Remembering Buddy Holly -- The Day The Music Died

[The Rover]

A Salute to Buddy Holly is the feature story on the cover of the current Texas Music Magazine.

HOW A SKINNY KID FROM LUBBOCK BROKE — AND REMADE — THE TEMPLATE FOR ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

The Article:

http://www.txmusic.com/articles/2009/01/bu...y-changing-game

February 3, 2009 is the 50th Anniversary of “The Day The Music Died,” the anniversary of the crash of the flight that took the lives of ‘50s rockers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, and finally, the vault of rare Buddy Holly tracks will be opened wide for two multi-disc sets on October, 21st, 2008. The triple CD, entitled, Memorial Collection, (Geffen/UMe), is a 60-song, thorough overview of the great rocker’s career. It will feature rare early undubbed recordings by Buddy with his original partner Bob Montgomery, all of his hits, and will conclude with selections from the legendary “Apartment Tapes.”

At the same time, Geffen will release a two CD, 59 song set of rarities. This package, entitled, Down The Line/Rarities, will also include both the entire undubbed legendary “Apartment Tapes” and the entirety of the undubbed “Garage Tapes,” recorded with The Crickets in Holly’s family garage. The set is rounded out with outtakes and alternates of familiar recordings by Buddy and The Crickets.

[Swede]

I love Buddy Holly & The Crickets. They made some damn fine music.

[ninelives]

I love Buddy Holly & The Crickets. They made some damn fine music.

I do too. The profound influence they had on music was undeniable. What a tragic, tragic loss that was

[ZeppFanForever]

A Salute to Buddy Holly is the feature story on the cover of the current Texas Music Magazine.

HOW A SKINNY KID FROM LUBBOCK BROKE — AND REMADE — THE TEMPLATE FOR ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

The Article:

http://www.txmusic.com/articles/2009/01/bu...y-changing-game

February 3, 2009 is the 50th Anniversary of “The Day The Music Died,” the anniversary of the crash of the flight that took the lives of ‘50s rockers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, and finally, the vault of rare Buddy Holly tracks will be opened wide for two multi-disc sets on October, 21st, 2008. The triple CD, entitled, Memorial Collection, (Geffen/UMe), is a 60-song, thorough overview of the great rocker’s career. It will feature rare early undubbed recordings by Buddy with his original partner Bob Montgomery, all of his hits, and will conclude with selections from the legendary “Apartment Tapes.”

At the same time, Geffen will release a two CD, 59 song set of rarities. This package, entitled, Down The Line/Rarities, will also include both the entire undubbed legendary “Apartment Tapes” and the entirety of the undubbed “Garage Tapes,” recorded with The Crickets in Holly’s family garage. The set is rounded out with outtakes and alternates of familiar recordings by Buddy and The Crickets.

How's it going "The Rover?" I'm getting ready to go to sleep but after seeing this thread, I just had to comment. I LOVE CHARLES HARDIN A.K.A. BUDDY HOLLY! This great legend was without a doubt, WAY FAR AHEAD OF HIS TIME. Before Brian Wilson, there was Buddy Holly. Holly was one of the very first complete artists that wrote and sang his own songs, produced, arranged and engineered his music as well as other artists in the studio. Losing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. (The Big Bopper) Richardson on that fateful and fatal day of February 1959, Rock n' Roll suffered its first real tragedy ever. "THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED" was one of the biggest major losses in Rock n' Roll history. To this very day, their music lives on and will never be forgotten. ROCK ON!

[JethroTull]

I'm not afraid to say, I think it's a bunch of crap releasing "Basement Tapes" and "Apartment Tapes" and the like. Now what, we need to buy every single note the guy ever recorded. I guess the Estate of Buddy Holly thrives.

[eternal light]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It was more fun when he was still physically present. I remember a member of my family reading the newspaper that day, and watching his expression change from happy to somber.

Edited January 28, 2009 by eternal light

[danelectro59]

Hear, hear.

Can't believe it's been a half century since that tragic day. Can't say I remember since I was 10 days short of three, but I remember people talking when I was a wee lad and the music was so special. It's hard to say where Buddy would have taken rock had he lived, but one thing's for sure, he gave us some timeless tunes while he was here. RIP Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper (Baaaby!)

[ninelives]

Hear, hear.

Can't believe it's been a half century since that tragic day. Can't say I remember since I was 10 days short of three, but I remember people talking when I was a wee lad and the music was so special. It's hard to say where Buddy would have taken rock had he lived, but one thing's for sure, he gave us some timeless tunes while he was here. RIP Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper (Baaaby!)

Just thinking about the scene in the movie "La Bamba" where the plane they're all on takes off and the next thing you know, the news is reporting their crash and the shock of it all from everyone :'( Gets me every time.

[ninelives]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090128/ap_en_...sic_buddy_holly

[The Rover]

Jan 28, 12:06 AM EST

Rock fans head to Iowa to recall day music died

By MARCO SANTANA

Associated Press Writer

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) -- It's been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock 'n' roll.

The passing decades haven't diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes.

"It was really like the first rock 'n' roll landmark; the first death," said rock historian Jim Dawson, who has written several books about music of that era. "They say these things come in threes. Well, all three happened at the same time."

Starting Wednesday, thousands of people are expected to gather in the small northern Iowa town where the rock pioneers gave their last performance. They'll come to the Surf Ballroom for symposiums with the three musicians' relatives, sold-out concerts and a ceremony as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designates the building as its ninth national landmark.

And they'll discuss why after so many years, so many people still care about what songwriter Don McLean so famously called "the day the music died."

"It was the locus point for that last performance by these great artists," said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. "It warrants being fixed in time."

Clear Lake is an unlikely spot for a rock 'n' roll pilgrimage - especially in winter. The resort town of about 8,000 borders its namesake lake, and on winter days the cold and wind make the community 100 miles north of Des Moines anything but a tourist destination.

The crash site is on private property, a five-mile drive from Clear Lake and half-mile walk off the road. Corn grows high in adjacent fields during the summer, but in winter the fields are covered with snow and a path to the small memorial is often thick with ice. The memorial features a small cross and thin metal guitar and records, all of which are draped in flowers during the summer.

"It's a much nicer trip in the summer," said Jeff Nicholas, a longtime Clear Lake resident who heads the Surf Ballroom's board of directors. "But in the winter, you get more of a feel of what it was like."

No one tracks the number of visitors, but fans stop by throughout the year and on some summer days visitors to the crash site can create the oddity of a corn field traffic jam.

Stewart said the deaths still resonate because they occurred at a time when rock 'n' roll was going through a transition, of sorts. The sound of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Holly was making way for the British Invasion of the mid-1960s.

"The music was shifting and changing at that point," he said. "The crash put a punctuation point on the change."

All three musicians influenced rock and roll in their own way.

Holly's career was short, but his hiccup-vocal style, guitar play and songwriting talents had tremendous influence on later performers. The Beatles, who formed about the time of the crash, were among his early fans and fashioned their name after Holly's band, The Crickets. Holly's hit songs include "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue" and "Maybe Baby."

Richardson, "The Big Bopper," is often credited with creating the first music video with his recorded performance of "Chantilly Lace" in 1958, decades before MTV.

And Valens was one of the first musicians to apply a Mexican influence to rock 'n' roll. He recorded his huge hit "La Bamba" only months before the accident.

The plane left the airport in nearby Mason City about 1 a.m., headed for Moorhead, Minn., with the musicians looking for a break from a tiring, cold bus trip through the Upper Midwest.

It wasn't until hours later that the demolished plane was found, crumpled against a wire fence. Investigators believe the pilot, who also died, became confused amid the dark, snowy conditions and rammed the plane into the ground.

The crash set off a wave of mourning among their passionate, mostly young fans across the country. Then 12 years later the crash was immortalized as "the day the music died" in McLean's 1971 song, "American Pie."

Vonnie Amosson, who manages the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Clear Lake, said that ever since the plane crash, the community has embraced the tragedy. It's a continues stream of tourism dollars, and the town's chamber of commerce estimates that this year's events, dubbed "50s in February," will generate more than $4 million for Clear Lake's economy.

"It's kind of sad that that is what we are known for," Amosson said. "But on the other part of it, I think the whole '50's in February' weekend is a huge memorial and it's an honor to them."

In part because of its role in rock history, the Surf Ballroom has retained its vintage look, with a 6,000-square-foot dance floor, ceiling painted to resemble a sky, and original cloud machines on either side of the room. Ten Buddy Holly banners line the wall opposite the stage. The 2,100-capacity ballroom still hosts many national and regional performers, most of whom add their names to a backstage wall that is now crowded with drawings and signatures.

"It's quite a special place," said Nicholas, the Surf board member. "This place looks just like it did in 1959."

[Swede]

I'm not afraid to say, I think it's a bunch of crap releasing "Basement Tapes" and "Apartment Tapes" and the like. Now what, we need to buy every single note the guy ever recorded. I guess the Estate of Buddy Holly thrives.

I can see one reason to release the demo tapes. Back in the 70's much of thos recordings were released with overdubs made years after the plane went down. I don't really like when people interfere in the work of someone that has past away. So, even if these recordings isn't anything Buddy Holly wanted to see the light of day, his work will somehow get some redress when released without those aweful overdubs.

[The Rover]

I can see one reason to release the demo tapes. Back in the 70's much of thos recordings were released with overdubs made years after the plane went down. I don't really like when people interfere in the work of someone that has past away. So, even if these recordings isn't anything Buddy Holly wanted to see the light of day, his work will somehow get some redress when released without those aweful overdubs.

I agree.... I thought it was just so marvelous to hear the outakes from ITTOD, and John Henry Bonham's magical and wonderful beats.

We can't get enough of Buddy Holly !!

[JethroTull]

I'm sure somebody out there agrees with me.

An outtake I'll accept. Alternate versions, I'll accept. Who knows what your getting with basement, garage and apartment tapes. Sounds like something the Dead would do.

Edited January 28, 2009 by JethroTull

[danelectro59]

Just thinking about the scene in the movie "La Bamba" where the plane they're all on takes off and the next thing you know, the news is reporting their crash and the shock of it all from everyone :'( Gets me every time.

Yup, and that steel guitar song by Santo and Johnny at RV's funeral was a tear jerker

[ninelives]

Yup, and that steel guitar song by Santo and Johnny at RV's funeral was a tear jerker

[Jahfin]

A few years back when talk of a Replacements reunion was running high Paul Westerberg wanted to play the exact same dates Buddy Holly did on his final tour but it never came to fruition due to obligations bandmate Tommy Stinson had with G n' R at the time.

[Swede]

I'm sure somebody out there agrees with me.

An outtake I'll accept. Alternate versions, I'll accept. Who knows what your getting with basement, garage and apartment tapes. Sounds like something the Dead would do.

How about Bob Dylan's and The Band's "The Basement Tapes"? It's a GREAT double album!! I wouldn't wanna be without it.

[Jahfin]

How about Bob Dylan's and The Band's "The Basement Tapes"? It's a GREAT double album!! I wouldn't wanna be without it.

The latest installment in Dylan's Bootleg Series, Telltale Signs is full of outtakes, alternate takes, previously unheard live cuts, etc. all culled from the period of 1989-2006. I'm amazed at just how good the songs are, particularly the rearranged versions of tunes like Diginity. It just goes to show what an outstanding talent he still is and that everything that ends up on the cutting room floor doesn't necessarily belong there.

As for collections like that, of course you're going to get some songs that don't always live up to that artists' usual standards but sometimes you get some real gems as well as a glimpse into their creative process. Those tunes provide an invaluable insight, at least to me.

[JethroTull]

How about Bob Dylan's and The Band's "The Basement Tapes"? It's a GREAT double album!! I wouldn't wanna be without it.

I would guess that was released around30 years ago. I think the definition of "basement" has changed in the years since. Now it's what ever little do-dads are laying around - Thank you Nirvana.

[Swede]

I would guess that was released around30 years ago. I think the definition of "basement" has changed in the years since. Now it's what ever little do-dads are laying around - Thank you Nirvana.

You know what you just said now? Buddy Holly's recordings are even older, so I guess those doesn't count for what today's definition of "basement tapes" are either. After all, they have already been released once, but with overdubs, in the 70's at the time Dylans Basement Tapes were released.

Just messin' with ya.

[Goldilocks]

I'm not afraid to say, I think it's a bunch of crap releasing "Basement Tapes" and "Apartment Tapes" and the like. Now what, we need to buy every single note the guy ever recorded. I guess the Estate of Buddy Holly thrives.

As much as I love Buddy Holly, your post made me LOL, Jethro! I definitely see your point.

It goes without saying that when an artist is dead; anything, and I mean anything, they did, sang, recorded, wrote, looked at, thought about, dreamt about....becomes something everyone is clamoring to get.

[JethroTull]

You know what you just said now? Buddy Holly's recordings are even older, so I guess those doesn't count for what today's definition of "basement tapes" are either. After all, they have already been released once, but with overdubs, in the 70's at the time Dylans Basement Tapes were released.

Just messin' with ya.

LOL!!! You had me there for a second and I had a comeback all ready. I'm sure they'll sound great and I'll look like a big idiot. Like that hasn't happened before.

[The Rover]

Well, it's after 1AM, Feb. 3rd...Bummer --- The 50th Anniv. of the Day the Music Died....

CNN has a great article about the rememberances being held, and the concert Monday night.

Graham Nash and Los Lobos were scheduled to attend, among others...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/0...died/index.html

[ZeppFanForever]

A Salute to Buddy Holly is the feature story on the cover of the current Texas Music Magazine.

HOW A SKINNY KID FROM LUBBOCK BROKE — AND REMADE — THE TEMPLATE FOR ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

The Article:

http://www.txmusic.com/articles/2009/01/bu...y-changing-game

February 3, 2009 is the 50th Anniversary of “The Day The Music Died,” the anniversary of the crash of the flight that took the lives of ‘50s rockers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, and finally, the vault of rare Buddy Holly tracks will be opened wide for two multi-disc sets on October, 21st, 2008. The triple CD, entitled, Memorial Collection, (Geffen/UMe), is a 60-song, thorough overview of the great rocker’s career. It will feature rare early undubbed recordings by Buddy with his original partner Bob Montgomery, all of his hits, and will conclude with selections from the legendary “Apartment Tapes.”

At the same time, Geffen will release a two CD, 59 song set of rarities. This package, entitled, Down The Line/Rarities, will also include both the entire undubbed legendary “Apartment Tapes” and the entirety of the undubbed “Garage Tapes,” recorded with The Crickets in Holly’s family garage. The set is rounded out with outtakes and alternates of familiar recordings by Buddy and The Crickets.

How's it going "The Rover" as well as our fellow die hard hard core ZEPPELIN fanatics? I hope that the week is treating all of you well so far. I am on lunch right now but I figured that I would post a comment here on "The Rover's" Thread on the late great Buddy Holly. It was a sad tragedy that could have very well buried Rock n' Roll forever. However, his death should not be in vain. Buddy's music lives on in spirit and because of this, as long as music still exists, Buddy's memory will always be among the elite performers in Rock n' Roll's glorious past and future. I have enclosed the lyrics to DON MCLEAN'S classic song entitled "American Pie." This ones for you Buddy, Ritchie and J.P.

AMERICAN PIE

Music & Lyrics by Don McLean

Verse 1

A long long time ago

I can still remember how that music used to

make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those people dance

And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiver

With every paper I'd deliver

Bad news on the doorstep

I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride

But something touched me deep inside

The Day The Music Died

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my chevy to the levee

But the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin'

whiskey and rye

Singin' this'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die

Verse 2

Did you write the Book of Love

And do you have faith in God above

If the Bible tells you so

Do you believe in Rock n' Roll

Can music save your mortal soul

And can you teach me how to dance real

slow

Well, I know that you're in love with him

'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym

You both kicked off your shoes

Man, I dig those rhythm & blues

I was a lonely, teenage broncin' buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

But I knew I was out of luck

The Day The Music Died

I started singin'

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my chevy to the levee

But the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin'

whiskey and rye

Singin' this'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die

Verse 3

Now for ten years we've been on our own

And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone

But that's not how it used to be

When the Jester sang for the King and Queen

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

In a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the King was looking down

the Jester stole his thorny crown

The courtroom was adjourned

No verdict was returned

And while Lenin read a book on Marx

The quartet practiced in the park

And we sang dirges in the dark

The Day The Music Died

We were singin'

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my chevy to the levee

But the levee was dry

And them good oldboys were drinkin'

whiskey and rye

Singin' this'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die

Verse 4

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter

Eight miles high and falling fast

It landed foul on the grass

The players tried for a forward pass

With the Jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

While the Sergeants played a marching tune

We all got up to dance

Oh but we never got the chance

'Cause the players tried to take the field

The marching band refused to yield

Do you recall what was revealed

The Day The Music Died

We started singing

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my chevy to the levee

But the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin'

Whiskey and rye

Singin' this'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die

Verse 5

Oh, and there we were, all in one place

A generation lost in space

With no time left to start again

So come on, Jack, be nimble, Jack be quick

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage

My hands were clenched in fists of rage

No angel born in Hell

Could break that Satan's spell

And as flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrificial rite

I saw Satan laughing with delight

The Day The Music Died

He was singing

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my chevy to the levee

But the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinklin'

Whiskey and rye

Singin' this'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die

Verse 6

I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news

But shejust smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store

Where I'd heard the music years before

But the man there said the music wouldn't

play

And in the streets the children screamed

The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed

But not a word was spoken

The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most

The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost

They caught the last train for the coast

The Day The Music Died

And they were singin'

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my chevy to the levy

but the levy was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin'

Whiskey and rye

Singing this'll be the day that I die

They were singin'

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my chevy to the levy

But the levy was dry

And them good old boys were drinking

Whiskey and rye

Singing this'll be the day that I die

NOTE: I have used the lyrics from Don McLean's own website, though I have never got full confirmation that these are entirely accurate. However, these lyrics are pretty close to the original.

ROCK ON!

[zepscoda]

Me and the little ladies a few years back at the crash site