Buddy Holly tribute

My friend Bob Walkenhorst - lead singer in The Rainmakers who are still out there rockin', is a big Buddy Holly fan and with the recent 54th anniversary of the plane crash Bob has made a little tribute video performing "Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue".

And here's what he wrote when posting the video at the Rainmakers website:

Remembering Buddy Holly
Posted on February 6, 2013 by bob

Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, music by Bobby Vee and the Vees

This past week marked the 54th anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper. When I was starting out, I never really listened to Buddy Holly, other than “That’ll Be the Day” occasionally on the radio. When I had my first band, we were Beatles worshippers, studying their records like textbooks. A guy a bit older than me stopped by my family’s burger joint where I was making ice cream cones and said, “You know, they learned a whole lot from Buddy Holly.” I thought, “Yeah, sure.” A few years later I somehow ended up with a greatest hits reissue album. Changed my life, changed my idea of history. Buddy - and very importantly - his band the Crickets - Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Nikki Sullivan - were smart guys out in the middle of nowhere who happened to have access to a recording studio a few hours aways, a creative engineer/producer, Norman Petty - and nobody looking over their shoulders. With imagination and time to experiment, they pretty much invented the recording studio as a place to create, rather than just document music. The songs are simple and cool, the arrangements really thoughtful, the shaping of the sound by using (mis-using) EQ, reverb, doubling - those guys did it first.

My wife and I got to go to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa 4 years ago for the 50th anniversary of Buddy’s final show. At the stroke of midnight, all the lights went out, and over the sound system came Buddy’s voice, “Just you know why. . .”

And I grabbed Michele and we slow danced. As did everyone else.

Thanks Buddy.

Cool, thank you.

My wife and I danced to "True Love Ways" at our wedding reception.

He was a great talent, Buddy, a great talent.

Glad you liked it George.
Buddy was indeed a great talent, and a musical pioneer.

Great post.

Buddy Holly's influence on rock 'n' roll is undeniable. I think a lot about what Holly might have done with his music, had he not been taken from us at the young age of twenty-two.

The 2009 Hip-O Select box set, Not Fade Away: Complete Studio Recordings & More was a thrill to purchase.

“I play Buddy Holly every night before going onstage. It keeps me honest”
- Bruce Springsteen, 1978

Bruce Springsteen, "Rave On" (Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles - July 7, 1978)

Great post.

Buddy Holly's influence on rock 'n' roll is undeniable. I think a lot about what Holly might have done with his music, had he not been taken from us at the young age of twenty-two.

The 2009 Hip-O Select box set, Not Fade Away: Complete Studio Recordings & More was a thrill to purchase.

“I play Buddy Holly every night before going onstage. It keeps me honest”
- Bruce Springsteen, 1978

Bruce Springsteen, "Rave On" (Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles - July 7, 1978)

I was just curious, as Elvis is so often ripped to shreds and at times made fun of on this site, did Bruce Springsteen ever have a less than spectacular outing, I know that there is no evidence of this of course as he was probably great and amazing on his worst night, but has anyone ever heard if he's ever just done an average show one time? Thank's in advance!

I was just curious, as Elvis is so often ripped to shreds and at times made fun of on this site, did Bruce Springsteen ever have a less than spectacular outing, I know that there is no evidence of this of course as he was probably great and amazing on his worst night, but has anyone ever heard if he's ever just done an average show one time? Thank's in advance!

Nope, never heard of even one average show, ever.

Great post Hungermoon. Buddy Holly is certainly one of my all time greats along with Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash and many more. As Doc mentioned the 'Complete Studio Recordings and More' - 'Not Fade Away', is the altimate CD/Book set, Buddy's equivalent of 'The Complete Masters'.

Like so many of 'The rock 'n' roll greats' Buddy never got the chart placings that he deserved, particulary in his home country!

A record that always makes me sad is Eddie Cochran's 'Three Stars' a heartfelt tribute, sad in as much as within a year, he would also be gone, dying on a road in England on his way to catch a flight back home.

I was just curious, as Elvis is so often ripped to shreds and at times made fun of on this site, did Bruce Springsteen ever have a less than spectacular outing, I know that there is no evidence of this of course as he was probably great and amazing on his worst night, but has anyone ever heard if he's ever just done an average show one time? Thank's in advance!

Nope, never heard of even one average show, ever.

Thank's a lot for the info

I was just curious, as Elvis is so often ripped to shreds and at times made fun of on this site, did Bruce Springsteen ever have a less than spectacular outing, I know that there is no evidence of this of course as he was probably great and amazing on his worst night, but has anyone ever heard if he's ever just done an average show one time? Thank's in advance!

Nope, never heard of even one average show, ever.

A genuine question Doc. Has Bruce ever done the volumn of shows, year on year, as Elvis did?

I would agree that Elvis did many bad and repetitive shows as the '70's progressed, I am sure through the bordom of doing so many shows in the same locations. Something a star of his caliber should never have agreed to do.

Sorry that this has nothing to do with the title of the thread, but I have previously replied to that!

Thanks for the Buddy appreciation

As for Bruce's live schedule throughout the years it can all be found here: https://brucebase.wikispaces.com/Tours
And like him or not, Springsteen is probably the most consistently great live performer of all time.

Thanks for the Buddy appreciation

As for Bruce's live schedule throughout the years it can all be found here:
https://brucebase.wikispaces.com/Tours

And like him or not, Springsteen is probably the most consistently great live performer of all time.

Indeed -- I cannot believe Springsteen is going so strong to this very day. Holly would have loved him!

I'm so grateful to have seen Bruce perform. There will not be another like him in our lifetime.

A genuine question Doc. Has Bruce ever done the volumn of shows, year on year, as Elvis did?
I would agree that Elvis did many bad and repetitive shows as the '70's progressed, I am sure through the bordom of doing so many shows in the same locations. Something a star of his caliber should never have agreed to do.

I would say based on the length of Springsteen's shows (which average anywhere from 3 to 4 hours) and the number of shows he's performed since the mid-70's, he has far surpassed the volume of performances Elvis had done in his lifetime... year over year I'm not sure of but Bruce didn't/doesn't have the monkey on his back that Elvis did... and he (Bruce) is in control of his own career.

Sorry to sidetrack this excellent post...

A genuine question Doc. Has Bruce ever done the volumn of shows, year on year, as Elvis did?
I would agree that Elvis did many bad and repetitive shows as the '70's progressed, I am sure through the bordom of doing so many shows in the same locations. Something a star of his caliber should never have agreed to do.

I would say based on the length of Springsteen's shows (which average anywhere from 3 to 4 hours) and the number of shows he's performed since the mid-70's, he has far surpassed the volume of performances Elvis had done in his lifetime... year over year I'm not sure of but Bruce didn't/doesn't have the monkey on his back that Elvis did... and he (Bruce) is in control of his own career.

Sorry to sidetrack this excellent post...

Thanks for your answer Elvis-fan, also thanks to HungerMoon for the links to Bruce Springsteens shows. I certainly wasn't getting at Bruce, but I just didn't know his tour scedule.

It is a pity that Elvis didn't do better and more varied shows after Aloha and yes, it is to his eternal shame that he was such a yes man to Parker, and wasn't interested or capable of controling his own career, something the late great Buddy Holly certainly was.