buddy holly

[frodsham]

On the 3rd February it will be 50 years since the death of the late great Buddy Holly. I hear the BBC are doing a few tributes and look forward to them. Although I was only 8years old when he died, and cannot honestly remember much about him at the time, as my love of music has grown I have come to put Buddy at the top of my favourite list. Did anyone see him perform when he came to the UK in I think 1958. I know someone who saw him perform at Wigan lancs and he told me it was a fabulous occasion. Long live Buddy. ( and of course the crickets)

[Ethel]

At the Gaumont, in Wolverhampton - a very happy concert.

[andy-hughes]

Too young sadly - I was four in 1958.

The genius and legacy of Buddy Holly should never be underestimated. His fusion of black r 'n' b with white pop was ttruly groundbreaking, and led directly to The Beatles and The Stones, and popular music as we know it.

Such a tragic loss.

[terambulan]

His plane crashed killing him & the Big Bopper.......are you in this audience Ethel

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6TcC_ni0ojo

[Ethel]

No, but I do love that song

[frodsham]

hi Terambulan. Richie Valens also died in the crash at the age of 17. He had just had a number one with either "Donna" or "la bamba". I read a great book which i got from the library a couple of years ago, it may have been called "the day the music died" I am unsure, but in my opinion it was the most definitive book about that fateful night. We all know that Buddy got the title of "that'll be the day" after watching John wayne in the movie the "searchers. Also the 60s pop group the "searchers" got their name from the title of the same film. Just a bit of trivia.

[andy-hughes]

The lucky man on the tour was Waylon Jennings, bass player in The Crickets, who gave up his seat on the plane to The Big Bopper.

Jennings went on to enjoy a major career as a country artist , and died in 2002.

[sandmaster]

I was 11, 50 years ago, and I used to love watching The Big Bopper on t.v. They used short clips of him singing as fillers between programmes. Baby you know what I want was played very often - and he used to sing it to a mannequin in a wedding dress.
Ritchie Valens was very young but just tasting success. And of course Buddy Holly became more and more popular after his death.
A record The Three Stars was issued as a tribute but banned by the BBC at the time as being in poor taste. My mum still has it at her home.