Full Description
Buddy Holly died in 1959. He was just 22 years old. He was 22 years old. Don McLean called that fatal day `The Day the Music Died'. But, his music hasn't died, as he has left us a wonderful legacy. Spencer Leigh's biography Buddy Holly: Learning the Game is the most definitive account of Buddy Holly and his career. When it comes to anniversaries, it is inevitable that we remember the giants: Elvis, the Beatles, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, but Buddy Holly's death enables us to also acknowledge the less well-known musicians who died with him, 17-year-old Ritchie Valens and the outlandish Big Bopper. Spencer Leigh has spoken to musicians, songwriters, friends, fans and many people who have worked with Buddy, and he examines the evidence with the scrutiny of a forensic scientist.
Contents
Foreword by Frank Ifield ............................................................................................v
Acknowledgements...................................................................................................vii
Introduction...............................................................................................................xi
Timeline: Everyday, it's a-gettin' Closer...................................................................xiv
Chapter 1. Never Mind the Lubbocks........................................................................1
Chapter 2. Tighten up Your Bible Belt......................................................................11
Chapter 3. Buddy and Bob.......................................................................................17
Chapter 4. Shock of the New....................................................................................29
Chapter 5. The Tex-New Mex Sound.......................................................................41
Chapter 6. The Rhythm Method ..............................................................................49
Chapter 7. Here I Go, Breaking All of the Rules.......................................................80
Chapter 8. Gotta Travel On....................................................................................121
Chapter 9. Buddy Holly Lives ................................................................................143
Chapter 10. Grave On............................................................................................152
Chapter 11. Listen To Me.......................................................................................158
I. I Can't Believe it's Not Buddy....................................................................... 158
II. Influencing the 60s....................................................................................... 161
III. Cover Versions - it's so Easy, or is it?.......................................................... 166
IV. Family Connections..................................................................................... 172
Chapter 12. The Buddy Holly Story.......................................................................173
I. The Buddy Holly Story.................................................................................. 173
II. Buddy........................................................................................................... 177
III. Buddy on the Box....................................................................................... 180
IV. From Lubbock to Liverpool ........................................................................ 181
Chapter 13. The Crickets and Their Buddies .........................................................185
Chapter 14. Now and Forever Till the End of Time ...............................................203
I. Those Who Really Care ................................................................................ 203
II. What If ........................................................................................................ 207
x
That's What They Tell Me: The Contributors........................................................209
Bibliography ...........................................................................................................216
Appendix 1. Discographies.....................................................................................221
UK Discography............................................................................................... 221
US Discography................................................................................................ 230
Appendix 2. Some Buddies.....................................................................................234
Tribute Songs.................................................................................................... 234
Tribute Albums................................................................................................. 235
Cover Versions................................................................................................. 237
Appendix 3. Bye Bye Miss American Pie ................................................................242
Index ......................................................................................................................245
