1934 Little Milton*
1936 Buddy Holly*
1939Benjamin "Benny" Latimore*
1953 Niki Buzz*
1957 Henry Harris aka South Side Slim*
1961 Greyhound George
1980 Blind Arvella Gray+
1982 Mher Vardikyan*
1993 Lefty Dizz+
2006 Bonnie Lee+
Joseph Parsons*
Norman Jackson*
1936 Buddy Holly*
1939Benjamin "Benny" Latimore*
1953 Niki Buzz*
1957 Henry Harris aka South Side Slim*
1961 Greyhound George
1980 Blind Arvella Gray+
1982 Mher Vardikyan*
1993 Lefty Dizz+
2006 Bonnie Lee+
Joseph Parsons*
Norman Jackson*
Buddy Holly *07.09.1936
Als "Day when music died" bezeichnete Don McLean in seinem Hit "American Pie" den 3. Februar 1959. Damals starb mit Buddy Holly einer der einflussreichsten Musiker des Rock’n’Rolls. Nicht nur als Sänger sondern auch als Komponist solcher Klassiker wie "Not Fade Away", "That'll Be The Day" oder "Peggy Sue" bleibt er in Erinnerung.
Wo ist Buddy Hollys Brille jetzt?" fragten die Ärzte vor vielen Jahren in einem ihrer Lieder. Sie ließen die Antwort offen. Die gnadenlos unmoderne Brille fällt auf Bildern dieses Sängers und Komponisten zuerst auf. Doch man muss nur eine seiner Platten auflegen und versteht unmittelbar, dass es nicht so sehr das optische Hilfsmittel ist, was wir in der heutigen Musik so sehr vermissen, sondern die großartige Fähigkeit in weniger als drei Minuten komplette Geschichten aus dem Leben zu erzählen, die vollkommen zeitlos auch noch heute wirken können.
Als am 3. Februar 1959 bei einem Schneesturm im US-Bundesstaat Iowa eine kleine Propellermaschine zerschellte, starben drei Musiker, die gemeinsam auf der Rückreise von einem Konzert waren. The Big Bopper ist nur noch beinharten Rock'n'Roll-Fans bekannt. Richie Valens wird immer mal wieder mit seinem Hit "La Bamba" gespielt. Doch es war Buddy Hollys Tod, der 1971 Don McLean dazu brachte, das Datum als "Day the music died" zu klassifizieren. Und noch heute nennen zahlreiche Musiker den Man mit der Brille als eines ihrer Vorbilder. So haben die Rolling Stones nicht nur 1964 "Not fade Away" als Single veröffentlicht. Noch bei ihrer Tournee 1994/95 eröffneten sie jedes ihrer Konzerte mit diesem Stück. Auch Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles oder selbst Madonna bekennen sich zum Mann mit der unmöglichen Brille.
Geboren wurde er als Charles Hardin „Buddy“ Holley am 7. September 1936 in Lubbock, Texas in einer musikalischen Familie. Schon als Kind lernte er Klavier, Gitarre und Geige zu spielen. 1949 gründete er mit seinem Freund Bob Montgomery das Country-Duo Buddy & Bob. Gemeinsam spielten sie Country und Bluegrass. Doch nachdem er 1955 Elvis in Lubbock live erlebt hatte, wandte er sich der Rockmusik zu. Bald schon eröffnete er Konzerte etwa für Bill Haley. Und 1956 bekam er von Decca einen Schallplattenvertrag angeboten. Nach seiner ersten Singleproduktion gründete er seine Begleitband, The Crickets. Mit der Gruppe gelang ihm das für Weiße seinerzeit noch große Kunststück, das Harlemer Apollo-Theater, ein rein schwarzes Lokal, für sich zu gewinnen.
Dann folgte eine Solo-Tour, gemeinsam mit Valens, The Big Bopper und Teenie-Schwarm Dion. Am 2. Februar gastierte die Show im Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Danach charterte Holly eine Beechcraft Bonanza, um mit seiner Begleitband nach Fargo in North Dakota zu fliegen, wo der nächste Auftritt geplant war. Das Flugzeug stürzte in einem Schneesturm mit Windspitzen um 270 km/h nach wenigen Minuten ab. Die Musiker und der Pilot waren sofort tot. Allerdings hatte Holly so viele Titel schon aufgenommen, dass noch zehn Jahre nach seinem Tod von der Plattenfirma neue Titel veröffentlicht werden konnten.
Für die damalige Zeit war Hollys Musik reichlich unkonventionell. Auch wenn er die klassische Bandbesetzung (zwei Gitarren, Bass, Schlagzeug) für die Rockmusik populär gemacht hat, setzte er auch abseitigere Instrumente ein, um die Stimmung der Songs zu untermalen. Beispiel dafür ist etwa die Celesta bei "Everyday". Daneben war er auch ein einflussreicher Rhythmus- und Leadgitarrist. Und mit seinem Image als "Netter Junge von Nebenan" machte er seine "Boy liebt Girl"-Songgeschichten wesentlich komplexer und anspruchsvoller, als zahlreiche Lohnschreiber damals und auch heute.
Ach so - seine Brille wurde lange nach Abschluss der Untersuchungen zum Flugzeugabsturz erst seiner Familie mit den anderen Hinterlassenschaften zurückgegeben.
Wo ist Buddy Hollys Brille jetzt?" fragten die Ärzte vor vielen Jahren in einem ihrer Lieder. Sie ließen die Antwort offen. Die gnadenlos unmoderne Brille fällt auf Bildern dieses Sängers und Komponisten zuerst auf. Doch man muss nur eine seiner Platten auflegen und versteht unmittelbar, dass es nicht so sehr das optische Hilfsmittel ist, was wir in der heutigen Musik so sehr vermissen, sondern die großartige Fähigkeit in weniger als drei Minuten komplette Geschichten aus dem Leben zu erzählen, die vollkommen zeitlos auch noch heute wirken können.
Als am 3. Februar 1959 bei einem Schneesturm im US-Bundesstaat Iowa eine kleine Propellermaschine zerschellte, starben drei Musiker, die gemeinsam auf der Rückreise von einem Konzert waren. The Big Bopper ist nur noch beinharten Rock'n'Roll-Fans bekannt. Richie Valens wird immer mal wieder mit seinem Hit "La Bamba" gespielt. Doch es war Buddy Hollys Tod, der 1971 Don McLean dazu brachte, das Datum als "Day the music died" zu klassifizieren. Und noch heute nennen zahlreiche Musiker den Man mit der Brille als eines ihrer Vorbilder. So haben die Rolling Stones nicht nur 1964 "Not fade Away" als Single veröffentlicht. Noch bei ihrer Tournee 1994/95 eröffneten sie jedes ihrer Konzerte mit diesem Stück. Auch Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles oder selbst Madonna bekennen sich zum Mann mit der unmöglichen Brille.
Geboren wurde er als Charles Hardin „Buddy“ Holley am 7. September 1936 in Lubbock, Texas in einer musikalischen Familie. Schon als Kind lernte er Klavier, Gitarre und Geige zu spielen. 1949 gründete er mit seinem Freund Bob Montgomery das Country-Duo Buddy & Bob. Gemeinsam spielten sie Country und Bluegrass. Doch nachdem er 1955 Elvis in Lubbock live erlebt hatte, wandte er sich der Rockmusik zu. Bald schon eröffnete er Konzerte etwa für Bill Haley. Und 1956 bekam er von Decca einen Schallplattenvertrag angeboten. Nach seiner ersten Singleproduktion gründete er seine Begleitband, The Crickets. Mit der Gruppe gelang ihm das für Weiße seinerzeit noch große Kunststück, das Harlemer Apollo-Theater, ein rein schwarzes Lokal, für sich zu gewinnen.
Dann folgte eine Solo-Tour, gemeinsam mit Valens, The Big Bopper und Teenie-Schwarm Dion. Am 2. Februar gastierte die Show im Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Danach charterte Holly eine Beechcraft Bonanza, um mit seiner Begleitband nach Fargo in North Dakota zu fliegen, wo der nächste Auftritt geplant war. Das Flugzeug stürzte in einem Schneesturm mit Windspitzen um 270 km/h nach wenigen Minuten ab. Die Musiker und der Pilot waren sofort tot. Allerdings hatte Holly so viele Titel schon aufgenommen, dass noch zehn Jahre nach seinem Tod von der Plattenfirma neue Titel veröffentlicht werden konnten.
Für die damalige Zeit war Hollys Musik reichlich unkonventionell. Auch wenn er die klassische Bandbesetzung (zwei Gitarren, Bass, Schlagzeug) für die Rockmusik populär gemacht hat, setzte er auch abseitigere Instrumente ein, um die Stimmung der Songs zu untermalen. Beispiel dafür ist etwa die Celesta bei "Everyday". Daneben war er auch ein einflussreicher Rhythmus- und Leadgitarrist. Und mit seinem Image als "Netter Junge von Nebenan" machte er seine "Boy liebt Girl"-Songgeschichten wesentlich komplexer und anspruchsvoller, als zahlreiche Lohnschreiber damals und auch heute.
Ach so - seine Brille wurde lange nach Abschluss der Untersuchungen zum Flugzeugabsturz erst seiner Familie mit den anderen Hinterlassenschaften zurückgegeben.
Buddy Holly (bürgerlich Charles Hardin Holley; * 7. September 1936 in Lubbock, Texas, USA; † 3. Februar 1959 bei Mason City, Iowa) war ein US-amerikanischer Rock-’n’-Roll-Musiker und -Songschreiber. Zu seinen bekanntesten Titeln gehören That’ll Be the Day, Peggy Sue, Oh Boy! und It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.
Biografie
Geboren und aufgewachsen in Lubbock im westlichen Texas trat Holly (damals noch mit bürgerlichem Nachnamen Holley) bereits im Alter von 13 Jahren bei kleineren Veranstaltungen auf. Er war das jüngste von vier Kindern und entstammte einer musikalischen Familie. Mit 15 Jahren spielte er bereits Gitarre, Banjo und Mandoline und bildete mit seinem Freund Bob Montgomery das Duo „Buddy and Bob“.
Anfänge
In diese Zeit fallen auch Hollys erste Versuche als Songschreiber mit Montgomery sowie ab 1952 zahlreiche Demo-Aufnahmen eigener Kompositionen der beiden. 1954 und 1955 hielten sie sogar Sessions im Nesman Recording Studio in Wichita Falls, Texas ab, wo unter anderem die Montgomery-Kompositionen Gotta Get You Near Me Blues, Soft Place in My Heart und Door to My Heart aufgenommen wurden. Ab 1955 spielten sie mit dem Bassisten Larry Welborn zusammen, der bald von Jerry Allison am Schlagzeug unterstützt wurde. Anfang des Jahres trat das Duo als Vorgruppe von Elvis Presley und Bill Haley auf, was einen bleibenden Eindruck auf den jungen Holly hinterließ. In dieser Zeit wurde er stark vom Blues und Rhythm and Blues beeinflusst und war der Meinung, dass diese beiden Genres mit Country-Musik vereinbar seien. Holly und Montgomery nannten ihre Musik daher auch „Western & Bop“.
Im Herbst 1955 verließ Montgomery, der mehr in Richtung traditioneller Country-Musik tendierte, das Duo, komponierte aber weiterhin Songs mit Holly. Dieser spielte daraufhin weiter mit Allison und Welborn sowie mit Gitarrist Sonny Curtis und Bassist Don Guess. Zusammen mit Ben Hall traten Holly und die Band auch bei den Radiosendern KSEL und KDAV auf.
Erste Erfolge
Buddy Hollys professionelle Karriere begann Ende 1955, als er von dem Talentsucher Jim Denny entdeckt wurde. Am 7. Dezember 1955 wurden im Nesman Recording Studio Demo-Aufnahmen gemacht, die zu Decca Records geschickt wurden. Seine ersten Aufnahmen für Decca Records sang Holly am 26. Januar 1956 unter Zeitdruck ein. Es begleiteten ihn Sonny Curtis an der E-Gitarre, der Studiomusiker Grady Martin an der Gitarre, Don Guess am Kontrabass und Jerry Allison am Schlagzeug. Aus dieser Session wurden das von Holly und Sue Parrish komponierte Love Me sowie Ben Halls Blue Days – Black Nights veröffentlicht. Das Billboard Magazine urteilte in seiner Ausgabe vom 21. April 1956 wie folgt über Love Me: Cedarwood succumbs to rock and roll, too. If the public will take more than one Presley or Perkins, as it well may, Holly stands a strong chance. Die B-Seite wurde ähnlich gut bewertet: Warbler, tune, guitar, etc., are patterned very closely after Elvis Presley. Good material and fine production on both sides. Should do fine.[1] Trotz der vielversprechenden Voraussagen von Billboard erreichte die Single nicht die Charts.
1956 spielten Holly und seine Band entweder in Bradley’s Studio A oder in Norman Pettys Studio in Clovis, New Mexico zahlreiche weitere Songs ein, darunter die erste Version von dem späteren Hit That’ll Be the Day. Diese Version, die deutlicher dem Rockabilly entsprach, wurde von Decca jedoch zurückgehalten, da man aufgrund von Hollys heiserer Stimme und einem zu dominanten Echo-Effekt mit der Aufnahme unzufrieden war. Ende 1956 veröffentlichte Decca Hollys zweite Single Modern Don Juan zusammen mit You Are My One Desire. Aufgrund des fehlenden Erfolges verlor Decca im weiteren Verlauf des Jahres das Interesse an einer Zusammenarbeit und verlängerte den Vertrag nicht.
Holly suchte daraufhin nach einem für seine musikalischen Ideen geeigneten Produzenten. Seit dem Frühjahr hatten er und seine Band in Norman Pettys Studio zahlreiche Demobänder aufgenommen und fortan entwickelte sich aus der Zusammenarbeit mit Petty eine neue Perspektive für die Band. Gitarrist Sonny Curtis wurde Ende 1956 gegen Niki Sullivan ausgewechselt, während Don Guess erst von Larry Welborn am Bass vertreten und später im Frühjahr 1957 durch Joe B. Mauldin ersetzt wurde. Am 25. Februar 1957 spielten Holly am Mikrofon und an der E-Gitarre und seine Band, bestehend aus Larry Welborn am Bass und Jerry Allison am Schlagzeug erneut das Stück That’ll Be the Day ein, das Petty für vielversprechend hielt. Die Titelzeile entnahm Holly dem im Vorjahr erschienenen sehr erfolgreichen John Ford-Western The Searchers (deutsch: Der Schwarze Falke), in welchem Hauptdarsteller John Wayne diesen Ausspruch mehrmals tätigt (deutsch: Der Tag wird kommen). Als B-Seite wurde Hollys Eigenkomposition I’m Looking for Someone to Love aufgenommen. Diese Aufnahmen waren zunächst nicht zur Veröffentlichung gedacht, gelangten aber dennoch in die Produktion und auf den Markt, da man sie für Master-Bänder hielt.
Durch Murray Deutsch, einen befreundeten Verlagsmitarbeiter Pettys, gelangten die Bänder zu Bob Thiele, einem leitenden Angestellten von Coral Records, der ebenfalls Potenzial in den Aufnahmen sah. Jedoch gab es vor der Veröffentlichung einige Hürden: Hollys Decca-Vertrag erlaubte es ihm nicht, Stücke einzuspielen, die er bereits für Decca aufgenommen hatte. Zudem war Coral ein Tochterunternehmen von Decca, so dass die Veröffentlichung der Single schnell hätte gestoppt werden können. Trotz alledem konnte Thiele sich durchsetzten und That’ll Be the Day mit I’m Looking for Someone to Love im Mai 1957 auf Brunswick Records erscheinen, einen weiteren Tochterlabel von Decca, das sich eher auf Jazz und Rhythm and Blues konzentrierte. Jedoch wurde die Platte unter dem Bandnamen The Crickets veröffentlicht, um Hollys Mitarbeit zu verschleiern und Decca zu täuschen.[2] Auf den Namen für die Band sollen alle gemeinsam gekommen sein, weil über den Aufnahmen von leisen Musikpassagen in Pettys kleinem Studio immer das Zirpen von Grillen (engl. Crickets) zu hören war. Trotz der Namensänderung wurde Decca darauf aufmerksam, so dass sich ein Rechtsstreit anbahnte.
Durchbruch
Im Sommer 1957 zeigte sich, dass Thiele recht behalten sollte und That’ll Be the Day zu einem Hit wurde. Nach einer guten Bewertung von Billboard im Juni („Fine vocal by the group on a well-made side that should get play. Tune is a medium-beat rockabilly. Performance is better than material.“)[3] erreichte der Song Platz eins der Billboard Hot 100. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt wusste Decca bereits, dass Holly der Sänger war, konnte sich jedoch von Bob Thiele überzeugen lassen, ihn aus seinem Vertrag zu entlassen. Gleichzeitig veröffentlichte man nun auch die ältere, 1956 eingespielte Version von That’ll Be the Day, um vom Erfolg Hollys zu profitieren.
Da Petty vom kommerziellen Erfolg seiner Schützlinge überzeugt war, schlug er vor, spätere Schallplatten zweigleisig zu veröffentlichen. Thiele stimmte zu, und Holly bekam einen separaten Plattenvertrag mit Coral Records, so dass nun folglich Aufnahmen bei Brunswick unter dem Namen The Crickets und bei Coral unter Hollys Namen veröffentlicht wurden. Petty wurde zeitgleich mit dem Erfolg von That’ll Be the Day auch Manager der Crickets. In ihm hatte Holly zudem jemanden gefunden, der für innovative Studioexperimente offen war. Holly arbeitete zum Beispiel gerne mit der Technik des Overdubbing oder ersetzte, wie auf Everyday zu hören ist, das Schlagzeug durch das Schlagen der Hände auf die Oberschenkel und ein Glockenspiel.
Die nächste erfolgreiche Produktion folgte am 29. Juni 1957 in Pettys Studio mit Peggy Sue. Veröffentlicht im späten Sommer desselben Jahres, erschien der Song zusammen mit Everyday nun unter Hollys Namen auf dem Coral-Label und erreichte im Anschluss Platz drei der Billboard-Charts. Fast auf Anhieb waren That’ll Be the Day und Peggy Sue im Sommer 1957 weltweite Erfolge geworden. Es folgten erfolgreiche Tourneen und mehrere Fernsehauftritte in den Vereinigten Staaten und in Großbritannien.
1958 heiratete Buddy Holly Maria Elena Santiago (* 1935), der er schon zur ersten Verabredung einen Heiratsantrag gemacht hatte. Kurz darauf trennte er sich von den Crickets und Norman Petty. Die anderen Gruppenmitglieder erhielten von ihm die Namensrechte und konnten somit weiterhin unter dem Namen Crickets auftreten. 1958 erschienen mit It’s So Easy und Think It Over noch zwei Crickets-Singles mit Buddy Holly. Als Solokünstler veröffentlichte Holly im selben Jahr Rave On, Early in the Morning und Well… All Right. Im Sommer 1958 erwarb Holly eine eigene Bandmaschine und produzierte seine Musik-Demos fortan selbst. Er plante, Schauspielunterricht zu nehmen, ein eigenes Musikstudio zu bauen, und begann als unabhängiger Produzent andere Künstler zu fördern. Im Oktober 1958 nahm Holly in New York vier Stücke mit Orchesterbegleitung auf: True Love Ways, Moondreams, Raining in My Heart und It Doesn’t Matter Anymore
Im Dezember 1958 und Januar 1959 bereitete sich Holly auf ein neues Album vor und komponierte eine Reihe von Liedern, von denen er Demoversionen aufnahm, so die Stücke Peggy Sue Got Married, That’s What They Say, Crying Waiting Hoping und Learning the Game. Im Januar 1959 begann er mit seiner neuen Band (zu der auch der Bassist Waylon Jennings gehörte) eine US-Tournee mit anderen bekannten Künstlern, darunter Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper (Künstlername von Jiles Perry Richardson) und Frankie Sardo. Sein letztes Konzert spielt er am Abend vor seinem Tod im „Surf Ballroom“ in Clear Lake (Iowa).
Tod
Am 3. Februar 1959 kamen Holly, Valens und The Big Bopper auf dem Weg zu ihrem nächsten Auftritt in Moorhead bei einem Flugzeugabsturz – vermutlich verursacht durch einen Instrumentenablesefehler des Piloten – in der Nähe von Mason City ums Leben.
1971 setzte Don McLean diesem Unglück in seinem Lied American Pie ein Denkmal, als er diesen Tag mit der Textzeile „The Day the Music Died“ den Tag nannte, „an dem die Musik starb“.
Die beim Absturz verstreuten Habseligkeiten, darunter Hollys blutige Brille, wurden von der Bundespolizei sichergestellt, um die Absturzursache klären zu können. Sie gerieten in Vergessenheit und wurden den Familien der Absturzopfer erst Jahre später übergeben. Die laufende Tournee wurde von Jimmy Clanton und Frankie Avalon beendet. Holly wurde vier Tage später in seiner Heimatstadt beigesetzt. Am 24. April 1959 erreichte sein Song It Doesn’t Matter Anymore die Spitze der britischen Charts und blieb dort drei Wochen lang. 1986 wurde Holly postum in die „Rock and Roll Hall of Fame“ aufgenommen.
Equipment
Die Gitarre, mit der Buddy Holly meistens in Verbindung gebracht wird, ist die Fender Stratocaster. Er besaß fünf verschiedene Exemplare, von denen ihm die meisten kurz nach ihrem Erwerb gestohlen wurden. An akustischen Gitarren setzte er eine Gibson J-45, eine Gibson „Jumbo“, sowie eine Guild Navarre ein.[4]
Holly verwendete auf der Bühne und im Studio ausschließlich Verstärker von Fender. Anfangs benutzte er einen Fender Pro, später wechselte er zum deutlich stärkeren Fender Bassman, der Pro kam aber noch bei kleineren Gigs zum Einsatz. Kurz vor seinem Tod bekam er von Fender zwei „Twin“-Verstärker im Zuge eines Endorser-Vertrages geschenkt. Als Mikrofon setzte er live oft ein Shure 55 ein, im Studio dagegen ein Modell von Telefunken.[4]
Postumer Fankult
Hollys Heimatstadt Lubbock reagierte erst spät auf die Tatsache, dass sie einen der herausragendsten Künstler der Rock'n'Roll-Epoche hervorgebracht hat. Inzwischen gibt es in Lubbock einen Buddy Holly Park, eine Buddy Holly Avenue und das Buddy Holly Center. Dort ist ein Museum entstanden, das einerseits viele Erinnerungsstücke zum Thema Buddy Holly zeigt, andererseits aber auch Begegnungsstätte für Fans zu verschiedenen Anlässen ist. Ferner gibt es in Lubbock eine Themenstadtführung und eine Buddy-Holly-Statue. Sein Grab auf dem Friedhof in Lubbock ist eine Pilgerstätte für Fans.
An der Absturzstelle des Flugzeuges, einer damals zwölf Jahre alten Beechcraft Bonanza, in der Holly, seine Freunde und der Pilot Roger Peterson starben, ließ Holly-Fan Ken Paquette ein Edelstahlmonument aufstellen, das aus einer Gitarre und drei Schallplatten besteht.[5]
1988 gab die Deutsche Bundespost eine Buddy-Holly-Briefmarke heraus.
Am 7. September 2011 wurde Holly mit einem Stern auf dem Hollywood Walk of Fame geehrt. An der Zeremonie nahmen unter anderem Hollys Witwe sowie Phil Everly teil.[6]
Gedenkveranstaltungen
Jedes Jahr finden zahlreiche Gedenkveranstaltungen statt, wie beispielsweise die Buddy Holly Week, die Paul McCartney organisiert hatte oder die Winter Dance Party, die alle Stationen Hollys letzter Tournee einbezieht und im Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake (Iowa) endet, wo sein letzter Auftritt stattfand. Auch das Clovis Music Festival und die Fifties in February erinnern an Buddy Holly.
Film, Musical und Tribute-Shows
Buddy Hollys Leben wurde verfilmt, wofür Gary Busey für einen Oscar nominiert wurde und als Musical u. a. am Broadway und im Theater im Hafen Hamburg sowie im Colosseum Theater in Essen aufgeführt. Weitere Produktionen sind Shows wie A Tribute to Buddy und die Buddy Holly Rock ’n’ Roll Show.
Reminiszenzen anderer Künstler
Nach seinem Tod widmeten sich auch andere Künstler dem Thema Buddy Holly: Die Ärzte sangen über Buddy Hollys Brille, Bernd Begemann den Titel Buddy, nimm lieber den Bus, und Weezer schrieben einen Tribut-Song namens Buddy Holly. Weitere Stücke über Holly sind Eddie Cochrans Three Stars, Mike Berrys Tribute to Buddy Holly, Alvin Stardusts I Feel Like Buddy Holly, das von Mike Batt geschrieben wurde, Gyllene Tiders schwedischer Song Ska vi älska så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly oder Garland Jeffreys Hail Hail Rock'n'Roll.
Graham Nash nannte die Bewunderung für Buddy Holly als einen Grund für die Wahl des Bandnamens The Hollies.[7] 2011 kam zum 75. Geburtstag eine CD Listen To Me: Buddy Holly mit Coverversionen seiner Lieder von bekannten Musikern wie Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr und Chris Isaak heraus.[8]
Werk
Hollys Einfluss auf die Entwicklung der Rockmusik war beträchtlich. Er war der erste erfolgreiche Musiker, der die Standard-Formation einer Rockband mit Leadgitarre, Rhythmusgitarre, Bass und Schlagzeug etablierte, was die Beatles so übernahmen. Paul McCartney erwarb alle Verlagsrechte an Hollys Kompositionen, und bei der Welt-Tournee 1994/1995 eröffneten die Rolling Stones jedes Konzert mit dem Holly-Stück Not Fade Away, das sie 1964 schon als Single veröffentlicht hatten. Die Beatles – damals noch unter dem Namen The Quarrymen – nahmen 1958 für eine selbstproduzierte Single Buddy Hollys größten Hit, That’ll be the Day (veröffentlicht auf der Beatles Anthology), auf. Sie erklärten, dass die ersten 40 Titel, die sie komponiert hatten, unter dem direkten Einfluss von Buddy Hollys Musik geschrieben wurden.
Buddy Holly schrieb fast alle seine Stücke selbst, von denen viele musikalisch anspruchsvoller waren als andere Titel dieser Zeit. Seine Stücke wurden auch von anderen Musikern nachgespielt. Einer der ersten war Bobby Vee, der beim Konzert am Tag des Unglücks für Buddy Holly einsprang und dessen Titel sang. Erfolgreich war auch Linda Ronstadt mit ihrer Fassung von That'll Be the Day. Das Lied Peggy Sue Got Married lieferte den Titel für den gleichnamigen Film Peggy Sue hat geheiratet mit Kathleen Turner.
Im Studio griff Holly oft auf die Technik des Overdubbings zurück, das heißt, er fügte eine oder mehrere Tonaufnahmen über eine bereits bestehende Tonaufnahme hinzu. Damit konnte Holly mit sich selbst im Duett singen; beispielhaft für diese Aufnahmetechnik ist der Titel Words of Love. Zudem war Holly nach der Trennung von den Crickets und Norman Petty der erste erfolgreiche Independent-Musiker, der seine Stücke unabhängig von Plattenfirmen selbst produzierte.
Buddy Holly war ein sehr produktiver Künstler, was das Schreiben und Aufnehmen betraf, wenn meist auch nur in Form von Demoaufnahmen. So nahm er zwischen 1953 und 1959 zahlreiche Stücke privat, (Good Rockin’ Tonight, Rip It Up, Blue Suede Shoes, Two Timin’ Woman, Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie, Smokey Joe’s Cafe), im Studio (Love’s Made a Fool of You, Baby Won’t You Come Out Tonight, Because I Love You, Bo Diddley, Brown Eyed Handsome Man) oder auch nicht verwendete Master (Reminiscing, Come Back Baby, That’s My Desire) auf, was viel Raum für jahrelange Veröffentlichungen, überarbeitet und in der Rohfassung, gab. So wurden 1959/1960 sechs Eigenkompositionen, die Holly als Demos aufgenommen hatte, überarbeitet und veröffentlicht. Seit 1962 erschienen regelmäßig Alben von Holly mit Aufnahmen, die Norman Petty nachträglich mit mehr oder weniger Erfolg kommerzialisierte. Diese Aufnahmen erschienen auf den Alben Showcase, Giant, Holly in the Hills, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore und Reminiscing. Ab den 1980ern erschienen immer mehr Bootlegs mit den Originalfassungen der Stücke. Außerdem hatte Buddy Holly ab 1953 immer wieder als Gastmusiker bei Aufnahmen anderer Künstler mitgewirkt.
Postume Veröffentlichungen
Auch lange nach dem Tod des Künstlers existiert eine treue Fangemeinde, die weiter mit seiner Musik lebt. Die anhaltende Bedeutung Hollys zeigt sich in regelmäßigen Wiederveröffentlichungen seiner Werke. Neben den LPs, CDs und MCs, die schon seit Jahrzehnten in Fankreisen kursieren, hat das Medium DVD bereits einen großen Stellenwert eingenommen. Alte Aufnahmen aus dem US-Fernsehen, der Film Die Buddy Holly Story oder auch Gedenksendungen sind mittlerweile erhältlich.
Im Oktober 2004 kam eine CD mit dem Titel: Stay all night – The Country Roots of Buddy Holly auf den Markt. Im Juni 2005 brachte die Firma Universal Music eine DVD mit CD heraus: The Music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, die die Karriere des Rock-’n’-Roll-Pioniers in Bild und Ton nachzeichnet. Im September 2007 veröffentlichte die Firma Rollercoaster Records eine 2-CD-Box mit dem Titel Ohh, Annie!, auf der durch Zufall entdeckte, bisher unveröffentlichte Aufnahmen von Buddy Holly aus dem Jahr 1956 neben den bekannteren in technisch verbesserter Tonqualität enthalten sind.
Kurz vor seinem Tod hatte Holly in seinem New Yorker Apartment auf Tonband die „Apartment Tapes“ aufgezeichnet. Nur von seiner Gibson-Akustikgitarre begleitet, erlebt man hier den Sänger unplugged. Diese Titel wurden offiziell nur auf einer 9-LP-Box veröffentlicht, nie auf CD. Dies öffnete einem grauen Markt Tür und Tor; es kursierten unzählige Pressungen, auf denen die Lieder veröffentlicht wurden. Erst 2009 schloss Geffen mit Buddy Holly – Not Fade Away mit CDs und Buch diese Lücke.
Biografie
Geboren und aufgewachsen in Lubbock im westlichen Texas trat Holly (damals noch mit bürgerlichem Nachnamen Holley) bereits im Alter von 13 Jahren bei kleineren Veranstaltungen auf. Er war das jüngste von vier Kindern und entstammte einer musikalischen Familie. Mit 15 Jahren spielte er bereits Gitarre, Banjo und Mandoline und bildete mit seinem Freund Bob Montgomery das Duo „Buddy and Bob“.
Anfänge
In diese Zeit fallen auch Hollys erste Versuche als Songschreiber mit Montgomery sowie ab 1952 zahlreiche Demo-Aufnahmen eigener Kompositionen der beiden. 1954 und 1955 hielten sie sogar Sessions im Nesman Recording Studio in Wichita Falls, Texas ab, wo unter anderem die Montgomery-Kompositionen Gotta Get You Near Me Blues, Soft Place in My Heart und Door to My Heart aufgenommen wurden. Ab 1955 spielten sie mit dem Bassisten Larry Welborn zusammen, der bald von Jerry Allison am Schlagzeug unterstützt wurde. Anfang des Jahres trat das Duo als Vorgruppe von Elvis Presley und Bill Haley auf, was einen bleibenden Eindruck auf den jungen Holly hinterließ. In dieser Zeit wurde er stark vom Blues und Rhythm and Blues beeinflusst und war der Meinung, dass diese beiden Genres mit Country-Musik vereinbar seien. Holly und Montgomery nannten ihre Musik daher auch „Western & Bop“.
Im Herbst 1955 verließ Montgomery, der mehr in Richtung traditioneller Country-Musik tendierte, das Duo, komponierte aber weiterhin Songs mit Holly. Dieser spielte daraufhin weiter mit Allison und Welborn sowie mit Gitarrist Sonny Curtis und Bassist Don Guess. Zusammen mit Ben Hall traten Holly und die Band auch bei den Radiosendern KSEL und KDAV auf.
Erste Erfolge
Buddy Hollys professionelle Karriere begann Ende 1955, als er von dem Talentsucher Jim Denny entdeckt wurde. Am 7. Dezember 1955 wurden im Nesman Recording Studio Demo-Aufnahmen gemacht, die zu Decca Records geschickt wurden. Seine ersten Aufnahmen für Decca Records sang Holly am 26. Januar 1956 unter Zeitdruck ein. Es begleiteten ihn Sonny Curtis an der E-Gitarre, der Studiomusiker Grady Martin an der Gitarre, Don Guess am Kontrabass und Jerry Allison am Schlagzeug. Aus dieser Session wurden das von Holly und Sue Parrish komponierte Love Me sowie Ben Halls Blue Days – Black Nights veröffentlicht. Das Billboard Magazine urteilte in seiner Ausgabe vom 21. April 1956 wie folgt über Love Me: Cedarwood succumbs to rock and roll, too. If the public will take more than one Presley or Perkins, as it well may, Holly stands a strong chance. Die B-Seite wurde ähnlich gut bewertet: Warbler, tune, guitar, etc., are patterned very closely after Elvis Presley. Good material and fine production on both sides. Should do fine.[1] Trotz der vielversprechenden Voraussagen von Billboard erreichte die Single nicht die Charts.
1956 spielten Holly und seine Band entweder in Bradley’s Studio A oder in Norman Pettys Studio in Clovis, New Mexico zahlreiche weitere Songs ein, darunter die erste Version von dem späteren Hit That’ll Be the Day. Diese Version, die deutlicher dem Rockabilly entsprach, wurde von Decca jedoch zurückgehalten, da man aufgrund von Hollys heiserer Stimme und einem zu dominanten Echo-Effekt mit der Aufnahme unzufrieden war. Ende 1956 veröffentlichte Decca Hollys zweite Single Modern Don Juan zusammen mit You Are My One Desire. Aufgrund des fehlenden Erfolges verlor Decca im weiteren Verlauf des Jahres das Interesse an einer Zusammenarbeit und verlängerte den Vertrag nicht.
Holly suchte daraufhin nach einem für seine musikalischen Ideen geeigneten Produzenten. Seit dem Frühjahr hatten er und seine Band in Norman Pettys Studio zahlreiche Demobänder aufgenommen und fortan entwickelte sich aus der Zusammenarbeit mit Petty eine neue Perspektive für die Band. Gitarrist Sonny Curtis wurde Ende 1956 gegen Niki Sullivan ausgewechselt, während Don Guess erst von Larry Welborn am Bass vertreten und später im Frühjahr 1957 durch Joe B. Mauldin ersetzt wurde. Am 25. Februar 1957 spielten Holly am Mikrofon und an der E-Gitarre und seine Band, bestehend aus Larry Welborn am Bass und Jerry Allison am Schlagzeug erneut das Stück That’ll Be the Day ein, das Petty für vielversprechend hielt. Die Titelzeile entnahm Holly dem im Vorjahr erschienenen sehr erfolgreichen John Ford-Western The Searchers (deutsch: Der Schwarze Falke), in welchem Hauptdarsteller John Wayne diesen Ausspruch mehrmals tätigt (deutsch: Der Tag wird kommen). Als B-Seite wurde Hollys Eigenkomposition I’m Looking for Someone to Love aufgenommen. Diese Aufnahmen waren zunächst nicht zur Veröffentlichung gedacht, gelangten aber dennoch in die Produktion und auf den Markt, da man sie für Master-Bänder hielt.
Durch Murray Deutsch, einen befreundeten Verlagsmitarbeiter Pettys, gelangten die Bänder zu Bob Thiele, einem leitenden Angestellten von Coral Records, der ebenfalls Potenzial in den Aufnahmen sah. Jedoch gab es vor der Veröffentlichung einige Hürden: Hollys Decca-Vertrag erlaubte es ihm nicht, Stücke einzuspielen, die er bereits für Decca aufgenommen hatte. Zudem war Coral ein Tochterunternehmen von Decca, so dass die Veröffentlichung der Single schnell hätte gestoppt werden können. Trotz alledem konnte Thiele sich durchsetzten und That’ll Be the Day mit I’m Looking for Someone to Love im Mai 1957 auf Brunswick Records erscheinen, einen weiteren Tochterlabel von Decca, das sich eher auf Jazz und Rhythm and Blues konzentrierte. Jedoch wurde die Platte unter dem Bandnamen The Crickets veröffentlicht, um Hollys Mitarbeit zu verschleiern und Decca zu täuschen.[2] Auf den Namen für die Band sollen alle gemeinsam gekommen sein, weil über den Aufnahmen von leisen Musikpassagen in Pettys kleinem Studio immer das Zirpen von Grillen (engl. Crickets) zu hören war. Trotz der Namensänderung wurde Decca darauf aufmerksam, so dass sich ein Rechtsstreit anbahnte.
Durchbruch
Im Sommer 1957 zeigte sich, dass Thiele recht behalten sollte und That’ll Be the Day zu einem Hit wurde. Nach einer guten Bewertung von Billboard im Juni („Fine vocal by the group on a well-made side that should get play. Tune is a medium-beat rockabilly. Performance is better than material.“)[3] erreichte der Song Platz eins der Billboard Hot 100. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt wusste Decca bereits, dass Holly der Sänger war, konnte sich jedoch von Bob Thiele überzeugen lassen, ihn aus seinem Vertrag zu entlassen. Gleichzeitig veröffentlichte man nun auch die ältere, 1956 eingespielte Version von That’ll Be the Day, um vom Erfolg Hollys zu profitieren.
Da Petty vom kommerziellen Erfolg seiner Schützlinge überzeugt war, schlug er vor, spätere Schallplatten zweigleisig zu veröffentlichen. Thiele stimmte zu, und Holly bekam einen separaten Plattenvertrag mit Coral Records, so dass nun folglich Aufnahmen bei Brunswick unter dem Namen The Crickets und bei Coral unter Hollys Namen veröffentlicht wurden. Petty wurde zeitgleich mit dem Erfolg von That’ll Be the Day auch Manager der Crickets. In ihm hatte Holly zudem jemanden gefunden, der für innovative Studioexperimente offen war. Holly arbeitete zum Beispiel gerne mit der Technik des Overdubbing oder ersetzte, wie auf Everyday zu hören ist, das Schlagzeug durch das Schlagen der Hände auf die Oberschenkel und ein Glockenspiel.
Die nächste erfolgreiche Produktion folgte am 29. Juni 1957 in Pettys Studio mit Peggy Sue. Veröffentlicht im späten Sommer desselben Jahres, erschien der Song zusammen mit Everyday nun unter Hollys Namen auf dem Coral-Label und erreichte im Anschluss Platz drei der Billboard-Charts. Fast auf Anhieb waren That’ll Be the Day und Peggy Sue im Sommer 1957 weltweite Erfolge geworden. Es folgten erfolgreiche Tourneen und mehrere Fernsehauftritte in den Vereinigten Staaten und in Großbritannien.
1958 heiratete Buddy Holly Maria Elena Santiago (* 1935), der er schon zur ersten Verabredung einen Heiratsantrag gemacht hatte. Kurz darauf trennte er sich von den Crickets und Norman Petty. Die anderen Gruppenmitglieder erhielten von ihm die Namensrechte und konnten somit weiterhin unter dem Namen Crickets auftreten. 1958 erschienen mit It’s So Easy und Think It Over noch zwei Crickets-Singles mit Buddy Holly. Als Solokünstler veröffentlichte Holly im selben Jahr Rave On, Early in the Morning und Well… All Right. Im Sommer 1958 erwarb Holly eine eigene Bandmaschine und produzierte seine Musik-Demos fortan selbst. Er plante, Schauspielunterricht zu nehmen, ein eigenes Musikstudio zu bauen, und begann als unabhängiger Produzent andere Künstler zu fördern. Im Oktober 1958 nahm Holly in New York vier Stücke mit Orchesterbegleitung auf: True Love Ways, Moondreams, Raining in My Heart und It Doesn’t Matter Anymore
Im Dezember 1958 und Januar 1959 bereitete sich Holly auf ein neues Album vor und komponierte eine Reihe von Liedern, von denen er Demoversionen aufnahm, so die Stücke Peggy Sue Got Married, That’s What They Say, Crying Waiting Hoping und Learning the Game. Im Januar 1959 begann er mit seiner neuen Band (zu der auch der Bassist Waylon Jennings gehörte) eine US-Tournee mit anderen bekannten Künstlern, darunter Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper (Künstlername von Jiles Perry Richardson) und Frankie Sardo. Sein letztes Konzert spielt er am Abend vor seinem Tod im „Surf Ballroom“ in Clear Lake (Iowa).
Tod
Am 3. Februar 1959 kamen Holly, Valens und The Big Bopper auf dem Weg zu ihrem nächsten Auftritt in Moorhead bei einem Flugzeugabsturz – vermutlich verursacht durch einen Instrumentenablesefehler des Piloten – in der Nähe von Mason City ums Leben.
1971 setzte Don McLean diesem Unglück in seinem Lied American Pie ein Denkmal, als er diesen Tag mit der Textzeile „The Day the Music Died“ den Tag nannte, „an dem die Musik starb“.
Die beim Absturz verstreuten Habseligkeiten, darunter Hollys blutige Brille, wurden von der Bundespolizei sichergestellt, um die Absturzursache klären zu können. Sie gerieten in Vergessenheit und wurden den Familien der Absturzopfer erst Jahre später übergeben. Die laufende Tournee wurde von Jimmy Clanton und Frankie Avalon beendet. Holly wurde vier Tage später in seiner Heimatstadt beigesetzt. Am 24. April 1959 erreichte sein Song It Doesn’t Matter Anymore die Spitze der britischen Charts und blieb dort drei Wochen lang. 1986 wurde Holly postum in die „Rock and Roll Hall of Fame“ aufgenommen.
Equipment
Die Gitarre, mit der Buddy Holly meistens in Verbindung gebracht wird, ist die Fender Stratocaster. Er besaß fünf verschiedene Exemplare, von denen ihm die meisten kurz nach ihrem Erwerb gestohlen wurden. An akustischen Gitarren setzte er eine Gibson J-45, eine Gibson „Jumbo“, sowie eine Guild Navarre ein.[4]
Holly verwendete auf der Bühne und im Studio ausschließlich Verstärker von Fender. Anfangs benutzte er einen Fender Pro, später wechselte er zum deutlich stärkeren Fender Bassman, der Pro kam aber noch bei kleineren Gigs zum Einsatz. Kurz vor seinem Tod bekam er von Fender zwei „Twin“-Verstärker im Zuge eines Endorser-Vertrages geschenkt. Als Mikrofon setzte er live oft ein Shure 55 ein, im Studio dagegen ein Modell von Telefunken.[4]
Postumer Fankult
Hollys Heimatstadt Lubbock reagierte erst spät auf die Tatsache, dass sie einen der herausragendsten Künstler der Rock'n'Roll-Epoche hervorgebracht hat. Inzwischen gibt es in Lubbock einen Buddy Holly Park, eine Buddy Holly Avenue und das Buddy Holly Center. Dort ist ein Museum entstanden, das einerseits viele Erinnerungsstücke zum Thema Buddy Holly zeigt, andererseits aber auch Begegnungsstätte für Fans zu verschiedenen Anlässen ist. Ferner gibt es in Lubbock eine Themenstadtführung und eine Buddy-Holly-Statue. Sein Grab auf dem Friedhof in Lubbock ist eine Pilgerstätte für Fans.
An der Absturzstelle des Flugzeuges, einer damals zwölf Jahre alten Beechcraft Bonanza, in der Holly, seine Freunde und der Pilot Roger Peterson starben, ließ Holly-Fan Ken Paquette ein Edelstahlmonument aufstellen, das aus einer Gitarre und drei Schallplatten besteht.[5]
1988 gab die Deutsche Bundespost eine Buddy-Holly-Briefmarke heraus.
Am 7. September 2011 wurde Holly mit einem Stern auf dem Hollywood Walk of Fame geehrt. An der Zeremonie nahmen unter anderem Hollys Witwe sowie Phil Everly teil.[6]
Gedenkveranstaltungen
Jedes Jahr finden zahlreiche Gedenkveranstaltungen statt, wie beispielsweise die Buddy Holly Week, die Paul McCartney organisiert hatte oder die Winter Dance Party, die alle Stationen Hollys letzter Tournee einbezieht und im Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake (Iowa) endet, wo sein letzter Auftritt stattfand. Auch das Clovis Music Festival und die Fifties in February erinnern an Buddy Holly.
Film, Musical und Tribute-Shows
Buddy Hollys Leben wurde verfilmt, wofür Gary Busey für einen Oscar nominiert wurde und als Musical u. a. am Broadway und im Theater im Hafen Hamburg sowie im Colosseum Theater in Essen aufgeführt. Weitere Produktionen sind Shows wie A Tribute to Buddy und die Buddy Holly Rock ’n’ Roll Show.
Reminiszenzen anderer Künstler
Nach seinem Tod widmeten sich auch andere Künstler dem Thema Buddy Holly: Die Ärzte sangen über Buddy Hollys Brille, Bernd Begemann den Titel Buddy, nimm lieber den Bus, und Weezer schrieben einen Tribut-Song namens Buddy Holly. Weitere Stücke über Holly sind Eddie Cochrans Three Stars, Mike Berrys Tribute to Buddy Holly, Alvin Stardusts I Feel Like Buddy Holly, das von Mike Batt geschrieben wurde, Gyllene Tiders schwedischer Song Ska vi älska så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly oder Garland Jeffreys Hail Hail Rock'n'Roll.
Graham Nash nannte die Bewunderung für Buddy Holly als einen Grund für die Wahl des Bandnamens The Hollies.[7] 2011 kam zum 75. Geburtstag eine CD Listen To Me: Buddy Holly mit Coverversionen seiner Lieder von bekannten Musikern wie Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr und Chris Isaak heraus.[8]
Werk
Hollys Einfluss auf die Entwicklung der Rockmusik war beträchtlich. Er war der erste erfolgreiche Musiker, der die Standard-Formation einer Rockband mit Leadgitarre, Rhythmusgitarre, Bass und Schlagzeug etablierte, was die Beatles so übernahmen. Paul McCartney erwarb alle Verlagsrechte an Hollys Kompositionen, und bei der Welt-Tournee 1994/1995 eröffneten die Rolling Stones jedes Konzert mit dem Holly-Stück Not Fade Away, das sie 1964 schon als Single veröffentlicht hatten. Die Beatles – damals noch unter dem Namen The Quarrymen – nahmen 1958 für eine selbstproduzierte Single Buddy Hollys größten Hit, That’ll be the Day (veröffentlicht auf der Beatles Anthology), auf. Sie erklärten, dass die ersten 40 Titel, die sie komponiert hatten, unter dem direkten Einfluss von Buddy Hollys Musik geschrieben wurden.
Buddy Holly schrieb fast alle seine Stücke selbst, von denen viele musikalisch anspruchsvoller waren als andere Titel dieser Zeit. Seine Stücke wurden auch von anderen Musikern nachgespielt. Einer der ersten war Bobby Vee, der beim Konzert am Tag des Unglücks für Buddy Holly einsprang und dessen Titel sang. Erfolgreich war auch Linda Ronstadt mit ihrer Fassung von That'll Be the Day. Das Lied Peggy Sue Got Married lieferte den Titel für den gleichnamigen Film Peggy Sue hat geheiratet mit Kathleen Turner.
Im Studio griff Holly oft auf die Technik des Overdubbings zurück, das heißt, er fügte eine oder mehrere Tonaufnahmen über eine bereits bestehende Tonaufnahme hinzu. Damit konnte Holly mit sich selbst im Duett singen; beispielhaft für diese Aufnahmetechnik ist der Titel Words of Love. Zudem war Holly nach der Trennung von den Crickets und Norman Petty der erste erfolgreiche Independent-Musiker, der seine Stücke unabhängig von Plattenfirmen selbst produzierte.
Buddy Holly war ein sehr produktiver Künstler, was das Schreiben und Aufnehmen betraf, wenn meist auch nur in Form von Demoaufnahmen. So nahm er zwischen 1953 und 1959 zahlreiche Stücke privat, (Good Rockin’ Tonight, Rip It Up, Blue Suede Shoes, Two Timin’ Woman, Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie, Smokey Joe’s Cafe), im Studio (Love’s Made a Fool of You, Baby Won’t You Come Out Tonight, Because I Love You, Bo Diddley, Brown Eyed Handsome Man) oder auch nicht verwendete Master (Reminiscing, Come Back Baby, That’s My Desire) auf, was viel Raum für jahrelange Veröffentlichungen, überarbeitet und in der Rohfassung, gab. So wurden 1959/1960 sechs Eigenkompositionen, die Holly als Demos aufgenommen hatte, überarbeitet und veröffentlicht. Seit 1962 erschienen regelmäßig Alben von Holly mit Aufnahmen, die Norman Petty nachträglich mit mehr oder weniger Erfolg kommerzialisierte. Diese Aufnahmen erschienen auf den Alben Showcase, Giant, Holly in the Hills, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore und Reminiscing. Ab den 1980ern erschienen immer mehr Bootlegs mit den Originalfassungen der Stücke. Außerdem hatte Buddy Holly ab 1953 immer wieder als Gastmusiker bei Aufnahmen anderer Künstler mitgewirkt.
Postume Veröffentlichungen
Auch lange nach dem Tod des Künstlers existiert eine treue Fangemeinde, die weiter mit seiner Musik lebt. Die anhaltende Bedeutung Hollys zeigt sich in regelmäßigen Wiederveröffentlichungen seiner Werke. Neben den LPs, CDs und MCs, die schon seit Jahrzehnten in Fankreisen kursieren, hat das Medium DVD bereits einen großen Stellenwert eingenommen. Alte Aufnahmen aus dem US-Fernsehen, der Film Die Buddy Holly Story oder auch Gedenksendungen sind mittlerweile erhältlich.
Im Oktober 2004 kam eine CD mit dem Titel: Stay all night – The Country Roots of Buddy Holly auf den Markt. Im Juni 2005 brachte die Firma Universal Music eine DVD mit CD heraus: The Music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, die die Karriere des Rock-’n’-Roll-Pioniers in Bild und Ton nachzeichnet. Im September 2007 veröffentlichte die Firma Rollercoaster Records eine 2-CD-Box mit dem Titel Ohh, Annie!, auf der durch Zufall entdeckte, bisher unveröffentlichte Aufnahmen von Buddy Holly aus dem Jahr 1956 neben den bekannteren in technisch verbesserter Tonqualität enthalten sind.
Kurz vor seinem Tod hatte Holly in seinem New Yorker Apartment auf Tonband die „Apartment Tapes“ aufgezeichnet. Nur von seiner Gibson-Akustikgitarre begleitet, erlebt man hier den Sänger unplugged. Diese Titel wurden offiziell nur auf einer 9-LP-Box veröffentlicht, nie auf CD. Dies öffnete einem grauen Markt Tür und Tor; es kursierten unzählige Pressungen, auf denen die Lieder veröffentlicht wurden. Erst 2009 schloss Geffen mit Buddy Holly – Not Fade Away mit CDs und Buch diese Lücke.
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression; he learned to play guitar and to sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by gospel music, country music, and rhythm and blues acts, and he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school. He made his first appearance on local television in 1952, and the following year he formed the group "Buddy and Bob" with his friend Bob Montgomery. In 1955, after opening for Elvis Presley, Holly decided to pursue a career in music. He opened for Presley three times that year; his band's style shifted from country and western to entirely rock and roll. In October that year, when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets, Holly was spotted by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him get a contract with Decca Records.
Holly's recording sessions at Decca were produced by Owen Bradley. Unhappy with Bradley's control in the studio and with the sound he achieved there, Holly went to producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, and recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", among other songs. Petty became the band's manager and sent the demo to Brunswick Records, which released it as a single credited to "The Crickets", which became the name of Holly's band. In September 1957, as the band toured, "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart and the UK Singles Chart. Its success was followed in October by another major hit, "Peggy Sue".
The album Chirping Crickets, released in November 1957, reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Holly made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1958 and soon after, toured Australia and then the UK. In early 1959, Holly assembled a new band, consisting of future country music star Waylon Jennings (bass), famed session musician Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums), and embarked on a tour of the midwestern U.S. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered an airplane to travel to his next show, in Moorhead, Minnesota. Soon after takeoff, the plane crashed, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and the pilot, in a tragedy later elegized by Don McLean as "The Day the Music Died".
During his short career, Holly wrote, recorded, and produced his own material. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock-and-roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. Holly was a major influence on later popular music artists, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. He was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of "100 Greatest Artists".
Life and career
Early life and career (1936–1955)
Charles Hardin Holley was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, at 3:30 pm; he was the fourth child of Lawrence Odell "L.O." Holley and Ella Pauline Drake. His older siblings were Larry (born in 1925), Travis (born in 1927), and Patricia Lou (born in 1929). From early childhood, he was nicknamed "Buddy".[1] During the Great Depression, the Holleys frequently moved residence within Lubbock; L.O. changed jobs several times. The family were members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church.[1]
The Holleys had an interest in music; all the family members except L.O. were able to play an instrument or sing. The older Holley brothers performed in local talent shows; on one occasion, Buddy joined them on violin. Since he could not play it, his brother Larry greased the strings so it would not make any sound. The brothers won the contest.[2] During World War II, Larry and Travis were called to military service. Upon his return, Larry brought with him a guitar he had bought from a shipmate while serving in the Pacific. At age 11, Buddy took piano lessons, but abandoned them after nine months. He switched to guitar after he saw a classmate playing and singing on the school bus. Buddy's parents initially bought him a steel guitar, but he insisted that he wanted a guitar like his brother's. His parents bought the guitar from a pawnshop, and Travis taught him to play it.[3]
During his early childhood, Buddy was influenced by the music of Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, and the Carter Family. At Roscoe Wilson Elementary, he became friends with Bob Montgomery, and the two played together, practicing with songs by the Louvin Brothers and Johnny and Jack.[4] They both listened to the radio programs Grand Ole Opry on WSM , Louisiana Hayride on KWKH, and Big D Jamboree. At the same time, Holley played with other musicians he met in high school, including Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison.[5] In 1952, Holley and Jack Neal participated as a duo billed as "Buddy and Jack" in a talent contest on a local television show. After Neal left, he was replaced by Montgomery and they were billed as "Buddy and Bob". The two soon started performing on the Sunday Party show on KDAV in 1953 and performed live gigs in Lubbock.[6] At that time, Holley was influenced by late-night radio stations that played blues and rhythm and blues (R&B). Holley would sit in his car with Curtis and tune to distant radio stations that could only be received at night, when local transmissions ceased.[7] Holly then modified his music by blending his earlier country and western (C&W) influence with R&B.[8]
By 1955, after graduating from high school, Holley decided to pursue a full-time career in music. He was further encouraged after seeing Elvis Presley performing live in Lubbock, whose act was booked by Pappy Dave Stone of KDAV. In February, Holley opened for Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum, in April at the Cotton Club, and again in June at the Coliseum. By that time, he had incorporated into his band Larry Welborne on the stand-up bass and Allison on drums, as his style shifted from C&W to rock and roll.[7] In October, Stone booked Bill Haley & His Comets and placed Holley as the opening act to be seen by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall. Impressed, Crandall persuaded Grand Ole Opry manager Jim Denny to seek a recording contract for Holley. Stone sent a demo tape, which Denny forwarded to Paul Cohen, who signed the band to Decca Records in February 1956.[9] In the contract, Decca misspelled Holley's last name as "Holly"; from then on, he was known as "Buddy Holly".[10]
On January 26, 1956, Holly attended his first formal recording session, which was produced by Owen Bradley.[11] He attended two more sessions in Nashville, but with the producer selecting the session musicians and arrangements, Holly became increasingly frustrated by his lack of creative control.[9] In April 1956, Decca released "Blue Days, Black Nights" as a single, with "Love Me" on the B-side. Denny included Holly on a tour as the opening act for Faron Young. During the tour, they were promoted as "Buddy Holly and the Two Tones", while later Decca called them "Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes".[9] The label later released Holly's second single "Modern Don Juan", backed with "You Are My One Desire". Neither single made an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, but insisted he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.[12]
The Crickets (1956–1957)
Holly was unhappy with the results of his time with Decca; he was inspired by the success of Buddy Knox's "Party Doll" and Jimmy Bowen's "I'm Stickin' with You", and visited Norman Petty, who had produced and promoted both records. Together with Allison, bassist Joe B. Mauldin, and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan, he went to Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico. The group recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", a song they had previously recorded in Nashville. Now playing lead guitar, Holly achieved the sound he desired. Petty became his manager and sent the record to Brunswick Records in New York City. Holly, still under contract with Decca, could not release the record under his name, so a band name was used; Allison proposed the name "Crickets". Brunswick gave Holly a basic agreement to release "That'll Be the Day", leaving him with both artistic control and financial responsibility for future recordings.[13] Impressed with the demo, the label's executives released it without recording a new version. "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" was the B-side; the single was credited to the Crickets. Petty and Holly later learned that Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca, which legally cleared future recordings under the name Buddy Holly. Recordings credited to the Crickets would be released on Brunswick, while the recordings under Holly's name were released on another subsidiary label, Coral Records. Holly concurrently held a recording contract with both labels.[14]
"That'll Be the Day" was released on May 27, 1957. Petty booked Holly and the Crickets for a tour with Irvin Feld, who had noticed the band after "That'll Be the Day" appeared on the R&B chart. He booked them for appearances in Washington, DC, Baltimore, and New York City.[15] The band was booked to play at New York's Apollo Theater on August 16–22. During the opening performances, the group did not impress the audience, but they were accepted after they included "Bo Diddley" in their shows. By the end of their run at the Apollo, "That'll Be the Day" was climbing the charts. Encouraged by the single's success, Petty started to prepare two album releases; a solo album for Holly and another for the Crickets.[16] Holly appeared on American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark on ABC, on August 26. Before leaving New York, the band befriended the Everly Brothers.[17]
"That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart on September 23 and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November.[18] On September 20, Coral released "Peggy Sue", backed with "Everyday", with Holly credited as the performer. By October, "Peggy Sue" had reached number three on Billboard's pop chart and number two on the R&B chart; it peaked at number six on the UK Singles chart. As the success of the song grew, it brought more attention to Holly, with the band at the time being billed as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets".[19]
In the last week of September, the band members flew to Lubbock to visit their families.[20] Holly's high school girlfriend, Echo McGuire, had left him for a fellow student.[21] Aside from McGuire, Holly had a relationship with Lubbock fan June Clark.[22] After Clark ended their relationship, Holly realized the importance of his relationship with McGuire and considered his with Clark a temporary one.[21] Meanwhile, for their return to recording, Petty arranged a session in Oklahoma City, where he was performing with his own band. While the band drove to the location, the producer set up a makeshift studio. The rest of the songs needed for an album and singles were recorded; Petty later dubbed the material in Clovis.[20] The resulting album, The "Chirping" Crickets, was released on November 27, 1957. It reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. In October, Brunswick released the second single by the Crickets, "Oh, Boy!", with "Not Fade Away" on the B-side. The single reached number 10 on the pop chart and 13 on the R&B chart.[19] Holly and the Crickets performed "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1, 1957. Following the appearance, Niki Sullivan left the group because of the intensive touring. On December 29, Holly and the Crickets performed "Peggy Sue" on The Arthur Murray Party.[23]
International tours (1958)
On January 8, 1958, Holly and the Crickets joined America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars tour.[24] On January 25, Holly recorded "Rave On!"; the next day, he made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing "Oh, Boy!"[24] He departed to perform in Honolulu, Hawaii, on January 27, and then started a week-long tour of Australia.[25] In February, the band toured the United Kingdom, playing 50 shows in 25 days.[26] The same month, his debut solo album, Buddy Holly, was released. Upon their return to the United States, Holly and the Crickets joined Alan Freed's Big Beat Show tour for 41 dates. In April, Decca released That'll Be the Day, featuring the songs recorded with Bradley during his early Nashville sessions.[27]
A new recording session in Clovis was arranged in May; Holly hired Tommy Allsup to play lead guitar. The session produced the recordings of "It's So Easy" and "Heartbeat". Holly was impressed by Allsup and invited him to join the Crickets. In June, Holly traveled alone to New York for a solo recording session. Without the Crickets, he chose to be backed by a jazz and R&B band, recording "Now We're One" and Bobby Darin's "Early in the Morning".[28]
During a visit to the offices of Peer-South, Holly met Maria Elena Santiago. He asked her out on their first meeting and proposed marriage to her on their first date. The wedding took place on August 15. Petty disapproved of the marriage and advised Holly to keep it secret to avoid upsetting Holly's female fans. Petty's reaction created friction with Holly, who had also started to question Petty's bookkeeping. The Crickets, frustrated because he controlled all of the proceeds from the band, also were in conflict with Petty.[29]
Holly and Santiago frequented many of New York's music venues, including the Village Gate, Blue Note, Village Vanguard, and Johnny Johnson's. Santiago later said that Holly was keen to learn fingerstyle flamenco guitar and that he would often visit her aunt's home to play the piano there. Holly planned collaborations between soul singers and rock and roll. He wanted to make an album with Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson. He also had ambitions to work in film and registered for acting classes with Lee Strasburg's Actors Studio.[30]
Santiago accompanied Holly on tours. To hide her marriage to Holly, she was presented as the Crickets' secretary. She took care of the laundry and equipment set-up and collected the concert revenues. Santiago kept the money for the band instead of their habitual transfer to Petty in New Mexico.[31] She and her aunt Provi Garcia, executive of the Latin American music department at Peer-Southern, convinced Holly that Petty was paying the band's royalties from Coral-Brunswick into his own company's account. Holly planned to retrieve his royalties from Petty and to later fire him as manager and producer. At the recommendation of the Everly Brothers, Holly hired lawyer Harold Orenstein to negotiate his royalties.[32] The problems with Petty were triggered after he was unable to pay Holly. At the time, New York promoter Manny Greenfield reclaimed a large part of Holly's earnings; Greenfield had booked Holly for shows during previous tours. The two had a verbal agreement; Greenfield would obtain 5% of the booking earnings. Greenfield later felt he was also acting as Holly's manager and deserved a higher payment, which Holly refused. Greenfield then sued Holly. Under New York law, because Holly's royalties originated in New York and were directed out of the state, the payments were frozen until the dispute was settled. Petty then could not complete the transfers to Holly, who considered him responsible for the missing profit.[33]
In September, Holly returned to Clovis for a new recording session, which yielded "Reminiscing" and "Come Back Baby". During the session, he ventured into producing by recording Lubbock DJ Waylon Jennings. Holly produced the single "Jole Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)" for Jennings.[34] Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music, recording, and publishing scene. Santiago and he settled in Apartment 4H of the Brevoort Apartments, at 11 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village, where he recorded a series of acoustic songs, including "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and "What to Do".[35] The inspiration to record the songs is sometimes attributed to the ending of his relationship with McGuire.[36] In October, Holly recorded tracks for Coral; these were backed by saxophonist Boomie Richman and an 18-piece orchestra composed of former members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The three-and-a-half-hour session produced "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", "Raining in My Heart", "Moondreams", and "True Love Ways".[37]
Holly ended his association with Petty in December 1958. His band members kept Petty and their manager, and Holly also split from the Crickets. Petty was still holding the money from the royalties, forcing Holly to form a new band and return to touring.[38]
Winter Dance Party tour and death (1959)
Holly vacationed with his wife in Lubbock and visited Jennings' radio station in December 1958.[39] For the start of the Winter Dance Party tour, he assembled a band consisting of Waylon Jennings (electric bass), Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums).[40] Holly and Jennings left for New York City, arriving on January 15, 1959. Jennings stayed at Holly's apartment by Washington Square Park on the days prior to a meeting scheduled at the headquarters of the General Artists Corporation, which organized the tour.[41] They then traveled by train to Chicago to join the rest of the band.[42]
The Winter Dance Party tour began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 23, 1959. The amount of travel involved created logistical problems, as the distance between venues had not been considered when scheduling performances. Adding to the problem, the unheated tour buses twice broke down in freezing weather, with dire consequences. Holly's drummer Carl Bunch was hospitalized for frostbite to his toes (suffered while aboard the bus), so Holly decided to seek other transportation.[43] Before their appearance in Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb 2, Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa, for Jennings, Allsup, and himself. Holly's idea was to depart following the show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake and fly to their next venue, in Moorhead, Minnesota, via Fargo, North Dakota, allowing them time to rest and launder their clothes and avoid a rigorous bus journey. Immediately after the Clear Lake show (which ended just before midnight), Allsup lost a coin toss and gave up his seat on the plane to Ritchie Valens, while Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), who had influenza and complained that the tour bus was too cold and uncomfortable for a man of his size.[44]
The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, although he was not certified to fly by instruments only. Shortly after 1:00 am on February 3, 1959, Holly, Valens, Richardson, and Peterson were killed instantly when their plane crashed at full throttle into a cornfield outside Mason City, Iowa, soon after take-off.[45] The bodies of the entertainers were all ejected from the plane on impact, while Peterson's body remained entangled in the wreckage. Holly sustained fatal trauma to his head and chest and numerous lacerations and fractures of his arms and legs.[46]
Holly's headstone in the City of Lubbock Cemetery
Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. The service was officiated by Ben D. Johnson, who had presided at the Holly's wedding just months earlier. The pallbearers were Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis, and Phil Everly.[47] Waylon Jennings was unable to attend, because of his commitment to the still-touring Winter Dance Party. Holly's body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery, in the eastern part of the city. His headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.[48]
Maria Elena watched the first reports of Holly's death on television. The following day, she claimed, she miscarried although there is no independent source for this. Holly's mother, who heard the news on the radio in Lubbock, Texas, collapsed. Because of Maria Elena's miscarriage, in the months following the accident, the authorities implemented a policy against announcing victims' names until after families are informed.[49] Santiago did not attend the funeral and has never visited the grave site. She later told the Avalanche-Journal, "In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane."[50]
Image and style
Holly's singing style was characterized by his vocal hiccups and his alternation between his regular voice and falsetto.[51] His "stuttering vocals" were complemented by his percussive guitar playing, solos, stops, bent notes, and rhythm and blues chord progressions.[52] He often strummed downstrokes that were accompanied by Allison's "driving" percussion.[8]
Holly bought his first Fender Stratocaster, which became his signature guitar, at Harrod Music in Lubbock for US$249.50. Fender Stratocasters were popular with country musicians; Holly chose it for its loud sound.[53] His "innovative" playing style was characterized by its blending of "chunky rhythm" and "high string lead work". He played his first Stratocaster, a 1954 model, until it was stolen during a tour stop in Michigan in 1957. To replace it, he purchased a 1957 model before a show in Detroit. Holly owned four or five Stratocasters during his career.[54]
At the beginning of their music careers, Holly and his band wore business suits. Upon meeting the Everly Brothers, Don Everly took the band to Phil's men's shop in New York City and introduced them to Ivy League clothes. The brothers advised Holly to replace his old-fashioned glasses with horn-rimmed glasses, which had been popularized by Steve Allen.[55] Holly bought a pair of glasses made in Mexico from Lubbock optometrist Dr. J. Davis Armistead. Teenagers in the United States started to request this style of glasses, which were later popularly known as "Buddy Holly glasses".[56]
When the plane crashed, the wreckage was strewn across many yards of snow-covered ground. While his other belongings were recovered immediately, there was no record of his signature glasses being found. They were presumed lost until, in March 1980, they were discovered in a Cerro Gordo County courthouse storage area by Sheriff Gerald Allen. They had been found in the spring of 1959, after the snow had melted, and had been given to the sheriff's office. They were placed in an envelope dated April 7, 1959, along with the Big Bopper's watch, a lighter, two pairs of dice and part of another watch, and misplaced when the county moved courthouses. The glasses, missing their lenses, were returned to Maria Elena a year later, after a legal contest over them with his parents. They are now on display at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, Texas.[57][58]
Legacy
Encyclopædia Britannica stated that Holly "produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music".[59] AllMusic defined him as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll".[60] Rolling Stone ranked him number 13 on its list of "100 Greatest Artists".[61] The Telegraph called him a "pioneer and a revolutionary [...] a multidimensional talent [...] (who) co-wrote and performed (songs that) remain as fresh and potent today".[62]
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included Holly among its first class in 1986. On its entry, the Hall of Fame remarked upon the large quantity of material he produced during his short musical career, and said it "made a major and lasting impact on popular music". It called him an "innovator" for writing his own material, his experimentation with double tracking and the use of orchestration; he is also said to have "pioneered and popularized the now-standard" use of two guitars, bass, and drums by rock bands.[63] The Songwriters Hall of Fame also inducted Holly in 1986, and said his contributions "changed the face of Rock 'n' Roll".[64] Holly developed in collaboration with Petty techniques of overdubbing and reverberation, while he used innovative instrumentation later implemented by other artists.[8] Holly became "one of the most influential pioneers of rock and roll" who had a "lasting influence" on genre performers of the 1960s.[52]
The Buddy Holly Center, a museum in Lubbock, Texas
In 1980, Grant Speed sculpted a statue of Holly playing his Fender guitar. This statue is the centerpiece of Lubbock's Walk of Fame, which honors notable people who contributed to Lubbock's musical history. Other memorials to Buddy Holly include a street named in his honor and the Buddy Holly Center, which contains a museum of Holly memorabilia and fine arts gallery. The Center is located on Crickets Avenue, one street east of Buddy Holly Avenue, in a building that previously housed the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot.[65] In 1997, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Holly the Lifetime Achievement Award.[66] Holly was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2010, Grant Speed's statue was taken down for refurbishment and construction of a new Walk of Fame began. On May 9, 2011, the City of Lubbock held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza, the new home of the statue and the Walk of Fame.[67] The same year, a star bearing Holly's name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, commemorating his 75th birthday.[68]
Influence
Teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney saw Holly for the first time when he appeared on Sunday Night at the London Palladium.[69] The two had recently met and begun their musical association. They studied Holly's records, learned his performance style and lyricism, and based their act around his persona. Inspired by Holly's insect-themed Crickets, they chose to name their band "The Beatles". Lennon and McCartney later cited Holly as their main influence.[70]
Lennon's band the Quarrymen covered "That'll Be the Day" in their first recording session, in 1958.[71] During breaks in the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964, Lennon asked CBS coordinator Vic Calandra about Holly's performances; Calandra said Lennon and McCartney repeatedly expressed their appreciation of Holly.[72] The Beatles recorded a close cover of Holly's version of "Words of Love", which was released on their 1964 album Beatles for Sale (in the U.S., in June 1965 on Beatles VI). During the January 1969 recording sessions for their album Let It Be, the Beatles played a slow, impromptu version of "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" – which Holly popularized but did not write – with Lennon mimicking Holly's vocal style.[73] Lennon recorded a cover version of "Peggy Sue" on his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll.[74] McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalogue.[75]
Two nights before Holly's death, on January 31, 1959, 17-year-old Bob Dylan attended Holly's performance in Duluth. Dylan referred to this in his acceptance speech when he received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Time Out of Mind in 1998: " ... when I was sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him ... and he looked at me. And I just have some sort of feeling that he was ... with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way".[76]
Mick Jagger saw Holly performing live in Woolwich, London, during a tour of England; Jagger particularly remembered Holly's performance of "Not Fade Away" – a song that also inspired for Keith Richards, who modeled his early guitar playing on the track. The Rolling Stones had a hit version of the song in 1964.[77] Richards later said, "[Holly] passed it on via the Beatles and via [the Rolling Stones] ... He's in everybody".[78]
Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad "American Pie" was inspired by Holly's death and the day of the plane crash. The song's lyric, which calls the incident "The Day the Music Died", became popularly associated with the crash. McLean's album American Pie is dedicated to Holly.[79] In 2015, McLean wrote, "Buddy Holly would have the same stature musically whether he would have lived or died, because of his accomplishments ... By the time he was 22 years old, he had recorded some 50 tracks, most of which he had written himself ... in my view and the view of many others, a hit ... Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the template for all the rock bands that followed".[80]
Elton John was musically influenced by Holly. At age 13, although he did not require them, John started wearing horn-rimmed glasses to imitate Holly. After eight months, the glasses diminished his vision and John had to start to wear prescription lenses on a regular basis.[81] The Clash were also influenced by Holly, and referenced him in their song "Corner Soul" from the Sandinista! album.[82] The Chirping Crickets was the first album Eric Clapton ever bought; he later saw Holly on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. In his autobiography, Clapton recounted the first time he saw Holly and his Fender, saying, "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven ... it was like seeing an instrument from outer space and I said to myself: 'That's the future – that's what I want'".[83]
The launch of Bobby Vee's successful musical career resulted from Holly's death; Vee was selected to replace Holly on the tour that continued after the plane crash. Holly's profound influence on Vee's singing style can be heard in the songs "Rubber Ball" – the B-side of which was a cover of Holly's "Everyday" – and "Run to Him."[84] The name of the British rock band the Hollies is often claimed as a tribute to Holly; according to the band, they admired Holly, but their name was mainly inspired by sprigs of holly in evidence around Christmas 1962.[85] In an August 24, 1978, interview with Rolling Stone, Bruce Springsteen told Dave Marsh, "I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on; that keeps me honest".[86] The Grateful Dead performed the song "Not Fade Away" in concerts.[87]
Film and musical depictions
Holly's life story inspired a Hollywood biographical film, The Buddy Holly Story (1978); its lead actor Gary Busey received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Holly. The film was widely criticized by the rock press, and by Holly's friends and family, for its inaccuracies.[88] This led Paul McCartney (whose MPL Communications by then controlled the publishing rights to Buddy Holly's song catalog) to produce and host his own documentary about Holly in 1985, titled The Real Buddy Holly Story. This video includes interviews with Keith Richards, Phil and Don Everly, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison, Holly's family, and McCartney, among others.[89]
In 1987, Marshall Crenshaw portrayed Buddy Holly in the movie La Bamba, which depicts him performing at the Surf Ballroom and boarding the fatal airplane with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Crenshaw's version of "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" is featured on the La Bamba original motion picture soundtrack.[90] Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, a jukebox musical depicting Holly's life, is credited for being the first of its kind. It spawned the genre that later included Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You. The musical opened in the late 1980s and its most recent UK tour occurred in February 2011.[91]
Steve Buscemi appeared as Holly in a brief cameo as a 1950s-themed restaurant employee in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, in which he takes Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega's orders (portrayed respectively by Uma Thurman and John Travolta).
Holly was depicted in an episode of the science-fiction television program Quantum Leap titled "How the Tess Was Won"; Holly's identity is only revealed at the end of the episode. Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) influences Buddy Holly to change his lyrics from "piggy, suey" to "Peggy Sue", setting up Holly's future hit song.
Holly's recording sessions at Decca were produced by Owen Bradley. Unhappy with Bradley's control in the studio and with the sound he achieved there, Holly went to producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, and recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", among other songs. Petty became the band's manager and sent the demo to Brunswick Records, which released it as a single credited to "The Crickets", which became the name of Holly's band. In September 1957, as the band toured, "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart and the UK Singles Chart. Its success was followed in October by another major hit, "Peggy Sue".
The album Chirping Crickets, released in November 1957, reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Holly made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1958 and soon after, toured Australia and then the UK. In early 1959, Holly assembled a new band, consisting of future country music star Waylon Jennings (bass), famed session musician Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums), and embarked on a tour of the midwestern U.S. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered an airplane to travel to his next show, in Moorhead, Minnesota. Soon after takeoff, the plane crashed, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and the pilot, in a tragedy later elegized by Don McLean as "The Day the Music Died".
During his short career, Holly wrote, recorded, and produced his own material. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock-and-roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. Holly was a major influence on later popular music artists, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. He was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of "100 Greatest Artists".
Life and career
Early life and career (1936–1955)
Charles Hardin Holley was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, at 3:30 pm; he was the fourth child of Lawrence Odell "L.O." Holley and Ella Pauline Drake. His older siblings were Larry (born in 1925), Travis (born in 1927), and Patricia Lou (born in 1929). From early childhood, he was nicknamed "Buddy".[1] During the Great Depression, the Holleys frequently moved residence within Lubbock; L.O. changed jobs several times. The family were members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church.[1]
The Holleys had an interest in music; all the family members except L.O. were able to play an instrument or sing. The older Holley brothers performed in local talent shows; on one occasion, Buddy joined them on violin. Since he could not play it, his brother Larry greased the strings so it would not make any sound. The brothers won the contest.[2] During World War II, Larry and Travis were called to military service. Upon his return, Larry brought with him a guitar he had bought from a shipmate while serving in the Pacific. At age 11, Buddy took piano lessons, but abandoned them after nine months. He switched to guitar after he saw a classmate playing and singing on the school bus. Buddy's parents initially bought him a steel guitar, but he insisted that he wanted a guitar like his brother's. His parents bought the guitar from a pawnshop, and Travis taught him to play it.[3]
During his early childhood, Buddy was influenced by the music of Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, and the Carter Family. At Roscoe Wilson Elementary, he became friends with Bob Montgomery, and the two played together, practicing with songs by the Louvin Brothers and Johnny and Jack.[4] They both listened to the radio programs Grand Ole Opry on WSM , Louisiana Hayride on KWKH, and Big D Jamboree. At the same time, Holley played with other musicians he met in high school, including Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison.[5] In 1952, Holley and Jack Neal participated as a duo billed as "Buddy and Jack" in a talent contest on a local television show. After Neal left, he was replaced by Montgomery and they were billed as "Buddy and Bob". The two soon started performing on the Sunday Party show on KDAV in 1953 and performed live gigs in Lubbock.[6] At that time, Holley was influenced by late-night radio stations that played blues and rhythm and blues (R&B). Holley would sit in his car with Curtis and tune to distant radio stations that could only be received at night, when local transmissions ceased.[7] Holly then modified his music by blending his earlier country and western (C&W) influence with R&B.[8]
By 1955, after graduating from high school, Holley decided to pursue a full-time career in music. He was further encouraged after seeing Elvis Presley performing live in Lubbock, whose act was booked by Pappy Dave Stone of KDAV. In February, Holley opened for Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum, in April at the Cotton Club, and again in June at the Coliseum. By that time, he had incorporated into his band Larry Welborne on the stand-up bass and Allison on drums, as his style shifted from C&W to rock and roll.[7] In October, Stone booked Bill Haley & His Comets and placed Holley as the opening act to be seen by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall. Impressed, Crandall persuaded Grand Ole Opry manager Jim Denny to seek a recording contract for Holley. Stone sent a demo tape, which Denny forwarded to Paul Cohen, who signed the band to Decca Records in February 1956.[9] In the contract, Decca misspelled Holley's last name as "Holly"; from then on, he was known as "Buddy Holly".[10]
On January 26, 1956, Holly attended his first formal recording session, which was produced by Owen Bradley.[11] He attended two more sessions in Nashville, but with the producer selecting the session musicians and arrangements, Holly became increasingly frustrated by his lack of creative control.[9] In April 1956, Decca released "Blue Days, Black Nights" as a single, with "Love Me" on the B-side. Denny included Holly on a tour as the opening act for Faron Young. During the tour, they were promoted as "Buddy Holly and the Two Tones", while later Decca called them "Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes".[9] The label later released Holly's second single "Modern Don Juan", backed with "You Are My One Desire". Neither single made an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, but insisted he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.[12]
The Crickets (1956–1957)
Holly was unhappy with the results of his time with Decca; he was inspired by the success of Buddy Knox's "Party Doll" and Jimmy Bowen's "I'm Stickin' with You", and visited Norman Petty, who had produced and promoted both records. Together with Allison, bassist Joe B. Mauldin, and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan, he went to Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico. The group recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", a song they had previously recorded in Nashville. Now playing lead guitar, Holly achieved the sound he desired. Petty became his manager and sent the record to Brunswick Records in New York City. Holly, still under contract with Decca, could not release the record under his name, so a band name was used; Allison proposed the name "Crickets". Brunswick gave Holly a basic agreement to release "That'll Be the Day", leaving him with both artistic control and financial responsibility for future recordings.[13] Impressed with the demo, the label's executives released it without recording a new version. "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" was the B-side; the single was credited to the Crickets. Petty and Holly later learned that Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca, which legally cleared future recordings under the name Buddy Holly. Recordings credited to the Crickets would be released on Brunswick, while the recordings under Holly's name were released on another subsidiary label, Coral Records. Holly concurrently held a recording contract with both labels.[14]
"That'll Be the Day" was released on May 27, 1957. Petty booked Holly and the Crickets for a tour with Irvin Feld, who had noticed the band after "That'll Be the Day" appeared on the R&B chart. He booked them for appearances in Washington, DC, Baltimore, and New York City.[15] The band was booked to play at New York's Apollo Theater on August 16–22. During the opening performances, the group did not impress the audience, but they were accepted after they included "Bo Diddley" in their shows. By the end of their run at the Apollo, "That'll Be the Day" was climbing the charts. Encouraged by the single's success, Petty started to prepare two album releases; a solo album for Holly and another for the Crickets.[16] Holly appeared on American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark on ABC, on August 26. Before leaving New York, the band befriended the Everly Brothers.[17]
"That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart on September 23 and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November.[18] On September 20, Coral released "Peggy Sue", backed with "Everyday", with Holly credited as the performer. By October, "Peggy Sue" had reached number three on Billboard's pop chart and number two on the R&B chart; it peaked at number six on the UK Singles chart. As the success of the song grew, it brought more attention to Holly, with the band at the time being billed as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets".[19]
In the last week of September, the band members flew to Lubbock to visit their families.[20] Holly's high school girlfriend, Echo McGuire, had left him for a fellow student.[21] Aside from McGuire, Holly had a relationship with Lubbock fan June Clark.[22] After Clark ended their relationship, Holly realized the importance of his relationship with McGuire and considered his with Clark a temporary one.[21] Meanwhile, for their return to recording, Petty arranged a session in Oklahoma City, where he was performing with his own band. While the band drove to the location, the producer set up a makeshift studio. The rest of the songs needed for an album and singles were recorded; Petty later dubbed the material in Clovis.[20] The resulting album, The "Chirping" Crickets, was released on November 27, 1957. It reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. In October, Brunswick released the second single by the Crickets, "Oh, Boy!", with "Not Fade Away" on the B-side. The single reached number 10 on the pop chart and 13 on the R&B chart.[19] Holly and the Crickets performed "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1, 1957. Following the appearance, Niki Sullivan left the group because of the intensive touring. On December 29, Holly and the Crickets performed "Peggy Sue" on The Arthur Murray Party.[23]
International tours (1958)
On January 8, 1958, Holly and the Crickets joined America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars tour.[24] On January 25, Holly recorded "Rave On!"; the next day, he made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing "Oh, Boy!"[24] He departed to perform in Honolulu, Hawaii, on January 27, and then started a week-long tour of Australia.[25] In February, the band toured the United Kingdom, playing 50 shows in 25 days.[26] The same month, his debut solo album, Buddy Holly, was released. Upon their return to the United States, Holly and the Crickets joined Alan Freed's Big Beat Show tour for 41 dates. In April, Decca released That'll Be the Day, featuring the songs recorded with Bradley during his early Nashville sessions.[27]
A new recording session in Clovis was arranged in May; Holly hired Tommy Allsup to play lead guitar. The session produced the recordings of "It's So Easy" and "Heartbeat". Holly was impressed by Allsup and invited him to join the Crickets. In June, Holly traveled alone to New York for a solo recording session. Without the Crickets, he chose to be backed by a jazz and R&B band, recording "Now We're One" and Bobby Darin's "Early in the Morning".[28]
During a visit to the offices of Peer-South, Holly met Maria Elena Santiago. He asked her out on their first meeting and proposed marriage to her on their first date. The wedding took place on August 15. Petty disapproved of the marriage and advised Holly to keep it secret to avoid upsetting Holly's female fans. Petty's reaction created friction with Holly, who had also started to question Petty's bookkeeping. The Crickets, frustrated because he controlled all of the proceeds from the band, also were in conflict with Petty.[29]
Holly and Santiago frequented many of New York's music venues, including the Village Gate, Blue Note, Village Vanguard, and Johnny Johnson's. Santiago later said that Holly was keen to learn fingerstyle flamenco guitar and that he would often visit her aunt's home to play the piano there. Holly planned collaborations between soul singers and rock and roll. He wanted to make an album with Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson. He also had ambitions to work in film and registered for acting classes with Lee Strasburg's Actors Studio.[30]
Santiago accompanied Holly on tours. To hide her marriage to Holly, she was presented as the Crickets' secretary. She took care of the laundry and equipment set-up and collected the concert revenues. Santiago kept the money for the band instead of their habitual transfer to Petty in New Mexico.[31] She and her aunt Provi Garcia, executive of the Latin American music department at Peer-Southern, convinced Holly that Petty was paying the band's royalties from Coral-Brunswick into his own company's account. Holly planned to retrieve his royalties from Petty and to later fire him as manager and producer. At the recommendation of the Everly Brothers, Holly hired lawyer Harold Orenstein to negotiate his royalties.[32] The problems with Petty were triggered after he was unable to pay Holly. At the time, New York promoter Manny Greenfield reclaimed a large part of Holly's earnings; Greenfield had booked Holly for shows during previous tours. The two had a verbal agreement; Greenfield would obtain 5% of the booking earnings. Greenfield later felt he was also acting as Holly's manager and deserved a higher payment, which Holly refused. Greenfield then sued Holly. Under New York law, because Holly's royalties originated in New York and were directed out of the state, the payments were frozen until the dispute was settled. Petty then could not complete the transfers to Holly, who considered him responsible for the missing profit.[33]
In September, Holly returned to Clovis for a new recording session, which yielded "Reminiscing" and "Come Back Baby". During the session, he ventured into producing by recording Lubbock DJ Waylon Jennings. Holly produced the single "Jole Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)" for Jennings.[34] Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music, recording, and publishing scene. Santiago and he settled in Apartment 4H of the Brevoort Apartments, at 11 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village, where he recorded a series of acoustic songs, including "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and "What to Do".[35] The inspiration to record the songs is sometimes attributed to the ending of his relationship with McGuire.[36] In October, Holly recorded tracks for Coral; these were backed by saxophonist Boomie Richman and an 18-piece orchestra composed of former members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The three-and-a-half-hour session produced "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", "Raining in My Heart", "Moondreams", and "True Love Ways".[37]
Holly ended his association with Petty in December 1958. His band members kept Petty and their manager, and Holly also split from the Crickets. Petty was still holding the money from the royalties, forcing Holly to form a new band and return to touring.[38]
Winter Dance Party tour and death (1959)
Holly vacationed with his wife in Lubbock and visited Jennings' radio station in December 1958.[39] For the start of the Winter Dance Party tour, he assembled a band consisting of Waylon Jennings (electric bass), Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums).[40] Holly and Jennings left for New York City, arriving on January 15, 1959. Jennings stayed at Holly's apartment by Washington Square Park on the days prior to a meeting scheduled at the headquarters of the General Artists Corporation, which organized the tour.[41] They then traveled by train to Chicago to join the rest of the band.[42]
The Winter Dance Party tour began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 23, 1959. The amount of travel involved created logistical problems, as the distance between venues had not been considered when scheduling performances. Adding to the problem, the unheated tour buses twice broke down in freezing weather, with dire consequences. Holly's drummer Carl Bunch was hospitalized for frostbite to his toes (suffered while aboard the bus), so Holly decided to seek other transportation.[43] Before their appearance in Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb 2, Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa, for Jennings, Allsup, and himself. Holly's idea was to depart following the show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake and fly to their next venue, in Moorhead, Minnesota, via Fargo, North Dakota, allowing them time to rest and launder their clothes and avoid a rigorous bus journey. Immediately after the Clear Lake show (which ended just before midnight), Allsup lost a coin toss and gave up his seat on the plane to Ritchie Valens, while Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), who had influenza and complained that the tour bus was too cold and uncomfortable for a man of his size.[44]
The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, although he was not certified to fly by instruments only. Shortly after 1:00 am on February 3, 1959, Holly, Valens, Richardson, and Peterson were killed instantly when their plane crashed at full throttle into a cornfield outside Mason City, Iowa, soon after take-off.[45] The bodies of the entertainers were all ejected from the plane on impact, while Peterson's body remained entangled in the wreckage. Holly sustained fatal trauma to his head and chest and numerous lacerations and fractures of his arms and legs.[46]
Holly's headstone in the City of Lubbock Cemetery
Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. The service was officiated by Ben D. Johnson, who had presided at the Holly's wedding just months earlier. The pallbearers were Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis, and Phil Everly.[47] Waylon Jennings was unable to attend, because of his commitment to the still-touring Winter Dance Party. Holly's body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery, in the eastern part of the city. His headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.[48]
Maria Elena watched the first reports of Holly's death on television. The following day, she claimed, she miscarried although there is no independent source for this. Holly's mother, who heard the news on the radio in Lubbock, Texas, collapsed. Because of Maria Elena's miscarriage, in the months following the accident, the authorities implemented a policy against announcing victims' names until after families are informed.[49] Santiago did not attend the funeral and has never visited the grave site. She later told the Avalanche-Journal, "In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane."[50]
Image and style
Holly's singing style was characterized by his vocal hiccups and his alternation between his regular voice and falsetto.[51] His "stuttering vocals" were complemented by his percussive guitar playing, solos, stops, bent notes, and rhythm and blues chord progressions.[52] He often strummed downstrokes that were accompanied by Allison's "driving" percussion.[8]
Holly bought his first Fender Stratocaster, which became his signature guitar, at Harrod Music in Lubbock for US$249.50. Fender Stratocasters were popular with country musicians; Holly chose it for its loud sound.[53] His "innovative" playing style was characterized by its blending of "chunky rhythm" and "high string lead work". He played his first Stratocaster, a 1954 model, until it was stolen during a tour stop in Michigan in 1957. To replace it, he purchased a 1957 model before a show in Detroit. Holly owned four or five Stratocasters during his career.[54]
At the beginning of their music careers, Holly and his band wore business suits. Upon meeting the Everly Brothers, Don Everly took the band to Phil's men's shop in New York City and introduced them to Ivy League clothes. The brothers advised Holly to replace his old-fashioned glasses with horn-rimmed glasses, which had been popularized by Steve Allen.[55] Holly bought a pair of glasses made in Mexico from Lubbock optometrist Dr. J. Davis Armistead. Teenagers in the United States started to request this style of glasses, which were later popularly known as "Buddy Holly glasses".[56]
When the plane crashed, the wreckage was strewn across many yards of snow-covered ground. While his other belongings were recovered immediately, there was no record of his signature glasses being found. They were presumed lost until, in March 1980, they were discovered in a Cerro Gordo County courthouse storage area by Sheriff Gerald Allen. They had been found in the spring of 1959, after the snow had melted, and had been given to the sheriff's office. They were placed in an envelope dated April 7, 1959, along with the Big Bopper's watch, a lighter, two pairs of dice and part of another watch, and misplaced when the county moved courthouses. The glasses, missing their lenses, were returned to Maria Elena a year later, after a legal contest over them with his parents. They are now on display at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, Texas.[57][58]
Legacy
Encyclopædia Britannica stated that Holly "produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music".[59] AllMusic defined him as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll".[60] Rolling Stone ranked him number 13 on its list of "100 Greatest Artists".[61] The Telegraph called him a "pioneer and a revolutionary [...] a multidimensional talent [...] (who) co-wrote and performed (songs that) remain as fresh and potent today".[62]
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included Holly among its first class in 1986. On its entry, the Hall of Fame remarked upon the large quantity of material he produced during his short musical career, and said it "made a major and lasting impact on popular music". It called him an "innovator" for writing his own material, his experimentation with double tracking and the use of orchestration; he is also said to have "pioneered and popularized the now-standard" use of two guitars, bass, and drums by rock bands.[63] The Songwriters Hall of Fame also inducted Holly in 1986, and said his contributions "changed the face of Rock 'n' Roll".[64] Holly developed in collaboration with Petty techniques of overdubbing and reverberation, while he used innovative instrumentation later implemented by other artists.[8] Holly became "one of the most influential pioneers of rock and roll" who had a "lasting influence" on genre performers of the 1960s.[52]
The Buddy Holly Center, a museum in Lubbock, Texas
In 1980, Grant Speed sculpted a statue of Holly playing his Fender guitar. This statue is the centerpiece of Lubbock's Walk of Fame, which honors notable people who contributed to Lubbock's musical history. Other memorials to Buddy Holly include a street named in his honor and the Buddy Holly Center, which contains a museum of Holly memorabilia and fine arts gallery. The Center is located on Crickets Avenue, one street east of Buddy Holly Avenue, in a building that previously housed the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot.[65] In 1997, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Holly the Lifetime Achievement Award.[66] Holly was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2010, Grant Speed's statue was taken down for refurbishment and construction of a new Walk of Fame began. On May 9, 2011, the City of Lubbock held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza, the new home of the statue and the Walk of Fame.[67] The same year, a star bearing Holly's name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, commemorating his 75th birthday.[68]
Influence
Teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney saw Holly for the first time when he appeared on Sunday Night at the London Palladium.[69] The two had recently met and begun their musical association. They studied Holly's records, learned his performance style and lyricism, and based their act around his persona. Inspired by Holly's insect-themed Crickets, they chose to name their band "The Beatles". Lennon and McCartney later cited Holly as their main influence.[70]
Lennon's band the Quarrymen covered "That'll Be the Day" in their first recording session, in 1958.[71] During breaks in the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964, Lennon asked CBS coordinator Vic Calandra about Holly's performances; Calandra said Lennon and McCartney repeatedly expressed their appreciation of Holly.[72] The Beatles recorded a close cover of Holly's version of "Words of Love", which was released on their 1964 album Beatles for Sale (in the U.S., in June 1965 on Beatles VI). During the January 1969 recording sessions for their album Let It Be, the Beatles played a slow, impromptu version of "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" – which Holly popularized but did not write – with Lennon mimicking Holly's vocal style.[73] Lennon recorded a cover version of "Peggy Sue" on his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll.[74] McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalogue.[75]
Two nights before Holly's death, on January 31, 1959, 17-year-old Bob Dylan attended Holly's performance in Duluth. Dylan referred to this in his acceptance speech when he received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Time Out of Mind in 1998: " ... when I was sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him ... and he looked at me. And I just have some sort of feeling that he was ... with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way".[76]
Mick Jagger saw Holly performing live in Woolwich, London, during a tour of England; Jagger particularly remembered Holly's performance of "Not Fade Away" – a song that also inspired for Keith Richards, who modeled his early guitar playing on the track. The Rolling Stones had a hit version of the song in 1964.[77] Richards later said, "[Holly] passed it on via the Beatles and via [the Rolling Stones] ... He's in everybody".[78]
Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad "American Pie" was inspired by Holly's death and the day of the plane crash. The song's lyric, which calls the incident "The Day the Music Died", became popularly associated with the crash. McLean's album American Pie is dedicated to Holly.[79] In 2015, McLean wrote, "Buddy Holly would have the same stature musically whether he would have lived or died, because of his accomplishments ... By the time he was 22 years old, he had recorded some 50 tracks, most of which he had written himself ... in my view and the view of many others, a hit ... Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the template for all the rock bands that followed".[80]
Elton John was musically influenced by Holly. At age 13, although he did not require them, John started wearing horn-rimmed glasses to imitate Holly. After eight months, the glasses diminished his vision and John had to start to wear prescription lenses on a regular basis.[81] The Clash were also influenced by Holly, and referenced him in their song "Corner Soul" from the Sandinista! album.[82] The Chirping Crickets was the first album Eric Clapton ever bought; he later saw Holly on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. In his autobiography, Clapton recounted the first time he saw Holly and his Fender, saying, "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven ... it was like seeing an instrument from outer space and I said to myself: 'That's the future – that's what I want'".[83]
The launch of Bobby Vee's successful musical career resulted from Holly's death; Vee was selected to replace Holly on the tour that continued after the plane crash. Holly's profound influence on Vee's singing style can be heard in the songs "Rubber Ball" – the B-side of which was a cover of Holly's "Everyday" – and "Run to Him."[84] The name of the British rock band the Hollies is often claimed as a tribute to Holly; according to the band, they admired Holly, but their name was mainly inspired by sprigs of holly in evidence around Christmas 1962.[85] In an August 24, 1978, interview with Rolling Stone, Bruce Springsteen told Dave Marsh, "I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on; that keeps me honest".[86] The Grateful Dead performed the song "Not Fade Away" in concerts.[87]
Film and musical depictions
Holly's life story inspired a Hollywood biographical film, The Buddy Holly Story (1978); its lead actor Gary Busey received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Holly. The film was widely criticized by the rock press, and by Holly's friends and family, for its inaccuracies.[88] This led Paul McCartney (whose MPL Communications by then controlled the publishing rights to Buddy Holly's song catalog) to produce and host his own documentary about Holly in 1985, titled The Real Buddy Holly Story. This video includes interviews with Keith Richards, Phil and Don Everly, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison, Holly's family, and McCartney, among others.[89]
In 1987, Marshall Crenshaw portrayed Buddy Holly in the movie La Bamba, which depicts him performing at the Surf Ballroom and boarding the fatal airplane with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Crenshaw's version of "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" is featured on the La Bamba original motion picture soundtrack.[90] Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, a jukebox musical depicting Holly's life, is credited for being the first of its kind. It spawned the genre that later included Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You. The musical opened in the late 1980s and its most recent UK tour occurred in February 2011.[91]
Steve Buscemi appeared as Holly in a brief cameo as a 1950s-themed restaurant employee in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, in which he takes Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega's orders (portrayed respectively by Uma Thurman and John Travolta).
Holly was depicted in an episode of the science-fiction television program Quantum Leap titled "How the Tess Was Won"; Holly's identity is only revealed at the end of the episode. Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) influences Buddy Holly to change his lyrics from "piggy, suey" to "Peggy Sue", setting up Holly's future hit song.
Buddy Holly & His Crickets "That'll Be The Day" on The Ed Sullivan Show
Buddy Holly & His Crickets performing "That'll Be The Day" on the Ed Sullivan Show on December 1, 1957.
The Day the Music Died: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper
Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue
Mher Vardikyan *07.09.1982
Mher Vardikyan, geboren 1982 in Armenien, begann im Alter von elf Jahren mit dem Querflötenspiel, drei Jahre später kam die Gitarre hinzu. Nach dem Abitur entschied er sich für ein Studium an der Staatlichen Pädagogischen Universität in Jerewan, Armenien, welches er unter anderem im Fach Dirigieren abschloss. Zudem erwarb er ein Diplom in der Fachrichtung Volkskunstschaffen, welches ihn als Leiter für geistliche und weltliche Laienorchester qualifiziert.
Während seiner Zeit an der Pädagogischen Hochschule spielte Mher Vardikyan auf der Querflöte als Stimmführer im Studentenorchester. Im Anschluss an das Studium arbeitete er in Armenien als Querflöten- und Gitarrenlehrer.
2002 gründete Mher Vardikyan die Progressiv- und Folkrockband „Sacvoyage“ und spielt dort als Gitarrist. Mit dieser Band spielte er auf internationalen Rockfestivals, gewann dort Preise und tourte durch Kalifornien und Europa.
Mit der Bluesband „Crossroads“, die er 2004 gründete, gewann er beim Gitarrenfestival in Szcecin als „best acoustic blues performer“. Seit 2016 arbeitet Mher Vardikyan als Flöten- und Gitarrenlehrer an mehreren Musikschulen in NRW.
Während seiner Zeit an der Pädagogischen Hochschule spielte Mher Vardikyan auf der Querflöte als Stimmführer im Studentenorchester. Im Anschluss an das Studium arbeitete er in Armenien als Querflöten- und Gitarrenlehrer.
2002 gründete Mher Vardikyan die Progressiv- und Folkrockband „Sacvoyage“ und spielt dort als Gitarrist. Mit dieser Band spielte er auf internationalen Rockfestivals, gewann dort Preise und tourte durch Kalifornien und Europa.
Mit der Bluesband „Crossroads“, die er 2004 gründete, gewann er beim Gitarrenfestival in Szcecin als „best acoustic blues performer“. Seit 2016 arbeitet Mher Vardikyan als Flöten- und Gitarrenlehrer an mehreren Musikschulen in NRW.
Sacvoyage is a blues rock band formed in 2003. Musicians are:
Vocal, guitar - Mher Vardikyan
Drumms - Arthur Manukyan
Bass guitar - Edgr Bass
Vocal, guitar - Mher Vardikyan
Drumms - Arthur Manukyan
Bass guitar - Edgr Bass
sacvoyage blue river blues
Norman Jackson *07.09.
#3 in the World at the 2016 International Blues Challenge Finals, The Norman Jackson Band is led by, “The Soul Machine” Norman Jackson, his protege and musical son on saxophone, Rick Shortt and backed by the groove inducing rhythm section of Danny Williams on Bass and "The Boogie Man" on drums.
"The Baddest Soul Band in the Land" promises to make you "Get Your Happy On" with their virtuoso musicianship and smile inducing showmanship.
A true Blues band that harnesses their close relationships with one another as fuel for the most energy filled music experience you'll ever witness.
Highlighted at Blues Festivals around the world, any performance is guaranteed to stain the walls with sweat and soul whenever The Norman Jackson Band "Get Down"!
"The Baddest Soul Band in the Land" promises to make you "Get Your Happy On" with their virtuoso musicianship and smile inducing showmanship.
A true Blues band that harnesses their close relationships with one another as fuel for the most energy filled music experience you'll ever witness.
Highlighted at Blues Festivals around the world, any performance is guaranteed to stain the walls with sweat and soul whenever The Norman Jackson Band "Get Down"!
Norman was born in Canton Ohio and was raised in Detroit and the south side of Chicago. He was heavily influenced by his mother who sang with famous gospel singers such as the Reverend James
Cleveland.
It was not abnormal for Norman to hear his mother singing in the kitchen with the great Sam Cooke. At a young age Norman began to play the guitar upside down because he is left handed. He was heavily influenced by the greatest bluesmen that played in the neighborhood or that stayed in the motel behind his home when they traveled through town. From BB King to Albert King, they all had a hand in his unique style that will make you bellow, “Ain’t no groove like a Norman Jackson groove”! Norman has sang with the Chilites, George Clinton and many famous blues, gospel and soul acts.
Norman has lived the Blues and as he says, “By the time I’m done singing about me, you’ll leave here feeling good”! Years of struggles with addiction and life’s challenges penned his long and winding
journey. He is proudly sober for 10 years and loves to spread the word to young people that they can reach their dreams by being sober and living for true happiness. Norman Jackson, “The Soul Machine”
is the genuine article that has become nearly extinct today. The magic of his voice, his thoughtful yet hilarious storytelling through song and his powerful grooving guitar are unlike any you’ve ever heard. There is only one Norman Jackson and you’ll never forget him or his amazing voice.
Cleveland.
It was not abnormal for Norman to hear his mother singing in the kitchen with the great Sam Cooke. At a young age Norman began to play the guitar upside down because he is left handed. He was heavily influenced by the greatest bluesmen that played in the neighborhood or that stayed in the motel behind his home when they traveled through town. From BB King to Albert King, they all had a hand in his unique style that will make you bellow, “Ain’t no groove like a Norman Jackson groove”! Norman has sang with the Chilites, George Clinton and many famous blues, gospel and soul acts.
Norman has lived the Blues and as he says, “By the time I’m done singing about me, you’ll leave here feeling good”! Years of struggles with addiction and life’s challenges penned his long and winding
journey. He is proudly sober for 10 years and loves to spread the word to young people that they can reach their dreams by being sober and living for true happiness. Norman Jackson, “The Soul Machine”
is the genuine article that has become nearly extinct today. The magic of his voice, his thoughtful yet hilarious storytelling through song and his powerful grooving guitar are unlike any you’ve ever heard. There is only one Norman Jackson and you’ll never forget him or his amazing voice.
Norman Jackson is a professional guitar player and blues singer who is a member of the Norman Jackson Band, known for performing a variety of every style of music including the blues, throughout Missouri and Northern Arkansas. In addition to being a dynamic singer and guitarist, he is able to transition between bass and “a little bit” of piano. As an inspired musician, he began performing with different groups early on, gaining experience in a variety of genres including blues, soul, R&B, rock, jazz, and country western. He stated, “Music is an experience of what comes from your heart.” Norman has won the BSO Memphis Bound competition twice with the band Pawn Shop and recently won the Lake of the Ozarks Memphis Bound competition with the Norman Jackson Band.
Before joining the Norman Jackson Band, Norman spent a number of years playing with bands such as Don Shipps and the Titanic Band, Pawn Shop, and Bustin’ Loose, among others. He has recorded seven albums with these groups including two solo and is in the process of writing an album that he wants to have ready to take to Memphis to the International Blues Challenge (IBC). His current band, the Norman Jackson band, will be competing at the IBC in January 2016.
Norman grew up in Chicago where he first learned to read music by singing in the high school acapella choir. Because of this, music became a passion for him. Since he is left handed, no one could teach him to play. To get around that, he would go to the Regal in Chicago and watch musicians such as Bobby “Blue” Bland and Sam Cooke. Sometimes the musicians would gather after the show and continue playing. After watching these musicians, Norman would, “pick it up and take back home, study and play.” He would listen to 45’s of Albert King and BB King and “play their licks.”
As Norman got older he would hang out with Chicago older bands and get together and jam. He has opened for Bobby Rush and also for Little Milton in Kansas City. He has worked a bit with everyone from Otis Clay, Tyrone Davis, Satellites and other R&B artists. Norman has met BB King and Albert King in concert and in person. Norman credits all of these musicians for inspiring him in the blues, all the while he was additionally playing in his gospel band with his three sisters, “Norman and the Soulettes.” Later, in the 60’s, Norman was inspired by Hendrix blues, rock and hard rock.
Norman says, the best part of his music now is, “Playing with a lot of younger musicians coming up and learning new ideas and sharing what I know, learning from younger generations and their concepts now… and from a lot of older musicians... Can share each other’s ideas and learn each other’s feelings.”
Norman makes time to be involved with community organizations. He became an ordained minister in 1982. He said “The most dominating part in my life is my ministry and Lord above.” He attends New Growth Ministry with Rev. Larry Maddox and is in the process of organizing his own church. Norman plays music in nursing homes two to three times a month. He also has played music for the children at Willard Elementary in Willard and at Pipkin Middle School in Springfield.
He enjoys giving back to the community with his time such as with a fundraiser for Isabella’s house for Christmas in the past, and this year for the Victory Circle with peer support. He uses his own experiences to inspire and create a safe group of support for people of all ages to stay clean and make better choices. For instance, Norman wants young artists to know they don’t have to be on drugs to be a musician. Norman also wants kids to know that “These things are out there but they have to make better choices.”
Norman lives in Springfield. He and his wife have been married over twenty years. His wife has been in a nursing home for the last 10 ½ years. He says that his wife has certainly been a big part of his music. She would sit and listen to him play music all night and day. He said, “Every time I sing now, I think about her.” She was always there and always encouraged him when he wanted to give up. At home, he is kept company with his very friendly blue pit bull named Diesel. What makes Diesel unique is that he sits and listens to Norman play music. Norman said that if something doesn’t sound good he will look at Diesel and can tell he doesn’t like it. Diesel will stop barking when Norman starts to play his guitar.
Besides trying to help people and getting involved, Norman enjoys fishing, water, sewing, cooking, and going to the movies. He particularly loves barbecue and has a secret mix for his own BBQ sauce. During our interview, although we were talking hobbies, Norman kept going back to the topic of his ministry and how important it is to him. He considers his true interests in helping people get their life back on track and “Not go through what I went through.” Norman said, “If you can make one person smile every day and make someone feel better that is what life is good about.” He recommends to never give up on your dreams no matter how old. Norman added “what loves from the heard, reaches the heart.”
Among his favorites in life are The Bible, the movie Imitation of Life and the song “Precious Lord Take My Hand”. He likes Cardinals baseball and enjoys the sport of boxing, of which he once participated. His father boxed Golden Glove in Canton, Ohio, his aunt did Mohammed Ali wife’s hair, and his mother’s best friend was Tommy Hearn’s mother. Also, he said that the movie Imitation of Life was watched together with his family at a drive-in and “Had all crying.” Norman says he has always dreamed about sitting in the sand in California and Florida and playing acoustic guitar at the ocean.
Changes in our society that Norman sees are that people come together more. He grew up in Chicago at a time of racial tension. He says we are now beginning to be as a people again. He added it has been a slow process looking back but where we are now is getting better. He notices that young kids are struggling to help each other more. He said “This is what King and Kennedy died for.” His goals for society are to let people know that blues is a part of all our lives… “The light bill, gas bill, telephone bill”. He wants to keep the blues alive as an American music, not just a black music.
One day, Norman will like to be remembered as a person that wouldn’t let someone give up. He said when he made mistakes he was able to capitalize on them and would like to teach others how do so. He wants to be remembered as someone who would sing to 5000 people the same that he would sing to one person. Despite his mistakes he was able to come back. But most of all, he wants to be remembered as a man who loved the Lord.
For the last 3 ½ years, Norman has credited Rick Shortt, his current band’s saxophone player, as having confidence in him and inspiring him to keep going. He says the Norman Jackson Band is “not just about me.” Members of the band are “all drug free and love the Lord.” His faithful and dedicated bandmates also include Boogie Man on the drums and Danny Williams on bass. They will be competing in the IBC in January sponsored by the Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society. More information about the band can be found at their website, thenormanjacksonband.com.
Before joining the Norman Jackson Band, Norman spent a number of years playing with bands such as Don Shipps and the Titanic Band, Pawn Shop, and Bustin’ Loose, among others. He has recorded seven albums with these groups including two solo and is in the process of writing an album that he wants to have ready to take to Memphis to the International Blues Challenge (IBC). His current band, the Norman Jackson band, will be competing at the IBC in January 2016.
Norman grew up in Chicago where he first learned to read music by singing in the high school acapella choir. Because of this, music became a passion for him. Since he is left handed, no one could teach him to play. To get around that, he would go to the Regal in Chicago and watch musicians such as Bobby “Blue” Bland and Sam Cooke. Sometimes the musicians would gather after the show and continue playing. After watching these musicians, Norman would, “pick it up and take back home, study and play.” He would listen to 45’s of Albert King and BB King and “play their licks.”
As Norman got older he would hang out with Chicago older bands and get together and jam. He has opened for Bobby Rush and also for Little Milton in Kansas City. He has worked a bit with everyone from Otis Clay, Tyrone Davis, Satellites and other R&B artists. Norman has met BB King and Albert King in concert and in person. Norman credits all of these musicians for inspiring him in the blues, all the while he was additionally playing in his gospel band with his three sisters, “Norman and the Soulettes.” Later, in the 60’s, Norman was inspired by Hendrix blues, rock and hard rock.
Norman says, the best part of his music now is, “Playing with a lot of younger musicians coming up and learning new ideas and sharing what I know, learning from younger generations and their concepts now… and from a lot of older musicians... Can share each other’s ideas and learn each other’s feelings.”
Norman makes time to be involved with community organizations. He became an ordained minister in 1982. He said “The most dominating part in my life is my ministry and Lord above.” He attends New Growth Ministry with Rev. Larry Maddox and is in the process of organizing his own church. Norman plays music in nursing homes two to three times a month. He also has played music for the children at Willard Elementary in Willard and at Pipkin Middle School in Springfield.
He enjoys giving back to the community with his time such as with a fundraiser for Isabella’s house for Christmas in the past, and this year for the Victory Circle with peer support. He uses his own experiences to inspire and create a safe group of support for people of all ages to stay clean and make better choices. For instance, Norman wants young artists to know they don’t have to be on drugs to be a musician. Norman also wants kids to know that “These things are out there but they have to make better choices.”
Norman lives in Springfield. He and his wife have been married over twenty years. His wife has been in a nursing home for the last 10 ½ years. He says that his wife has certainly been a big part of his music. She would sit and listen to him play music all night and day. He said, “Every time I sing now, I think about her.” She was always there and always encouraged him when he wanted to give up. At home, he is kept company with his very friendly blue pit bull named Diesel. What makes Diesel unique is that he sits and listens to Norman play music. Norman said that if something doesn’t sound good he will look at Diesel and can tell he doesn’t like it. Diesel will stop barking when Norman starts to play his guitar.
Besides trying to help people and getting involved, Norman enjoys fishing, water, sewing, cooking, and going to the movies. He particularly loves barbecue and has a secret mix for his own BBQ sauce. During our interview, although we were talking hobbies, Norman kept going back to the topic of his ministry and how important it is to him. He considers his true interests in helping people get their life back on track and “Not go through what I went through.” Norman said, “If you can make one person smile every day and make someone feel better that is what life is good about.” He recommends to never give up on your dreams no matter how old. Norman added “what loves from the heard, reaches the heart.”
Among his favorites in life are The Bible, the movie Imitation of Life and the song “Precious Lord Take My Hand”. He likes Cardinals baseball and enjoys the sport of boxing, of which he once participated. His father boxed Golden Glove in Canton, Ohio, his aunt did Mohammed Ali wife’s hair, and his mother’s best friend was Tommy Hearn’s mother. Also, he said that the movie Imitation of Life was watched together with his family at a drive-in and “Had all crying.” Norman says he has always dreamed about sitting in the sand in California and Florida and playing acoustic guitar at the ocean.
Changes in our society that Norman sees are that people come together more. He grew up in Chicago at a time of racial tension. He says we are now beginning to be as a people again. He added it has been a slow process looking back but where we are now is getting better. He notices that young kids are struggling to help each other more. He said “This is what King and Kennedy died for.” His goals for society are to let people know that blues is a part of all our lives… “The light bill, gas bill, telephone bill”. He wants to keep the blues alive as an American music, not just a black music.
One day, Norman will like to be remembered as a person that wouldn’t let someone give up. He said when he made mistakes he was able to capitalize on them and would like to teach others how do so. He wants to be remembered as someone who would sing to 5000 people the same that he would sing to one person. Despite his mistakes he was able to come back. But most of all, he wants to be remembered as a man who loved the Lord.
For the last 3 ½ years, Norman has credited Rick Shortt, his current band’s saxophone player, as having confidence in him and inspiring him to keep going. He says the Norman Jackson Band is “not just about me.” Members of the band are “all drug free and love the Lord.” His faithful and dedicated bandmates also include Boogie Man on the drums and Danny Williams on bass. They will be competing in the IBC in January sponsored by the Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society. More information about the band can be found at their website, thenormanjacksonband.com.
Normans Blues - The Norman Jackson Band
His Old Lady - The Norman Jackson Band
Benjamin "Benny" Latimore *07.09.1939
Latimore (* 7. September 1939 als Benjamin Latimore in Charleston, Tennessee) ist ein US-amerikanischer Soul- und R&B-Sänger, -Songschreiber und -Pianist, der zwischen 1973 und 1991 insgesamt 15 Hits in den amerikanischen R&B-Charts hatte.[1] Sein größter Erfolg war die Ballade Let’ Straighten It Out, die 1974 für zwei Wochen auf Platz eins stand und auf Platz 31 auch seine höchste Platzierung in den Pop-Charts war. Mit Keep the Home Fire Burnin’ (1975) und Somethin’ ’Bout ’Cha (1977) gelangen ihm noch zwei weitere Top-10-Erfolge, wobei Somethin’ ’Bout ’Cha auch die Top-40 der Pop-Hitliste erreichte.
Bevor ihm der Durchbruch gelang, nannte er sich einige Jahre Benny Latimore und nahm unter diesem Namen einige nicht erfolgreiche Singles für diverse Labels auf.[2] Als Songschreiber und Studiomusiker führte er diesen Alias fort.
Seine Erfolge gelangen ihm schließlich auf Glades Records, einem Sublabel der auf Disco spezialisierten Plattenfirma T.K. Records. Ab 1982 stand er schließlich einige Jahre bei Malaco Records unter Vertrag und nahm hier mehr als ein Dutzend Alben auf.
Obwohl es um Latimore seit den frühen 1990ern ruhiger geworden ist, tritt er nach wie vor auf und veröffentlicht auch weiterhin Musik. Als Gastmusiker und Pianist war er unter anderem auf den ersten beiden Alben, The Soul Sessions (2003) und Mind Body & Soul (2004), von Joss Stone zu hören.
Bevor ihm der Durchbruch gelang, nannte er sich einige Jahre Benny Latimore und nahm unter diesem Namen einige nicht erfolgreiche Singles für diverse Labels auf.[2] Als Songschreiber und Studiomusiker führte er diesen Alias fort.
Seine Erfolge gelangen ihm schließlich auf Glades Records, einem Sublabel der auf Disco spezialisierten Plattenfirma T.K. Records. Ab 1982 stand er schließlich einige Jahre bei Malaco Records unter Vertrag und nahm hier mehr als ein Dutzend Alben auf.
Obwohl es um Latimore seit den frühen 1990ern ruhiger geworden ist, tritt er nach wie vor auf und veröffentlicht auch weiterhin Musik. Als Gastmusiker und Pianist war er unter anderem auf den ersten beiden Alben, The Soul Sessions (2003) und Mind Body & Soul (2004), von Joss Stone zu hören.
Benjamin "Benny" Latimore (born September 7, 1939) known professionally simply as Latimore, is an American blues and R&B singer, songwriter and pianist.
Early years
He was born in Charleston, Tennessee, and was influenced by country music, his Baptist church choir, and the blues.[1] His first professional experience came as a pianist for various Florida-based groups including Steve Alaimo. He first recorded around 1965 for Henry Stone's Dade record label in Miami, Florida.[2] In the early 1970s, he moved to the Glades label, and had his first major hit in 1973 with a jazzy reworking of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday", which reached #27 on the R&B chart.
His first national hit was "If You Were My Woman," a gender-modified cover of "If I Were Your Woman" (written by Pam Sawyer and Gloria Jones and first popularized by Gladys Knight & the Pips), which reached #70 on the R&B chart. His biggest success came in 1974, with "Let's Straighten It Out", a #1 R&B hit which also reached #31 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. He followed it up with more hits, including "Keep The Home Fire Burnin'" (#5 R&B, 1975) and "Somethin' 'Bout 'Cha" (#7 R&B, 1976). The hits dissipated in the late 1970s.
Latimore moved to Malaco Records in 1982, releasing seven albums of modern blues music with that label. He briefly left the label in 1994 and released a song for the J-Town label, "Turning Up The Mood", before returning to Malaco in 2000 with: "You're Welcome To Ride". Next, Latimore recorded an album with Mel Waiters' label, Brittney Records, called Latt Is Back.[3]
Later, Latimore collaborated with Henry Stone on a new record label called LatStone; which released his first new album in six years called: Back 'Atcha.
He has continued to work as a session pianist. He appeared most recently on Joss Stone's albums, The Soul Sessions (2003) and Mind Body & Soul (2004), along with fellow Miami music veterans Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas and Willie Hale, and made an appearance in May 2014 on Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight show.
Early years
He was born in Charleston, Tennessee, and was influenced by country music, his Baptist church choir, and the blues.[1] His first professional experience came as a pianist for various Florida-based groups including Steve Alaimo. He first recorded around 1965 for Henry Stone's Dade record label in Miami, Florida.[2] In the early 1970s, he moved to the Glades label, and had his first major hit in 1973 with a jazzy reworking of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday", which reached #27 on the R&B chart.
His first national hit was "If You Were My Woman," a gender-modified cover of "If I Were Your Woman" (written by Pam Sawyer and Gloria Jones and first popularized by Gladys Knight & the Pips), which reached #70 on the R&B chart. His biggest success came in 1974, with "Let's Straighten It Out", a #1 R&B hit which also reached #31 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. He followed it up with more hits, including "Keep The Home Fire Burnin'" (#5 R&B, 1975) and "Somethin' 'Bout 'Cha" (#7 R&B, 1976). The hits dissipated in the late 1970s.
Latimore moved to Malaco Records in 1982, releasing seven albums of modern blues music with that label. He briefly left the label in 1994 and released a song for the J-Town label, "Turning Up The Mood", before returning to Malaco in 2000 with: "You're Welcome To Ride". Next, Latimore recorded an album with Mel Waiters' label, Brittney Records, called Latt Is Back.[3]
Later, Latimore collaborated with Henry Stone on a new record label called LatStone; which released his first new album in six years called: Back 'Atcha.
He has continued to work as a session pianist. He appeared most recently on Joss Stone's albums, The Soul Sessions (2003) and Mind Body & Soul (2004), along with fellow Miami music veterans Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas and Willie Hale, and made an appearance in May 2014 on Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight show.
Latimore 'Stormy Monday' [HD]
Latimore / Let's Straighten It Out
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