no rock act, not the Beatles, not the Stones, nor anyone else, can top records like ‘Peggy Sue’ or ‘Rave On.’ They are rock mountains that nobody has climbed. The diversity of Buddy’s music is also profound. ‘Moondreams’ and ‘True Love Ways’ are musically as advanced as anything by the great popular composers. Gershwin or Berlin would have marveled at these compositions.

“His electric guitars were raw, but controlled like bullwhips. They jingle and jangle freely in ‘That’ll Be the Day’ and ‘Oh Boy,’ and they snake around in ‘Words of Love’ The Beatles and the Stones became the behemoths they are on the back of Buddy Holly and the records he made before anyone made records or wrote songs like his. Aside from his geek image and his sudden and cruel death, his music is a wonder which still contains the potency of its original magic. Buddy was a genuine original. He was a genius.

“… Through my relationship with Buddy, I was able to discover my peculiar writing talent and, much to my amazement, helped bring Buddy and his music back from the dead. In a sense, ‘American Pie’ contains the spiritual connection to Buddy Holly which was always in me. It’s as if we both gave each other new life.”

John Lennon

JOHN LENNON

Lennon was contacted by Los Angeles music journalist Jim Dawson in 1974. Dawson asked a few questions pertaining to Buddy Holly:

How did you personally react to the Crickets’tour of England in 1958?

JL: “I only saw them on the London Palladium (on TV). He was great! It was the first time I saw a Fender guitar being played! While the singer sang! Also the ‘secret’ of the drumming on ‘Peggy Sue’ was revealed live.”

What effect do you think it had on British musicians?

JL: “I only know its effect on me, but I reckon the records had the biggest effect on all of us. Every group tried to be The Crickets! The name Beatles was directly inspired by Crickets (double entendre/insects etc.). I think the greatest effect was on the songwriting.”

What do you think of Buddy Holly, musically and historically?

JL: “He was a great and innovative musician. He was a MASTER! His influence continues. I often wonder what his music would be like now, had he lived.”

Do you think his music had any effect on the style of The Beatles? On your own feelings toward music?

JL: “See above. We did practically everything he put out, i.e. at The Cavern, etc. What he did with three chords made a songwriter out of me!”

Other remarks?

JL: “He was the first guy I ever saw with a capo. And he made it OK to wear glasses. I WAS Buddy Holly!”

The Fireballs, an instrumental group, shared recording time at the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, N.M. with Buddy Holly & The Crickets.

JAY BOY ADAMS

Texas singer-songwriter, Lubbock/Texas Tech connections

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Well … All Right.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

My older sister, Vicki Jayne, had his 45s. She was seven years older than me, and was tuned into music.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 10 years and 57 days old. Our radio station started playing music by Buddy, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. My sister and all her friends was crushed, and so was I.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

I had to have a Fender Stratocaster guitar and a black suit, and I definitely wanted to be on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Buddy’s success proved to all of us from West Texas who chose the music business that anything was possible.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

One of my doctors, Dr. James Crisp, was one of Buddy’s childhood friends. When I would visit him, he would speak so fondly of Buddy. He always spoke about how Buddy knew exactly what he wanted, and never doubted that he would become a success. So my favorite memories hinge on hearing Dr. Crisp’s stories.

TERRY ALLEN

Lubbock native, singer-songwriter/recording artist

Where did you first see Buddy?

I’m sure it was when he was opening for some country band at the Fair Park Coliseum in the mid-1950s, probably before he began making recordings. I worked in the concessions during the wrestling matches, music shows and Ice Follies, etc., while my dad had his business out there. I know Buddy Holly played out there some; I know I must have seen him, but it didn’t make a memory.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Well … All Right.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

The first I remember hearing it was on the radio, probably KSEL on “The Jerry Bo Coleman Show.” I know “That’ll Be the Day” was the first song I heard because I remember connecting it with John Wayne saying that phrase over and over in the movie “The Searchers,” and I was wondering if that is where the title came from. I’ve heard since that it did.”

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 15 and a sophomore at Monterey High School. I heard about the plane crash at school. I don’t remember having much of a reaction other than thinking it must be strange to be dead that day and dead so far away from home.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

All of them were an influence on me. The ones who made rock ‘n’ roll music in those early days. They made you want to be brave and showed you a way to get out of town. That was huge for me. Also, Buddy wore glasses … he and Bo Diddley. Since I wore glasses, that registered big with me, too.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

The music.

PAUL BEANE

West Texas radio veteran

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Learning the Game.” A great song and a departure from Buddy’s usual offerings. In my view, all of Buddy’s music was happy, but “Learning the Game” was a song about growing up and learning to live with heartbreak.

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I first heard Buddy’s music when I was a teenage disc jockey in Greenville and Sulphur Springs.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was working at KSST in Sulphur Springs when Buddy died, and it was painful because the Bopper had just performed in Sulphur Springs shortly before the crash and I had had a long talk with him backstage. He talked about missing his wife and his unborn child. He wanted to be at home in Beaumont with his family. He did tell me that he was heading out to the Winter Dance Party tour for the money, to provide a better life for his young family.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

Buddy’s influence? In my view, his music, even today, remains at the heart of rock ‘n’ roll. His music was happy, about love and living, as was much of the early rock ‘n’ roll before the music turned to themes of alcohol, drugs and sex.

LARRY BYERS

Longtime radio personality in Lubbock. Byers has worked at KLLL-AM, KDAV-AM, KSEL-AM, KFYO-AM, KCAS-AM, KCBD-AM, KKCL-FM, KZZN-FM and KRBL-FM.

Where did you first see Buddy?

I first saw Buddy Holly in 1954 when my parents took me to the KDAV (580 AM) studio to watch Buddy, Bob and Larry perform on the Sunday party. He sang only country music on the radio.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Buddy and I ran into each other in 1958 at a Johnny Cash concert at the Lubbock Municipal Auditorium.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Rave On.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I first heard Buddy play live at that KDAV performance. The first Buddy Holly record I heard was “Blue Days, Black Nights” on a restaurant jukebox in Lubbock. And I first heard Buddy play rock ‘n’ roll at the Lawson Roller Rink in 1956, when Tinker Carlen called Buddy to the stage to sing “Modern Don Juan” (his new release at the time).

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 18 and attending Texas Western University in El Paso. Some of us guys were playing penny ante poker and listening to the radio. My friends knew I was an acquaintance of Buddy’s. When the news came on the radio, all of us were completely shocked and saddened. Three of the most popular artists of the time in rock ‘n’ roll were suddenly gone. Nothing like that had ever happened before.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My favorite memory is from 1956, when I was the “teen manager” at the Lubbock Youth Center (Lawson’s Roller Rink). Sonny Curtis called me up on stage and I sang two songs with Buddy; Sonny, J.I. Allison and Don Guess gave me instrumental backup.

DON CALDWELL

Music producer, concert producer, saxophone player

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Buddy was, to my knowledge, the first “true” rock ‘n’ roll singer and musician to combine his rock ‘n’ roll vocal sounds with a 1940s-style rhythm section and strings.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“True Love Ways,” “Not Fade Away” and “Raining in My Heart.

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

The first time I heard a Buddy Holly song, it was on Lubbock’s KSEL Radio.

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 14 years old. I was walking out of the west door of Slaton Junior High School, going to the gymnasium, and one of my classmates, I can’t remember who it was, came up to me right outside the door and said that Buddy Holly was killed in a plane crash. I guess the reason I remember it so vividly is because Buddy was first cousin to one of my classmates and good friends, Carol Holley. I really wasn’t that into any kind of music at the time, so what hit me was that Carol’s cousin had been killed.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

My own artistic endeavors, and my music business endeavors, have been influenced significantly by Buddy Holly. As a producer and performer, I always have been amazed by his artistry. I learned invaluable lessons from studying, recording, producing, performing or just listening to his music. These lessons would increase my effectiveness as a producer and improve my personal musicality throughout my life. Buddy was a major musical stylist of the 20th century.

Just the fact that Lubbock is the home town of the incredibly respected rock ‘n’ roll icon has automatically opened doors for Lubbock musicians and singers. That cannot be taken away. What a gift! Lubbock is truly blessed to be the home of Buddy Holly & The Crickets.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My favorite memory is Buddy Holly & The Crickets appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

JIMMIE DALE GILMORE

Award-winning singer-songwriter and Flatlander from Lubbock

Where did you first see Buddy?

From a car in a parking lot, too far away to see him really well.

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

Many people are surprised to learn that he played folk and country music in his formative years.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

I love nearly all of them, pretty much equally. But “Oh Boy” is the one I like to perform the most.

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

On the radio, and I’m pretty sure the song was being played by Jerry Coleman on KSEL-AM. They also played Buddy a lot on KDAV and on KLLL, because the giant dividing line between rock and country had not been established yet. I think Waylon Jennings on KLLL was the first person I heard use the term “rockabilly,” and he was referring to a Buddy Holly song. (There were a number of very good DJs in Lubbock at that time, and I remember having the feeling that all of them really liked Buddy Holly’s music.)

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was 13 and, although I had never met him, I remember feeling devastated. It was almost as if we’d lost a family member or a close friend.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

Although I never imitated Buddy, I would have to say his music influenced me in a deep way that is hard to explain. He also influenced my career in an indirect, but very significant, way. Buddy’s father, L.O. Holley, made it possible for me to do my first demo recordings. That started my preference for playing with bands, and it also was the beginning of my lifelong association with so many great Lubbock musicians.

LLOYD MAINES

Lubbock native and Texas music producer and steel guitarist.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Not Fade Away” and “True Love Ways.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I don’t remember when I first heard Buddy’s music on the radio. But the first time that I really paid attention to his music was when I started playing with Joe Ely. Joe did some Buddy Holly songs, and I really started appreciating Buddy’s writing.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

It seemed that Buddy’s music has no boundaries, and he obviously did not let it bother him when people dissed him for doing that “sinful” rock ‘n’ roll music. He stayed with what was in his heart and soul. Buddy paved the way for other artists and writers to create their art and not be afraid.

STEPHEN SHAW

aka Elvis T. Busboy, singer-songwriter, recording artist

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Everyday.” I just love the simplicity and complexity (both!) of this song. J.I. Allison actually plays his knees for the drum part. But then it has this little circle of chords in the bridge that sets it apart from a standard three-chord rock ‘n’ roll song.

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I first heard Buddy Holly on a “Greatest Hits” record that my parents had. I later stole that album for myself.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

I grew up in Hobbs, N.M., but we would go to Lubbock to shop. I always thought it was so cool that I had this album, which I loved, by a guy from Lubbock. So he showed me that anybody could make it from anywhere. And once I was old enough to think about such things, I always dug how self-contained Buddy and the Crickets were.

RUSS MURPHY

Award-winning singer-songwriter, recording artist, moved to Lubbock and worked here before his career took off

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“True Love Ways.”

Buddy died on Feb. 3, 1959. How old were you on that day, and how did you find out and react when you heard the news?

I was just 7 years old, but I remember being shocked when Buddy, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died. Because they were “stars,” and “stars” were not supposed to die. Until they died, it was like they were not real people; instead, they were just voices I heard from my radio.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

Buddy has influenced me because he wrote and sang songs “his own way.” He was unique and at times was criticized. But he stayed true to himself and to his music. I’m now writing and singing in a fairly new category of music called Christian Country, and my style is a little bit different from the others. Not better, just different. Buddy’s example has helped me stay true to who I am, and how I write and sing.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My favorite memory actually is from the movie where Buddy Holly (played by Gary Busey) gets one of his front teeth knocked out just before going on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and has to use chewing gum to fill one of the gaps. (Music historian Bill Griggs says that this really did happen to Holly – only it happened during the Crickets’ British tour, and not on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”)

ANDY EPPLER

Promising young local musician

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

No, but I think that I have an understanding of him that the average person might not in that I am a young songwriter trying to find my voice here in the desert.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Everyday.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

I was just starting out and one of my older musician friends (Dr. Skoob) introduced me to Buddy while on a road trip, and it sparked my interest in Lubbock music history.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

Buddy’s story is so relevant to other Lubbock musicians. The population’s support isn’t exactly solid, and it never has been. Everyone just wants to make the money they can squeeze out of the art.

RALPH DeWITT

Music store owner

Can you recall something about Buddy that most people do not know?

He used to wear red and white striped socks, pretty wild for the 1950s.

What is your favorite song by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?

“Maybe Baby.”

Where did you first hear Buddy’s music?

On KONO Radio in San Antonio.

Did Buddy or his music influence you?

My friend, Mike Vinson, and I used to listen to his 8-track tape of Buddy Holly ’til we wore it out. This was in the early 1970s, when everybody else was listening to hard rock. We liked that, too, but we always listened to Buddy Holly when we wanted to party.

Mike and I were the only ones at Buddy’s grave on many Feb. 3rds during the ’70s. Of course, it was usually late at night and we were drinking beer, but we were there, singing Buddy’s songs badly.

What is your favorite memory of Buddy?

My favorite “memory” pertaining to Buddy would be the opportunities I have had to meet all of his fans from all over the world, as well as his friends, at my store during the past 30 years.

Buddy Holly, second from right, is pictured in his Lubbock boyhood neighborhood with his family, from left, mother Ella, father L.O., Buddy and friend Jack Neal.

There is an irresistible attraction about the sites in the Lubbock area where Buddy Holly used to walk before he became a legend.

Now, visitors to Lubbock from around the world start at the Buddy Holly Center at 1801 Crickets Ave., before extending their nostalgic search around town.

The church

He was born in Lubbock Sept. 7, 1936, and while growing up attended the Tabernacle Baptist Church with his family.

The church was located at 15th Street and Avenue N, near the downtown sector, and didn’t move to 1911 34th St. until 1955. It was the site of his funeral services on Feb. 7, 1959.

The schools

In school, Buddy Holly may have been a typical first-grader. A report card from Roscoe Wilson Elementary, 25th Street and Elgin Avenue, contained a note from his teacher: “Buddy bothers his neighbors in school.”

He was a performer of sorts as early as his attendance at Roosevelt School, which is located about four miles north of Ransom Canyon. The school’s yearbook featured Buddy and Barbara Denning as King and Queen of the Sixth Grade.

This plaque outside of Roscoe Wilson Elementary School commemorates Buddy Holly's days attending the school.

Buddy wasn’t afraid to single out a teacher for special honor, even if the praise may have been dubious.

At Hutchinson Junior High, located at 31st Street and Canton Avenue, he and a friend, Bob Montgomery, performed for a Parents Night program. Their song, dedicated to a particular teacher, was “Too Old to Cut the Mustard.”

He entered Lubbock High School, 19th Street and Avenue T, as a sophomore in 1952, sang in the choir and began thinking of a career in Western music.

The school still has a small exhibit area in the main hallway that includes Buddy Holly memorabilia.

Other sites

His penchant for playing energetic music with friends contributed to the eventual informal naming of the Buddy Holly Recreation Area. It is located about half a mile north of U.S. 84, and just to the west of University Avenue in a part of the Canyon Lakes system.

According to family tradition, Buddy’s guitar sessions with friends were noisy, and to spare parents’ nerves, they took their music to a tin barn in what is now known as the Buddy Holly Recreation Area.

Buddy performed for about a year at the American Legion Youth Center, which was located at Second Street and University Avenue.

After the Crickets band was formed, the group performed at the Village Theater, located at 2329 34th St.

Performances also took place at the Cotton Club, which at the time was in operation on East 50th Street and Southeast Drive.

He opened for such rising stars as Bill Haley and Elvis Presley at the Panhandle-South Plains Fairgrounds, 10th Street and Avenue A.

At the time of his stellar hit, “That’ll Be the Day,” Holly and his family lived at 1305 37th St. The home, though no longer owned by the family, is still there and clearly marked with the address. The Buddy Holly Center administrators ask visitors to simply drive by.

Buddy recorded music, as did Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings, at Norman Petty Recording Studio, 1313 W. Seventh St. in Clovis, N.M., a 90-minute drive northwest of Lubbock on U.S. 84 (see pages 16-18).

But the site that best brings all of the Buddy Holly story together is the point of beginning: The Buddy Holly Center, where a time line traces his career, and where the main gallery is shaped like a guitar.

Visitors have come to Lubbock not only from states across the nation, but from countries around the globe. It’s easy to find signatures from England, where Buddy Holly once spent a month on a tour credited with influencing that country’s popular music for a generation.

The center held a grand opening event in 1999 to recognize a combining of the Buddy Holly Museum with the Lubbock Fine Arts Center into a single building that in the 1930s was the Fort Worth & Denver South Plains Railway Depot.

Jacqueline Bober, curator, said the center has a large gallery that is devoted to the life and legacy of Buddy Holly.

“We have memorabilia in that gallery, and a timeline that looks at his life pretty much from birth to death,” she said. “That was only 22 years, but we have things from his childhood – marbles he played with, crayons he drew with. And we have some of his drawings – he was quite proficient in his drawings of horses.”

“We also have some of his report cards, and his Cub Scout uniform,” she said.

Then there are the things he is known for internationally:

“His music, his love of music,” she said. “He performed very early on with Jack Neal and Bob Montgomery. Buddy and Jack had a show on one of the early radio stations. Then, when Jack left, Bob Montgomery came in, so it was the Buddy and Bob Show.

“We have collections of his records that he enjoyed listening to – gospel music, blues, Ray Charles, Bob Wills, Hank Williams. And also some of his own records that he himself had made.”

The two identifying objects that are most symbolic of Buddy Holly on the international performance stage are there also. They are his Fender electric guitar, which was sent on ahead by bus to the concert he was on his way to when his plane crashed Feb. 3, 1959; and his signature eye glasses that he had with him on the plane.

Bober said an overnight bag he carried on the plane also is in the gallery.

Other items from his career are a part of the collection.

“Buddy wrote a lot of his own music, and J.I. Allison, his drummer, contributed.,” she said. “We have a little lyric book where they worked out the lyrics of their songs together. There are some drawings and words written in there by J.I. Allison where they were working out the name of their band.”

The Buddy Holly Center also houses the Lubbock Fine Arts Center, which has a variety of art exhibits each year in its gallery in the west side of the building.

“We also have the Texas Musicians Hall of Fame, which at some point we hope to develop into a permanent exhibit. Right now we do music-related and Buddy Holly-related temporary exhibitions in there,” said Bober.

“We have done a show on Wayland Jennings in there at one time, with the hope that eventually we will be collecting memorabilia and information about the different artists who were well known in the West Texas region,” she said.

The center also has a gift shop, which not surprisingly has Buddy Holly music CDs and a variety of other items.

A small projection room has a 20-minute film narrating the career of Buddy Holly, and it runs continuously.

The former train station seems a fitting building for music, art and Buddy Holly. It houses the reminders of a local legend, yet has become a stopping place for travelers from around the world.

Source: http://home.online.no/~smpeders/ind-bud2.htm

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Sept. 7 – “Buddy Holly” is born Charles Hardin Holley to Ella and Lawrence Odell “L.O.” Holley on Labor Day at the family’s Sixth Street home in Lubbock.

1941

Five-year-old Buddy enters a talent contest along with his older brothers Larry and Travis. Though his brothers grease his toy violin to keep him from interrupting their performance, he won the $5 first-place prize singing “Down the River Of Memories.”

1949

Buddy’s first recording is “My Two-Timin’ Woman,” a Hank Snow song, which he sings into a wire recorder.

1952

Holley and Bob Montgomery make a home recording of “Take These Shackles From My Heart and I’ll Just Pretend.” The following year they make a home recording of Bill Monroe’s “Footprints In The Snow.”

1953

September – radio station KDAV in Lubbock begins broadcasting what is considered the first all-country music format in the United States. The Sunday Party aired by Hipockets Duncan, a disc jockey and talent scout, gives local musicians an opportunity to perform live. Buddy teams with Jack Neal to form the duo Buddy and Jack, and their show is broadcast live from KDAV during The Sunday Party.

1954

Feb. 19 – Holley, Montgomery, and Larry Welborn perform “Flower Of My Heart,” a song written by Bob, for a contest at Lubbock High School. The song wins the competition and is chosen as the 1954 Senior Class Song.

Jack Neal marries, and Holley teams up with Montgomery to form Buddy and Bob, who advertise themselves as Western and Bop performers. The Buddy and Jack Show is replaced by the Buddy and Bob Show on The Sunday Party.

1955

Feb. 13 – Holley and Montgomery open for Elvis Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock.

May 27 – Holley graduates from Lubbock High School.

Oct. 14 – At the Fair Park Coliseum, Holley, Bob Montgomery, and Larry Welborn perform in a show featuring Bill Haley and The Comets and Jimmy Rodgers Snow. Eddie Crandall, a Nashville agent for country singer Marty Robbins, watches their performance.

Oct. 28 – Holley, Bob Montgomery, and Larry Welborn open for headliner Marty Robbins at the Fair Park Coliseum. Eddie Crandall again watches Holley’s performance.

Dec. 2-3 – Eddie Crandall writes to “Pappy” Dave Stone, radio station KDAV station manager, asking for exclusive rights to help Holley obtain a recording contract. Crandall sends Stone a telegram asking that Holley and his group send him a recording of four original songs.

Dec. 7 – At Nesman Recording Studio in Wichita Falls, Holley, Don Guess and J.I. Allison record “Love Me”, “Don’t Come Back Knockin’”, “Moonlight Baby”, and “I Guess I Was Just A Fool” which are submitted on acetate to Decca.

1956

Jan. 23-25 – Holley negotiated a recording contract with Decca and a three-year songwriter’s contract with Cedarwood Publishing Co.

Jan. 26 – Holley, Sonny Curtis, and Guess begin their first recording sessions for Decca at Owen Bradley’s Barn in Nashville under the name Buddy and The Two Tones.

Feb. 8 – Holley receives Decca’s contract from Jim Denny of Cedarwood Publishing. Holley’s name has been misspelled, inadvertently dropping the ‘e’ in Holley. As a result, Holley adopts the Holly spelling for his last name.

May 6-10 – Holly joins Faron Young’s Grand Ole Opry Show on its Oklahoma tour. Other performers included Ray Price, Carl Perkins, Tommy Collins, Jimmy & Johnny, Tom Pritchard, Red Sovine, and Joe Vincent.

July 22 – Holly, Curtis, Guess, and J.I. Allison are in Nashville for the second Decca recording session at Bradley’s Barn. The song list from the session includes “I’m Changing All Those Changes,” “Girl On My Mind,” “Rock Around With Ollie Vee,” “Ting-A-Ling” and “That’ll Be The Day.”

Nov. 15 – Holly is in Nashville for the third and final recording session with Decca at Bradley’s Barn. “Rock Around With Ollie Vee,” “Modern Don Juan,” and “You Are My One Desire” are recorded.

1957

Jan. 22 – Decca sends Holly a letter informing him that his renewal option is not being exercised and his contract will expire on Jan. 26, 1957.

Feb. 24-25 – Holly travels to the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, N.M., and records “I’m Looking For Someone To Love” and the hit version of “That’ll Be The Day.” Holly sings and plays lead guitar; Larry Welborn plays bass; Allison plays drums; and Niki Sullivan, Gary Tollett and Ramona Tollett sing background vocals on “That’ll Be The Day.”

February-March – Holly is restricted from recording any of the songs that were done under his contract with Decca. A name is needed in order to release the new version of “That’ll Be The Day.” Allison searches through an encyclopedia under “Insects” in order to find a name for the band. They consider briefly, then discard “The Beetles” before selecting “The Crickets.” Over the next month, the band members of The Crickets come together: Holly, vocals and lead guitar; Allison, drums; Mauldin, bass; and Sullivan, rhythm guitar.

March 19 – The Crickets sign a contract with Bob Thiele in which Coral, a subsidiary of Decca, agrees to purchase masters for “That’ll Be The Day” and “I’m Looking For Someone To Love.” This will be the working contract for The Crickets, and their songs will be released under the Brunswick label.

May 29 – “Not Fade Away” and “Everyday” are recorded in Clovis. Instrumentation includes use of a cardboard box, knee slaps and a celeste.

July 1 – “Peggy Sue,” “Oh Boy,” “Listen To Me,” and “I’m Gonna Love You Too” are recorded in Clovis.

July 16 – From Bob Thiele, Holly learns “That’ll Be The Day” has sold 50,000 records, and an additional 28,000 have been pressed. That evening, Holly goes to see Little Richard perform at Lubbock’s Cotton Club.

July 23 – Bob Thiele sends a registered letter to inform The Crickets that Coral will renew their recording contract.

July 30 – Holly signs a contract for a 67-day tour package beginning in September. Aug. 2-8 – Buddy Holly and The Crickets begin their first major tour at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., where “That’ll Be The Day” is No. 2 on the charts. Other acts featured on the tour include Clyde McPhatter, The Cadillacs, Edna McGriff, Otis Rush, Lee Andrews and The Hearts, and Oscar and Oscar. Aug. 9-16 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets perform at the Royal Theater in Baltimore, Md.

Aug. 16-22 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets perform at the Apollo Theater in New York City.

Aug. 26 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets perform “That’ll Be The Day” on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in Philadelphia.

Aug. 30-Sept. 8 – The Alan Freed Holiday Show at the Paramount Theater in New York features Buddy Holly & The Crickets. Other performers included Little Richard, The Del Vikings, The Diamonds, Mickey & Sylvia, The Moonglows, The Five Keys, Larry Williams, and King Curtis.

Sept. 21 – “Cash Box” features a cover photograph of Buddy Holly & The Crickets pointing to a circled date of Oct. 1, 1957. “That’ll Be The Day” is expected to pass the 1 million mark in sales on this date. Two days later Billboard lists “That’ll Be The Day” as the No. 1 Best Seller in stores.

Oct. 11 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets are featured in the British magazine “New Musical Express,” which states: “If someone asks you where the hit records come from these days, you won’t be far wrong if you reply Deep In The Heart Of Texas.”

Nov. 24 – The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal carries an article under the headline “Lubbock Combo on Network Show Next Sunday.” This article refers to a scheduled appearance by Buddy Holly & The Crickets on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Nov. 29 – Sid Varnes, “Cash Box”‘s editor-in-chief, sends a telegram to The Crickets informing them that the Juke Box Operators of America have voted them “Most Promising Vocal Group of 1957.”

Dec. 1 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets perform “That’ll be the Day” and “Peggy Sue” on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan calls Buddy back on stage after the second song for an impromptu interview and to solicit another “very nice hand for these Texas youngsters.”

Dec. 4-5 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets return to Lubbock. Niki Sullivan leaves the group, citing the harsh tour schedule as his reason. Norman Petty signs contracts for Buddy Holly & The Crickets to participate in three tours, including the Paramount Theater in New York, the America’s Greatest Teenage Recording Stars, and a short Florida tour.

Dec. 17 and 19 – “Little Baby,” “Look At Me,” and (You’re So Square) “Baby I Don’t Care” are recorded in Clovis.

1958

Jan. 2 – Norman Petty signs a contract for Buddy Holly & The Crickets to perform on tour and in radio promotions in Australia, beginning Jan. 30.

Jan. 25 – Bob Thiele of Coral presents Holly and Petty with the gold record for “Peggy Sue.” “Rave On” and “That’s My Desire” are recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York.

Jan. 26 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets perform “Oh Boy” on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York City.

Jan. 27 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets and Petty fly from New York to Honolulu. The same evening, they perform two shows with Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Anka and Jodie Sands.

Jan. 28-29 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets travel from Hawaii to Sydney, Australia, for a six-day tour. Others on the tour include Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Anka and Jodie Sands. Variety runs an article about the Honolulu show under the headline: “Rock ‘n’ Roll Reaches Hawaii & Makes Good,” and describes “turn-away crowds.”

Jan. 31 – In Newcastle, Australia, Pat Barton, a local deejay, interviews Buddy. During the interview, Buddy denies that The Crickets, or any group, will fill Elvis Presley’s shoes while he is in the Army.

Feb. 1 – A review of the Newcastle performance appears in the local newspaper under the headline, “Rock Show Quiet,” an apparent comparative reference to the wild audience behavior at the Little Richard concert the year before.

Feb. 20-25 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets join The Big Gold Records Stars tour (informally known as The Florida Tour). The tour also stars the Everly Brothers, Bill Haley and The Comets, Jerry Lee Lewis, and The Royalteens.

March 11 – Following a performance in Birmingham, England, a review reads: “Buddy Holly, leader of the group, is a studious-looking young man who totes his electric guitar like a sawn-off shot-gun and carries around a giant-sized amplifier which even made the Town Hall organ pipes flinch. Mr. Holly is 70 per cent of the act. He plays and sings with brash exuberance, and adds a few Presley-like wiggles which had the teenage audience squealing with delight. The rest of the group consists of a bass player whose ability was lost in the noise and a drummer who plays with sledge-hammer precision.”

March 25 – Before the second show scheduled in Hammersmith, London, the last performance of the English tour, Mauldin knocks the caps off of Holly’s two front teeth during a scuffle. Buddy repairs the damage with chewing gum and performs the second show with the gum spread over his front teeth.

May 3 – During shows for the Big Beat tour at the Boston Arena, a Navy sailor is stabbed, others are injured, and arrests are made outside of the concert hall. Alan Freed, the tour’s promoter, is charged with inciting a riot, but the charges are later dropped. The incident, which becomes know as the “Boston riot,” results in the cancellation of scheduled shows in Troy, N.Y.; Providence, R.I.; New Haven, Conn.; and Newark, N.J.

May 27 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets record “It’s So Easy” and “Lonesome Tears” in Clovis. They are joined by Allsup on lead guitar. The next day, “Heartbeat” is recorded, and Allsup again plays lead guitar while another session musician, George Atwood, plays bass. Brunswick releases the single “Think It Over” and “Fool’s Paradise.”

June 9-18 – Holly, Mauldin and Petty fly to Los Angeles for a promotional tour, and are photographed at Southern Music Publishing in Hollywood. In San Francisco, Holly is interviewed on the Ted Randal Show at KPIX-TV. As Mauldin and Petty return to Lubbock, Holly flies to New York where he meets Maria Elena Santiago at Peer Southern Music. He proposes marriage the first day they meet, and they are wed within two months.

July 8 – During a performance at Electric Park in Waterloo, Iowa, a photographer asks Holly to remove his glasses for a picture. Holly replies: “I never have pictures made without my glasses.”

July 21-22 – Allison and Peggy Sue Gerron apply for a marriage license from the county courthouse in Lubbock. They are married the next day in Honey Grove.

Aug. 11 – Lubbock property records list “Charles Buddy Holley” in an agreement with his father, L.O. Holley, for a six-room, four-bath, brick-veneer house to be built on Buddy’s property in Bobalet Heights.

Aug. 15 – Buddy Holly and Maria Elena Santiago are married at the Holley home in Lubbock. Parents L.O. and Ella Holley, brothers Larry and Travis, sister Patricia and the spouses of his brothers and sister are in attendance along with J.I. and Peggy Sue Allison and Mauldin. Holly’s record, “Now We’re One,” is played at the ceremony. The Hollys and the Allisons honeymoon for two weeks in Acapulco, Mexico.

Sept. 10 – A session for Waylon Jennings is produced by Buddy for his newly founded company, Prism Records. The recording session in Clovis produces Jole Blon and When Sin Stops, with Buddy on rhythm guitar, Atwood on bass, Bo Clark on drums, and King Curtis on saxophone.

Oct. 28 – Buddy Holly & The Crickets appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand on WFIL-TV in Philadelphia. Introducing Holly, Clark calls him, “…a man who creates songs, performs them, and has a great deal to do with the activities of our music world, and he’s still a very young man and a successful one at that.” Buddy lip-syncs “Heartbeat” and “It’s So Easy.”

Dec. 11 – In a letter to his parents, Holly relates: “I’ve been writing a few songs. Some of them are fairly good. The best one to date is a ‘top secret’ one titled “Peggy Sue Got Married.” Please don’t mention it to anyone either. I want it to be a complete surprise.”

Dec. 27 – While at KLLL radio station in Lubbock, Holly is prompted by a bet to write a song in less than 30 minutes. Holly composes “You’re The One,” which is recorded on the station’s acetate machine. Buddy sings and plays guitar, while Waylon Jennings and Ray “Slim” Corbin, the station’s deejays, provide percussion with hand-claps.

1959

Jan. 20-22 – Holly, Tommy Allsup, Waylon Jennings and Carl Bunch leave New York and travel by train to Chicago to rendezvous with the other artists on the Winter Dance Party tour. From Chicago, the artists are scheduled to travel by bus on the tour route. Other performers include: Ritchie Valens, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Dion and The Belmonts, and Frankie Sardo.

Jan. 23 – The Winter Dance Party starts the tour with performances in Milwaukee. The tour will continue through Feb. 15 with scheduled stops in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio.

Feb. 1 – The Winter Dance Party is stranded en route to Appleton, Wis., when the bus breaks down. With temperatures at 30 degrees below zero and no source of heat, the passengers burn newspapers in the aisles to keep warm. Sheriffs’ cars pick up the freezing entertainers and Carl Bunch is admitted to the hospital suffering from frostbite. With one performance cancelled, the Winter Dance Party continues and performs at the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wis.

Feb. 2 – Holly, Jennings and Allsup perform and serve as back-up musicians during the performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Feb. 3 – Shortly after the performance in Clear Lake, Holly, J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens board a small aircraft chartered to take them to their next performance. Soon after take-off, the plane crashes, killing all aboard.

Source: The Buddy Holly Center, 1801 Crickets Ave., Lubbock.

“The hardest thing to do is find a place to stop. It’s infectious. It’s like a freight train you can’t stop.

“It’s like a heartbeat, where you want it to never stop.”

The song is credited to Buddy Holly and producer Norman Petty. It was first recorded by the Crickets, Holly’s band, at Petty’s studio in Clovis, N.M., in May 1957 – and of all the songs recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, only “Peggy Sue” has been recorded (covered) more by other bands or artists.

“Peggy Sue” has been recorded by 83 other recording artists, and “Not Fade Away” by 82 different bands, according to http://home.online.no/~smpeders/ind-bud2.htm.

Peggy Sue Gerron, of Lubbock, was the song’s namesake more than 50 years ago. She said, “I can still remember that Christmas when I was in Lubbock, and Buddy and Jerry were in New York, and they called to tell me that one million copies of ‘Peggy Sue’ had been sold. I was 17. I just thought, ‘Oh my, that’s a lot of records. How does anyone sell a million records?”

“And now, who knows how many more millions of copies of ‘Peggy Sue’ have been sold? I can’t even imagine how many millions.”

Gerron said, “It just goes to show that ‘Peggy Sue’ is one of the most important rock songs of all time. And I’m still humbled to have played a part in all of this.”

“Not Fade Away” originally was the B-side of a single; the A-side was the hit “Oh Boy!”

Ely began playing the song in 1963. He said, “I remember figuring it out with my very first band, which was kind of a living room band.”

The Rolling Stones’ 1964 cover of “Not Fade Away” became the band’s first hit in the United States. After the song fared well in England, the band made it the A-side of its first single in America.

The Stones’ version was recorded for Decca in late January 1964. The single’s B-side in the United States was “I Wanna Be Your Man.”

“Not Fade Away” is known for featuring a series of beats popularized by Bo Diddley (real name Ellas Bates) on his first single, which he titled “Bo Diddley” and recorded in March 1955.

When the Crickets recorded “Not Fade Away” in 1957, drummer Jerry (J.I.) Allison played the percussion beat on a cardboard box.

Ely said, “Around 1977, I did a whole tour with Bo Diddley and Carl Perkins. Every single song that Bo Diddley plays has that ‘Not Fade Away’ beat; all he does is change the chorus and the key for each song.

“It amazes me how Bo Diddley could take that one beat and make a whole life out of it.”

When Rolling Stone magazine listed history’s 500 greatest songs in 2004, “Not Fade Away” was ranked at No. 107.

(There are four more songs on that list: “That’ll Be The Day,” 39; “Rave On,” 154; “Peggy Sue,” 194 and “Everyday,” 236.)

“‘Not Fade Away’ sounds kind of like the rumble of life,” Ely said. “It’s a rhythm that just doesn’t stop. I’m really not sure where that rhythm first came from, but Buddy sure made it his own.

“Even before Bo Diddley, you could hear that basic, intense, nonstop rhythm in songs from back in the early jazz days. But Buddy coupled that rhythm with a great song, in fact the simplest sort that said, ‘A love for real, not fade away.’

“It’s simple, but it’s also universal.”

Buddy’s songs, how often covered

• Peggy Sue – 83

• Not Fade Away – 82

• Rave On – 69

• That’ll Be The Day – 66

• Oh Boy – 59

• True Love Ways – 58

• It Doesn’t Matter Anymore – 55

• Everyday – 45

• That’s My Desire – 45

• Maybe Baby – 38

• Well … All Right – 37

• Heartbeat – 33

• Raining In My Heart – 31

• Love’s Made a Fool Of You – 29

• Peggy Sue Got Married – 25

• Think It Over – 22

• It’s So Easy – 20

• Learning The Game – 19

• Crying, Waiting, Hoping – 17

• Rock Around With Ollie Vee – 16

• Words Of Love – 16

• Tell Me How – 15

• Blue Days, Black Nights – 14

• I’m Gonna Love You Too – 14

• Midnight Shift – 12

• Wishing – 11

• Take Your Time – 10

• Fool’s Paradise – 9

• It’s Too Late – 7

• Listen To Me – 7

• Look At Me – 6

• Looking For Someone To Love – 6

• I’m Changing All Those Channels – 5

• Mailman Bring Me No More Blues – 5

• Ting-A-Ling – 5

• You’ve Got Love – 5

• Dearest – 4

• Reminiscing – 4

• What To Do – 4

• Down The Line – 3

• Rock Me My Baby – 3

• Flower of my Heart – 2

• Lonesome Tears – 2

• Moondreams – 2

• You’re The One – 2

• Holly Hop – 1

• Last Night – 1

• That Makes It Tough – 1

• That’s What They Say – 1

Source: home.online.no/~smpeders/

‘Not Fade Away’ by Buddy Holly

by Buddy Holly

I’m gonna tell you how it’s gonna be

You’re gonna give your love to me

I wanna love you night

and day

You know my love not fade away

Well you know my love not fade away

My love is bigger than a

Cadillac

I try to show it and you drive me back

Your love for me has got

to be real

For you to know just how I feel

A love for real not fade away
I’m gonna tell you how its gonna be

You’re gonna give your love to me

A love to last more than

one day

A love that’s love not

fade away

A love that’s love not

fade away

Source: www.lyricsbox.com