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Thread: Buddy Holly

  1. #351
    Outlier Guest
    There's a feature in the latest edition of Rolling Stone (Bruce Springsteen cover) called "The Last Days of Buddy Holly" by Jonathan Cott. The intro blurb: "On the 50th anniversary of his death, friends remember the rock & roll pioneer's final concerts--and musicians salute his lasting influence." Just received it last night and haven't read, but will this evening. Tried to link to it, but apparently it's print edition only.

  2. #352
    lane4 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Outlier View Post
    There's a feature in the latest edition of Rolling Stone (Bruce Springsteen cover) called "The Last Days of Buddy Holly" by Jonathan Cott. The intro blurb: "On the 50th anniversary of his death, friends remember the rock & roll pioneer's final concerts--and musicians salute his lasting influence." Just received it last night and haven't read, but will this evening. Tried to link to it, but apparently it's print edition only.
    Yeah - I just read it last night. I wished the article would of been longer. Of course they got MED to comment.

    Can someone answer this - how popular was Buddy in 1959? Like The Jonus Brothers popular? Kurt Cobain popular? I'm trying to get a grasp on how well known he was at the time of his death.

  3. #353
    Gary Guest
    I've heard different answers to the popularity of Buddy in 1959. On the last tour, some of the places he played at were over-flowed with kids and parents....in Duluth, there were over 2000 to see the show and at the time, it was the biggest teen show to hit the area. The people I talked to that were there said they liked Buddy but they were there to see Ritchie. It's well-known that Hibbing high-school senior Bob Zimmerman (Dylan) drove down to see his idol, Buddy Holly.
    Other venues weren't sold-out but still had great crowds. Back then, though, these weren't just rock & roll concerts, they were dances, so there was lots of noise and the shows were loud, even with the little amps they had.
    Buddy's popularity may have been on the down-swing at this time because he was trying something different with his recordings and that was recording with an orchestra, which was un-heard of at the time for a rock & roller. The record IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE was just released as the tour started and he did perform it at some venues with his band, but not all. He did mostly his hits along with a number or two of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, too. One of the last songs he performed at the Surf that night was the Billy Grammar song GOTTA TRAVEL ON.
    lyrics here: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/bi...travel_on.html
    For a look at Buddy and other rock & roll performers in concert in Canada in the summer of 1958 and the fall of '58, check out these great photos!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/illingw...7603227592634/
    You'll see Buddy wearing his earlier black glasses in the summer and then the thicker ones later in the year. Some great shots of Bo Diddley, Bobby Darin, Chuck Berry and others as well.

  4. #354
    Gary Guest
    Let's not forget that there was a fourth person on the plane......21 year old pilot Roger Peterson:
    http://www.globegazette.com/articles...6744811966.txt

  5. #355
    lane4 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary View Post
    Let's not forget that there was a fourth person on the plane......21 year old pilot Roger Peterson:
    http://www.globegazette.com/articles...6744811966.txt
    Wow - interesting article.

  6. #356
    Gary Guest
    Jerry Dwyer (owner of the plane) also stated that when he discussed the crash with the Valens family a few years back, they did NOT like what he had to say. Well, here's my take on that........Ritchie never flew before that night. My guess is that it's possible Ritchie got a little scared as the plane was taking off and he panicked. When people panic they do some funny things....maybe he asked that the plane be turned around and bring him back and the others said no and maybe they tried settling Ritchie down, possibly restraining him....until all hell broke loose. Remember, this is ONLY SPECULATION on my part. I say this only after reading more and more about the crash and especially what Jerry Dwyer has to say about it. Why else would the Valens family not like Mr. Dwyer's perspective? We'll find out when the Dwyer book comes out, I guess. By the way, 11 members of the Valens family will be in Clear Lake this year. We know Big Bopper's kid will be there but nobody knows for sure how many of the Holley family will be there or the Peterson family.

  7. #357
    Bee1001 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary View Post
    For a look at Buddy and other rock & roll performers in concert in Canada in the summer of 1958 and the fall of '58, check out these great photos!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/illingw...7603227592634/
    You'll see Buddy wearing his earlier black glasses in the summer and then the thicker ones later in the year. Some great shots of Bo Diddley, Bobby Darin, Chuck Berry and others as well.

    Wow Gary, thanks for finding those!

  8. #358
    Gary Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Bee1001 View Post
    Wow Gary, thanks for finding those!
    I think they're some of the best 50's rock & roll concert pictures ever taken!

  9. #359
    jz63 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary View Post
    I think they're some of the best 50's rock & roll concert pictures ever taken!
    Those are some of the best Budy pics ever.. very powerful stuff. Those are the only pics I've ever seen of Joe B playing electric bass with Buddy.

  10. #360
    jeftis Guest
    Did anyone happen to see History's Lost and Found? They done a thing on Buddy Holly's glasses that were found at the crash site and the history behind them. It also said that he had tortoise shell colored glasses ordered and he was going to pick them up after the tour but he never made it back. I wonder what happened to those glasses he had ordered?

  11. #361
    Tebssis Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by jeftis View Post
    Did anyone happen to see History's Lost and Found? They done a thing on Buddy Holly's glasses that were found at the crash site and the history behind them. It also said that he had tortoise shell colored glasses ordered and he was going to pick them up after the tour but he never made it back. I wonder what happened to those glasses he had ordered?
    Somebody in the optometrist's family probably has them in a closet somewhere, not knowing what they have. If they had the invoice signed by Buddy, they probably could make a small fortune on Ebay..

  12. #362
    lisalouver Guest
    Gary,

    I hope you will post some pics of the Valens family for us from this years WDP! I will be awaiting your review when you get back!

  13. #363
    Gary Guest
    Definitely! I'm getting pretty pumped up right about now!

  14. #364
    lisalouver Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary View Post
    Definitely! I'm getting pretty pumped up right about now!
    Well I bet you are! I am going to be hoping for good weather for you!

  15. #365
    Gary Guest
    Supposed to be pretty decent. 20s and 30s with very little precipitation. I also plan on getting to the REAL crash site, which is a couple hundred yards off from the site that's marked.

  16. #366
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    CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – It's been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock 'n' roll.
    The passing decades haven't diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes.
    "It was really like the first rock 'n' roll landmark; the first death," said rock historian Jim Dawson, who has written several books about music of that era. "They say these things come in threes. Well, all three happened at the same time."
    Starting Wednesday, thousands of people are expected to gather in the small northern Iowa town where the rock pioneers gave their last performance. They'll come to the Surf Ballroom for symposiums with the three musicians' relatives, sold-out concerts and a ceremony as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designates the building as its ninth national landmark.
    And they'll discuss why after so many years, so many people still care about what songwriter Don McLean so famously called "the day the music died."
    "It was the locus point for that last performance by these great artists," said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. "It warrants being fixed in time."
    Clear Lake is an unlikely spot for a rock 'n' roll pilgrimage — especially in winter. The resort town of about 8,000 borders its namesake lake, and on winter days the cold and wind make the community 100 miles north of Des Moines anything but a tourist destination.
    The crash site is on private property, a five-mile drive from Clear Lake and half-mile walk off the road. Corn grows high in adjacent fields during the summer, but in winter the fields are covered with snow and a path to the small memorial is often thick with ice. The memorial features a small cross and thin metal guitar and records, all of which are draped in flowers during the summer.
    "It's a much nicer trip in the summer," said Jeff Nicholas, a longtime Clear Lake resident who heads the Surf Ballroom's board of directors. "But in the winter, you get more of a feel of what it was like."
    No one tracks the number of visitors, but fans stop by throughout the year and on some summer days visitors to the crash site can create the oddity of a corn field traffic jam.
    Stewart said the deaths still resonate because they occurred at a time when rock 'n' roll was going through a transition, of sorts. The sound of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Holly was making way for the British Invasion of the mid-1960s.
    "The music was shifting and changing at that point," he said. "The crash put a punctuation point on the change."
    All three musicians influenced rock and roll in their own way.
    Holly's career was short, but his hiccup-vocal style, guitar play and songwriting talents had tremendous influence on later performers. The Beatles, who formed about the time of the crash, were among his early fans and fashioned their name after Holly's band, The Crickets. Holly's hit songs include "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue" and "Maybe Baby."
    Richardson, "The Big Bopper," is often credited with creating the first music video with his recorded performance of "Chantilly Lace" in 1958, decades before MTV.
    And Valens was one of the first musicians to apply a Mexican influence to rock 'n' roll. He recorded his huge hit "La Bamba" only months before the accident.
    The plane left the airport in nearby Mason City about 1 a.m., headed for Moorhead, Minn., with the musicians looking for a break from a tiring, cold bus trip through the Upper Midwest.

    It wasn't until hours later that the demolished plane was found, crumpled against a wire fence. Investigators believe the pilot, who also died, became confused amid the dark, snowy conditions and rammed the plane into the ground.
    The crash set off a wave of mourning among their passionate, mostly young fans across the country. Then 12 years later the crash was immortalized as "the day the music died" in McLean's 1971 song, "American Pie."
    Vonnie Amosson, who manages the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Clear Lake, said that ever since the plane crash, the community has embraced the tragedy. It's a continued stream of tourism dollars, and the town's chamber of commerce estimates that this year's events, dubbed "50s in February," will generate more than $4 million for Clear Lake's economy.
    "It's kind of sad that that is what we are known for," Amosson said. "But on the other part of it, I think the whole '50's in February' weekend is a huge memorial and it's an honor to them."
    In part because of its role in rock history, the Surf Ballroom has retained its vintage look, with a 6,000-square-foot dance floor, ceiling painted to resemble a sky, and original cloud machines on either side of the room. Ten Buddy Holly banners line the wall opposite the stage. The 2,100-capacity ballroom still hosts many national and regional performers, most of whom add their names to a backstage wall that is now crowded with drawings and signatures. "It's quite a special place," said Nicholas, the Surf board member. "This place looks just like it did in 1959."

    The most dangerous woman of all is the one who refuses to rely on your sword to save her because she carries her own.

    - R.H. Sin

  17. #367
    Gary Guest
    From today's Mason City Globe Gazette:

    CLEAR LAKE — If Paul McCartney is coming to the Surf Ballroom for this week’s 50 Winters Later celebration, he isn’t staying at the Best Western Holiday Lodge in Clear Lake.

    Rumors have been flying that the former Beatle is already in Clear Lake or on his way and that he is staying at the Best Western.

    While saying she can’t talk about specific guests staying at the hotel, Best Western sales director Libbey Hohn said today the hotel isn’t hosting anyone with a recording contract.

    “Actually at our hotel, we have a lot of very loyal regular guests. We don’t have anybody staying here that would be famous to the public,” Hohn said.

    Rumors have also surfaced that Eric Clapton or members of The Rolling Stones will be making an appearance at Monday night’s tribute concert.

    “I have not seen anyone,” Hohn said.

    She said the Surf did book 150 rooms for performers at the Winter Dance Party events but most of those rooms were in Mason City hotels because Clear Lake hotels were already full.

  18. #368
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    I found this for all us Buddy fans.... she seems to be a real nice lady and she has a book coming out http://www.peggysueonline.com/

  19. #369
    lisalouver Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary View Post
    Supposed to be pretty decent. 20s and 30s with very little precipitation. I also plan on getting to the REAL crash site, which is a couple hundred yards off from the site that's marked.
    Hope you're having a great time Gary, and I look forward to pictures when you get back!

  20. #370
    Gary Guest
    Well, so far Clear Lake has been somewhat of a disappointment.
    No FLASH photography allowed because of all the taping by PBS and the R&R Hall Of Fame and NO videotaping at all either. That includes ALL symposiums, concerts, and the Fan Fare. The Fan Fare was disappointing because hardly any acts were there that were advertised to be there.
    NO Bobby Vee, NO Fireballs, NO Tommy Allsup, Montez, Wanda Jackson, and Johnny Preston all showed up very late........NO Peter & Gordon yet.........it was not good.
    $5 cover and nobody really there to get autographs of.
    Crickets were there, Ritchies family was there, Waylon Jennings brother was there....big whoop.
    Haven't been able to get tix for any of the other shows but that was expected.
    Rumor is still going around on McCartney showing up.....we shall see.
    Yesterday at the afternoon symposium Frankie Sardo, and Carlo/Freddie from the Belmonts were supposed to be there but neither were. Just Tommy Allsup, Bob Hale (MC) and Carl Bunch was there.....good stories but I wanted to see the other three.
    Today's symposium is supposed to be Graham Nash and Peter & Gordon......they better show!
    I'll keep you informed.......
    Oh, and Carl Bunch.......he's in great spirits and loves all the attention and all, but he is now blind and needs to be led around. Kinda sad but great to see he made it. I honestly don't think he has much time left. He also said his toes are STILL numb from the frostbite 50 years ago. He'll sign things, too, but you have to put his hand on the item you want signed and then he signs very carefully. Nice guy and I really feel for him.

  21. #371
    lisalouver Guest
    Thanks for the updates Gary and sorry to hear so much is turning out badly. Some local casters from here are/were down there and have done a story on it. I think it will be on tomorrow night (Don Shelby WCCO)

    Keep us posted!

  22. #372
    unit880 Guest
    Hey Gary, thanks for the update! Even though you aren't having fun, we still enjoy reading about it. When you see JP Jr., ask him what he's going to do with the footage he took of his dad's exhumation. Curious as to what he has to say...

  23. #373
    Bee1001 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by dstrattenfan View Post
    I found this for all us Buddy fans.... she seems to be a real nice lady and she has a book coming out http://www.peggysueonline.com/

    Her book came out about a year ago. It was a pretty good book overall, but nothing too shocking about Buddy was written in it.

  24. #374
    Bee1001 Guest
    By the way Gary, the anniversary seems to be really lame this year. I wonder why no one's showing up? Sad to hear about Carl Bunch, too.

  25. #375
    Gary Guest
    Well today was definitely better. I got to meet Graham Nash, Peter & Gordon, Sir Tim Rice, Chris Montez and others......the rumor is still going on that Paul McCartney will be here Monday night along with Eric Clapton and even Keith Richards but I'll believe it when it happens.
    I actually crashed a private party tonight where the acts had a Super Bowl party and got to talk to Gordon Waller and Chris Montez privately. They didn't seem to care that I crashed the party and welcomed that I just talked to them like I would anybody else and not as a fan. I have yet to see Bopper Jr around OR Maria and saw Bobby Vee once on Friday and not since........maybe Jr. and Maria left. Bobby is the "host" of the whole event so I'm wondering maybe he's keeping certain people under wraps??!!!
    We'll find out Monday night!

  26. #376
    KarmaKat Guest
    RIP Guys.
    We lost alot of talent that night.
    Hope you are all still rockin where ever you are now
    xoxo

  27. #377
    lisalouver Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary View Post
    Well today was definitely better. I got to meet Graham Nash, Peter & Gordon, Sir Tim Rice, Chris Montez and others......the rumor is still going on that Paul McCartney will be here Monday night along with Eric Clapton and even Keith Richards but I'll believe it when it happens.
    I actually crashed a private party tonight where the acts had a Super Bowl party and got to talk to Gordon Waller and Chris Montez privately. They didn't seem to care that I crashed the party and welcomed that I just talked to them like I would anybody else and not as a fan. I have yet to see Bopper Jr around OR Maria and saw Bobby Vee once on Friday and not since........maybe Jr. and Maria left. Bobby is the "host" of the whole event so I'm wondering maybe he's keeping certain people under wraps??!!!
    We'll find out Monday night!
    Lovin the updates Gary, thanks.

    Don Shelby from our own WCCO will be down there tonight and reporting for here, I will be watching!

  28. #378
    DoubleZ1013 Guest
    Two Things:

    1)I was looking over the FAD article on Buddy and noticed on the Death Certificate for Richie Valens, that in the box under his mother's name where it says "imformant's signature" it says "Donald Duck".

    2) I don't know where I read this exactly, but Little Richard, when he toured with Buddy said he liked to watch his girlfriend get "serviced" by Buddy and had said that Buddy was "hung like a stallion."

    I really wish I had the source for the latter. You can check # 1 on the FAD page.

  29. #379
    NOVSTORM Guest


    'The day the music died'? Hardly


    I cannot believe his 'widow" doesn't speak good English?? They say this is buddys widow talking but she barley sounds literate..

  30. #380
    NOVSTORM Guest
    I dont think Buddys parents and family made all of that stuff up about his bride. That is almost saying the family that he loved were a pack of racists and liars.
    I am sorry but I think a spouse owes it to their deceased partner to at least go visit their grave in 50 years?? I am not buying her trauma for 50 years and she also had no intrest in BH until she say $$$ signs..

  31. #381
    undertaker Guest
    Thanks for the Clear lake updates.

  32. #382
    madmravyn Guest

    Thumbs down

    Quote Originally Posted by NOVSTORM View Post

    'The day the music died'? Hardly


    I cannot believe his 'widow" doesn't speak good English?? They say this is buddys widow talking but she barley sounds literate..
    Oh wow...she sounds just like my mother, a native Mexican who is a citizen here now. My mother has a slight touch more of an accent. Interesting to know people with accents sound illiterate to you.

    You'll probably think my Greek father-in-law is really illiterate, too, because he has a very pronounced accent.

    Conversely, my father was born in the 20s in Mabank, TX and was illiterate. Go figure.
    Last edited by madmravyn; 02-02-2009 at 06:15 PM. Reason: Fatigue wreaks havoc on my grammar.

  33. #383
    lisalouver Guest
    Our local CBS affiliate is live iat the Surf and just was on the 10PM news here. He said that a private corporate Jet has just landed in Mason City and was whisked into a hanger so no one could read the numbers on the tail and trace the thing.

    It is believed to be holding the guest for the 11:15PM slot to play at the Surf. Contenders for that are

    Paul McCartney
    Bruce Springsteen
    Elton John
    Eric Clapton

    Outght to be interesting.

    The Surf was PACKED

    Gary get pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  34. #384
    undertaker Guest
    Just saw Shelbys report, wish I was there!

  35. #385
    lisalouver Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by undertaker View Post
    Just saw Shelbys report, wish I was there!
    I know!

    I love Don Shelby btw, great guy and he looked fab, you could tell he was having a great time!

    Can't wait to hear who is playing tonight!

  36. #386
    undertaker Guest
    Don Mclean?

  37. #387
    GrinReaper Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by undertaker View Post
    Don Mclean?
    Yeah it's ironic that there are these rumors going on that it's going to be an Englishman instead of the more obvious choice of Don.

  38. #388
    Shano Guest
    So any updates on who the surprise guest was?! Can't wait to see pics Gary!

  39. #389
    Join Date
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    Melbourne, Australia
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    Happy birthday matey.

    The musical 'Buddy' has been running in London for 20 years. Closes this month.
    I am a sick puppy....woof woof!!!
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Carping the living shit out of the Diem. - Me!!
    http://www.pinterest.com/neilmpenny

  40. #390
    Gary Guest
    ALL RUMORS! No "big" star ever showed up. The acts that were there were the scheduled ones. It's after 2AM right now and I'm tired and going to bed now but will fill in later.
    By the way, as Don Shelby was doing his newscast, I was in back of him (bald guy with a black shirt with a saxophone on it) yakking it up with Pat Brown of the Original Whitesidewalls. We were trying to ham it up while Don was talking.....Pat knows Don well and made me do it!

  41. #391
    lisalouver Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary View Post
    ALL RUMORS! No "big" star ever showed up. The acts that were there were the scheduled ones. It's after 2AM right now and I'm tired and going to bed now but will fill in later.
    By the way, as Don Shelby was doing his newscast, I was in back of him (bald guy with a black shirt with a saxophone on it) yakking it up with Pat Brown of the Original Whitesidewalls. We were trying to ham it up while Don was talking.....Pat knows Don well and made me do it!
    Booooo! No big star! I wondered if that was you Gary, I did see a bald guy!

    Looking forward to the update later! Get some rest!

  42. #392
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    50 years ago, and I still tear up on this day. I also ask myself all the "What If?" questions. I firmly believe that Buddy, Ritchie and J.P. had very successful careers ahead of them. I still blame the pilot for taking away their lives. What a foolish man, he was! He should not have been flying that plane, given his lack of qualifications!
    I am always sad thinking about the loss of these three talented musicians. But, I am very greatful for the music they left behind. Charles Hardin Holley, Richard Steven Valenzuela and Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr. will always be remembered, fondly in my heart!
    "So many faces in and out of my life. Some will last, some will just be now and then. Life is a series of Hellos and Goodbyes, I'm afraid it's time for Goodbye again. "

  43. #393
    Join Date
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    Cool, I just discovered this thread. I was wondering how the concert went. So, was Bopper Jr there? I can't believe there wasn't more TV coverage or even some reruns of old documentaries shown last night -- at least, I couldn't find anything up here in Cleveland. Guess I'll have to make do with the youtube videos until the docs they were working on last night come out on dvd...

  44. #394
    GrinReaper Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by racingfan View Post
    Cool, I just discovered this thread. I was wondering how the concert went. So, was Bopper Jr there? I can't believe there wasn't more TV coverage or even some reruns of old documentaries shown last night -- at least, I couldn't find anything up here in Cleveland. Guess I'll have to make do with the youtube videos until the docs they were working on last night come out on dvd...
    Yeah. Are there any TV stations or cable showing "The Buddy Holly Story" or "La Bamba" anywhere?

  45. #395
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by GrinReaper View Post
    Yeah. Are there any TV stations or cable showing "The Buddy Holly Story" or "La Bamba" anywhere?
    VH1 Classic is showing La Bamba @ 8pm EST tonight. I searched every channel hoping to see it on because I've loved that movie since I was a kid.

  46. #396
    fultondyke Guest
    RIP Buddy, Ritchie, and J.P.!!! It's been 50 years, but you are not forgotten!

  47. #397
    Vintage_Vixen Guest
    Wow....50 years...the boys will be forever young...and never forgotten.
    RIP Buddy, Ritchie & JP

  48. #398
    Bee1001 Guest
    This day always makes me sad. I caught the tail end of La Bamba last night and almost cried. I haven't been able to catch The Buddy Holly Story anywhere. I noticed earlier someone said PBS was going to air something? Does anyone know when that is?

  49. #399
    Outlier Guest
    http://tinyurl.com/cu263f

    Buddy Holly: Rare and Unseen Photographs

  50. #400
    jz63 Guest
    Amazing Buddy holly phonecall... The story of this is wild... Buddy takling to Decca records in 1957
    http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2009/0...-line-one.html

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