RIP Buddy Holly

[MrNylon]

Just a little mention of a sad day in music history. Feb. 3, 1959, 52 years ago tomorrow, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash. At some time in the day, give your head a quick nod to Buddy. He was a true musician ahead of his time.

[jannusguy2]

+1. He was a game changer.

[WahKeen]

Well, he wasn't the only musician in that plane. Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper too.

 

Edit: And the fourth man, Roger Peterson, the pilot.

[wineredrich]

"The Buddy Holly Story" with Gary Busey turned me on to this genius when I was a kid. I have over the years played many of his songs in my shows. If your audience doesn't start bopping to "Oh Boy", "It's So Easy", or "Rave On"; you're in trouble and so are they. The true KING in my opinion. Wrote or at least co-wrote many of his hits. Was a very good guitar player, and a pioneer in the studio...and his time on the charts was actually very very short. Two of my absolute favorites...Buddy and Jim Croce both killed in the height of their powers in small planes just trying to get to the next gig. I hope they made it.

[DanvillRob]

I'm with y'all..... one of my very favorites! (and I remember that exact day... I was like 9 years old at the time)

 

 

[djroge1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6uEjifqTaI

[SG FAN]

That was a sad day for Rock n' Roll, indeed. Waylon was almost in that tragedy as well. It's strange how life works, Waylon thought he was doing the Bopper a favor by giving him his seat on the plane.

[tartanbeastie]

yup, probably the biggest loss on musical history. it wouldn't be easy to speculate as to how his career may have gone. i think lots more hits and awesome live performances followed by time as a producer and writer. his music will always live on. Buddy Holly... not fade away!!!

[charlie brown]

From Arthur Murry's Dance Party (December 29, 1957)

"Peggy Sue"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQiIMuOKIzY

 

"Oh Boy!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLq-vYjdQVs&feature=related

 

 

CB

[charlie brown]

"True Love's Ways"

http://www.youtube.com/view?v=QjFRHIhSvwc

 

 

CB

[krock]

RIP Buddy. He inspired so many great players

[Daryl M]

Check this out. It was written by Sonny Curtis, who was a Cricket after he saw the movie. It's cool.

 

[milod]

I'd put up the same Arthur Murray Youtuber on another thread.

 

Holly was obviously not the world's gift to rock lead guitar, but the songs set the stage for what was coming with such as the Beatles - a little different than either the 12-bar blues or C/Am/F/G progressions.

 

I lived maybe 90 minutes away from the "ballroom" where they did their last gig on that night. In those days in Iowa, at least, you could figure on one every hour's drive apart. Most are gone now, torn down.

 

They had some difficulty making the shift from swing bands to swing/pop combos by also bringing in some of that "new rock and roll stuff." The old swing "let's dress up and dance" days were gone. It was the coming era of the "dungaree doll" and "venus in blue jeans." A few survived longer in rural areas by putting up chicken wire to protect the band and attracting the "bring your own illegal bottle and plan on at least a coupla good fights on dance night."

 

We talk about "the day the music died," but as those old ballrooms closed down their Saturday night dances, it changed the way music was played. The venues largely became saloons, coffeehouses or biiiiig concert venues. The days of "going to the dance" for folks not in school were on the way out. "Go dancing" remained quite a while, but "at the saloon." Holly's death kinda put an exclamation mark on that. At least within 800 miles or so of where I live now.

 

m

[Kenny V]

Milrod, you hit the nail on the head. I don't know of any dance clubs with live music around anymore. The closest thing in my area are the wineries that have live music on weekends and a couple of weekday nights during the good weather months. Of course they do sell wine and it is usually attended by us older folks, but we can still dance. When Holly, Valens and the Big Booper died, one of their replacement singers for the Winter Carnival Show was Bobby Vee, who was a great entertainer. I think Vee would have been a much bigger success if the British Invasion hit a few year later than it did. Holly had a lot of great hits, as did Valens

Kenny V

[milod]

Yupper on Bobby Vee...

 

Before the "Brit Invasion," I think pop music already was making some changes that were pretty interesting and headed in much the same direction of combining some toetapping rhythms with some different sorts of chord progressions.

 

My understanding is the that Fargo, N.D., native is still an active performer, even though he's a bit older than I am. <chortle>

 

m