Monday 2 February 2009

Buddy Holly 7 September 1936 - 2 February 1959

Anyone out there remember this LP?

Well this was one of my all time favourite singers, I got the record for Christmas and I just about played it to death when I was fifteen. I absolutely loved it.

I was listening to a programme about Buddy Holly the other night, it was commemorating the fact it’s fifty years today since he was killed in that plane crash with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Good grief it just seems like yesterday!

He was a fantastic singer and songwriter and although he was only successful for 18 months during his lifetime, his music was a massive influence on singers and songwriters. He paved the way for the Beatles and lots of other artists. I’ve always thought there was a lot of similarity between the Beatles and Buddy Holly’s music and also the way the songs were arranged. They were always brilliant songs, fresh and sparkling, wonderful catchy tunes with very simple arrangements, just like the early Beatles records.

Apparently when Buddy Holly toured Britain in 1958 John Lennon and Paul McCartney went to see him. They also credited him as being a big influence on their music, so if it hadn’t been for Buddy Holly there probably wouldn’t have been any Beatles.

According to the programme and I found this hard to believe, is that after he was killed, his music virtually died out in the USA. However he had a cult following in Britain and with his family, they helped continue to have his recordings published. Unfortunately one thing that happened was that the recording studios added a lot of extra background music to some of his songs, so they lost their simplicity. It was Don McLean’s recording of American Pie that set the ball rolling and renewed interest in Buddy Holly’s music in the USA.

Well not too long ago I bought a CD of Buddy Holly’s greatest hits and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself reliving the music of my teenage years. However it’s just not the same is it having a little plastic case. Nothing like those great big LPs with their wonderful photos or amazing artwork, you really felt you were getting a lot for your pocket money!

Well if you’re a Buddy Holly fan too, here’s a couple of You Tube clips to enjoy. There aren’t many original ones available. The first is an original recording with a very patronising introduction. The second is just photos and the song True Love Ways. One of the songs they added background music to.





14 comments:

  1. Hey Winifred, Buddy was a bit ahead of my time, but I love the song "American Pie". He sure was a talent - and such a great loss. Thanks for sharing these clips and your poignant memories.

    Kat

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  2. I remember him, even though I was only 8 when he died, but we listened to the radio more than TV then. My memories are mostly of TV specials about him though. The LPS were the best. My husband and I still have a large collection of them and 45's..(even 78's). I miss the covers and the inserts that had all the words to the songs. I think the first 45 I bought was Roy Orbison. Have a great Monday!

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  3. I sure do remember Buddy Holly and his music on the old 45's. I remember the movie of his life story to.
    Patsy

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  4. My mum always told me that my dad sold his precious Buddy Holly complete collection to help pay for their wedding. I grew up listening to him and always loved his music.

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  5. Well he may be gone, but his legacy survived. I loved Buddy Holly's music. Poetikat said Buddy was ahead of her time, but really, Buddy was ahead of his times.

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  6. I adore Buddy Holly's music. I have a cd and haven't played it in a long time. Thanks for the post. Tomorrow, I'm going to download that CD to my Ipod.

    ~hippo hugs~

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  7. Oh Sarah, how lovely of your dad to do that. Must have been hard but obviously he got his priorities right.

    Yes he was way ahead of his time and it's so sad that his career was so short. All those amazing songs in such a short period of time. I think his music is timeless, fifty years later and people still love it. The stage show has had amazing success over the years, I never got to see it but maybe one day.

    Great pop classics and absolutely brilliant to bop about to!

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  8. I really can't remember too much about him, but then I was busy having one baby right after another and probably didn't have much time to listen to much music, with having to wash diapers, do bottles and formula and etc. And when I say wash diapers, I ahd the old wringer type washer until 1981 when i got my first automatic washer. Had no diapers by then. LOL

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  9. I used to listen to the radio in the baby days as I couldn't afford to buy the records.

    My baby days came a bit later than that but I remember washing all those nappies as we call them. Like you I didn't have an automatic washer then but I did have a spin dryer. My automatic came in about 1985. It was heaven! I used to stand and watch it, couldn't believe how it filled with water, stopped, washed, rinsed and spun etc all by itself. Amazing!

    One night my husband came in where I was standing watching it and asked if I'd like a chair and did I like it better than watching the telly!

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  10. Certainly do remember Buddy. 1959 was the year we got married.

    Yes we in the South do seem to have had bad weather this year. Mind you Kent is notorious for snow when it is bad, more so than here in Essex. Alan being from Gateshead and myself from Liverpool we were used to it as youngsters.

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  11. Winifred, Thank you for a trip down memory lane.

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  12. Thanks for that wonderful video.
    I have listened to Buddy Holly records since I was a young child...from my parents of course ;)
    Pop on over to my blog, I have nomitaed you for an award !

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  13. I love Buddy Holly, my dad is also a big fan. He was taken away from us much too early...

    Gill in Canada

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  14. Winifred,

    That was an interesting post about Buddy Holly and the other two performers.

    This evening at Clear Lake, Iowa, where they gave their last performance 50 years ago today, there was a concert in memory of the three young men. There were more who attended the concert tonight then the night they gave their last performance. There were people from all over the world who attended, tonight. The news broadcast said there was many thousands of people attending tonight, twice as many as at the original performance. I thought maybe you would like to know that they are still remembered every year at this time, here in Iowa, USA.

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