Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Vintage Rock Presents Issue 28 Buddy Hollyand Daythe Music Died

    Uploaded by

    camilastour
    55 views132 pages

    Original Title

    VintageRockPresentsIssue28BuddyHollyandDaytheMusicDied

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    55 views132 pages

    Vintage Rock Presents Issue 28 Buddy Hollyand Daythe Music Died

    Uploaded by

    camilastour

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 132
    EXCLUSIVE RARE PHOTOS| re eeTANAT krypt Ben ‘ART EDITORS Aad reg An Wetman ‘PRODUCTION EDITOR Rickey {Miche oh Aine Sng ety Advertsing Manager Ain Nj ‘ren sjmelaleco| SHO HSIESOST hie Executive on ihey Sic aashemene Managing Director Se is simon earthen ak ‘Crentv Director Jermyn jermokunthemcouk ‘Marketing Manager Hse rose panktust ahem an gens Dv aks ae Bas Ei Seqhen Cole ill Dal andy Miche eae, Dag Metheran ack Wane Ma Bln ly, Sy Cig ready J he Diy aly Edin olan the Baty aly ere Sev orton Jaes Ce Don Larsen, Dna Fehr Doing, an enti Privrep ey Willan Gone Sine Lat ss4ioj90273001 Maer (IO, Church Pla, Canary Wht Lanson, ExASHU44(0)2057879001 gos ek sss(orzstan 2 regan SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUES 544650642010 sau our as3409 (U3) sah pugm ie shopunthem-pblisingcom cant pnce permite player roneconpanysacces.hange Anthem Publishing Peay Hose, London od Bath EALPL sau ons esse neyprckuthen-pblsingsom ‘woinageelnsgcom wacom nar ANTHEM PUBLISHING ppa =~ ats amt agree seems ese ‘Semone ot moet ayaa son nr atom ret era \terproteyes ster a ‘neces vane ht WELCOME For me, it was hearing Don McLean's musical elegy American Pie that made it really hit home. A fixture on my parents’ car stereo, this ubiquitous classie conjured up a powerful picture in my mind, and one that I found hard to dislodge; the bitterest of memories, delivered so poignantly via the image of a youthful Don delivering the news on his paper round, For McLean to recall ‘the day the musie died’ with such grace and dignity - this Buddy Holly really must have been something So I was compelled to find out more... and from then on, of course, I was hooked. Buddy was indeed a genius, capable of moving me so effortlessly, and with such beautifully simplistic songs. ‘Waking on the morning of February 3rd 1959 to the news that Holly had died in a plane crash together with fellow stars Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper must have hit everyone like a freight train, Itwas the first shocking rock'n'roll tragedy, and in making this special commemorative issue, that feeling I had as a boy immediately returned. And so the quest began to gather the stories of those individuals who played a part inthe story, from Buddy's widow Maria Elena Holly to the late Bobby Vee. I've had the pleasure of chatting to audience members from that final tour (who generously donated their rare photos!) and I've talked to others to whom Holly means a great deal, and I'm thankful for that. So spare a thought for Buddy on February 3rd 2024. Better still, ndulge yourself in his music fora few hours. Oh, and do ive Ritchie and the Big Bopper a spin too. Kale Rik Flynn Editor 4 nL ay ti nay NG BUDDY »\ Hom THE TOUR FROM HELL 6 When Buddy Holly and an asorted cast of Tock torchbearers boarded the bus forthe Winter Dance Paty tour, they weren't to know that TRtwould bea run of dates that would pus them al totheir limits. And then came tragedy... BUDDY HOLLY is From Lubbock upstart international superstar, Buddy's joumey to stardom ook several twists and turns along the way, but withthe help ois talented musical pls and a visionary producer he ‘made the lant leap ‘THE BIG BOPPER Hemay have ben lage than if in both stature and personaly, but beyond his clear abies as an entertainer, ex-dejy JP “The Big Bopper Rctardsonwasa skied songwriter andan Innovator who pioneered the music video RITCHIE VALENS 38 The youngest ofthe stars to tragic los is ie in the crash year-old Chicano star ite Valens had alteady made a huge impact, both nthe charts and asa rable for Hispanic music DION DIMuccI 46 One ofthe headin acts on the Winter Dance Paty tour, Dion DMucd found success with he Belmonts before striking out Slo andint the stratosphere WAYLON JENNINGS: 52 Soon to become a major starin his own ight, Waylon Jennings stared out backing Buddy on that fateful tour ~ and luck was on his side THESHOWMUSTGOON .... 58 Much has been witen abou the stars ofthe Winter Dance Party and their tragic departure, but there asa castof others involved, some of whom had ‘he unenviabetask of carrying on regardless BOBBY VEE ou Imone of his st ever interviews, the ate great Bobby Ve hast Vintage Rock about his Buddy ‘obsession, his aver an filing in fo is er inthe ‘most trapicof circumstance. JERRY ALLISON 7 ‘ne of Holy’ clses friends growing upin Lubbock, J Alison kept tight ship fom behing the Crum in The Crickets and co-wrote some of the ‘roup's best-loved songs SONNY CURTIS 30 ‘Another of Lubboc’ finest, Sonny Curtis grew up with Bud, shared licks with his end in he early days and went on to author araftof great material suBs Grab bargain and take advantage of Vintage oct latest subscription offer MARIA ELENA HOLLY 38 ‘When Buddy cede lt behind his bride of oly six ‘months. Her, Maria Elena remembers cherished time spent wit her husband and ascusses how she has dedicate her eto maintaining his memory ‘THAT'LL BE THE DAY 26 Intute to Buddy Holy’ andmark song, we tak tos widow aria Elna oly, superfan Bruce Welch and, non of his al iter views, rickets ¢rummer ery alison THE APARTMENT TAPES .. 104% ‘fe rel of tape record by Holy in is New York apartment eta tantalising clueas to where he was heading. We examine the evidence RAVINGON 106 Inhisshort fe, Buddy made an indelible mark on music tha changed things forever. Heaso provided Inspraton forthe greats that fllowe behing him BUDDY’S LEGACY og From The Buddy Holy Education Foundation and The Buddy Holly Center oa panned biopic staring Tom Hanks'son Colin, Buddy's cherished legacy iin safetands, ‘TRUE LOVE ways. 122 We hat to Nick Patrick, the producer nd arranger behind the album True Love Ways, where the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra provide anew musica seltng for Bud's classes LONG LIVE VINYL 126 From hard-won Holy vinyl albums an oy gril, 45 to obscure European Es and rrtis from the Wider cast of the Winter Dance Party, we dg {through the record crates and pik our favourites copa 130 Cur parting tribute to Bud: his ft-fung Inspiration, an uncontobable appettto explore ‘he boundaries, anda truly incredible talent beating atthe heart ofthe young man fom Lubbock, Texas VIN ‘The Winter Dance Party WW (TS Tour Pe Hell When the rock’n’roll pioneers set OIE KO Wace Ree a alte pmeemecy ce coeBiMyyt myo meits end of an era. By Randy Fox EE ep pay coer ee eee eee ee eet Fees teeta Roger Petersof, and carried three passengers —rock’nroll SP a oe eee Pree eee eg Penn es ety the northwest and ts planned destination of Pango, North ee Perera: en the plane had been chartered to avoid along, cold and = sningof3 February, and Cac Dg ‘The Winter Dance Party tedious bus ride over icy toads Despite moderate wind gusts and snow; the takeoff was flawless, Dwyer watched the tal ight of the plane asit receded from sight. About four mils from the fl, the plane appeared to descend, almostas if heading fora Tanding, but given the snowfall an the angle ofthe turn, that apparent descent was surely an optical illusion, By daybreak, Dwyer was les sure ithad been an illusion. Shortly after the plane departed, he had attempted to reach Peterson by radio, without response The radio silence continued threxighout the whole night By the next morning, Peterson was sure somethi ‘wrong. The plane had not arrived in Fi was issued for dhe missing aircraft. Taking matters into and an alert, hisown hans, Dwyer decided to follow the most likely flightpath and see what he could find Just afew minutes after takeof, at approximately 49:36a.m, local time, Dwyer sported the wreckage ina nearby cornfield. It was obvious the plane ad hitthe round at high at of sped, the mln inlge was "angled bal fret wood and brie esting aginst tare wire once while bis of debris and bodies were stew cos the eld FRANKIE SARDO > the Winter Dance Pasty tour had ike of on 23 January 1959 witha show in hard road stretching ahead of them. Traveling trough George Devine Bloomin Ntivae, Wisconsin eannne ft, een psnvof Winn Minot and Rocknvlleourswereegenine ary inthe Midwest, BALM ne the harshest months the winter would andthe enthusiasm the aience proved tobe cmon bendifiulttaskunder any rcumstances bt the oerwhelming Bt Buy Hol ante our oer booking agency, General Artists Corporation (GAC featured acts RichieValensTheBigBopper Dion ALTRI erg gen te orm though to geography andthe Belmonts and FankieSaro—hnewtheyhadaiiwesise while planing tur Rather than follow ie A MISSED PHONE CALL eT aR TL AD Red ‘As Buddy Holly was playing for an Curtis’ role inthe revised line-up, eager and enthusiastic audience in frustrated at their ack of progress Ce a UOC way, some of his old friends were Maudlin decided to call Holy and Cee OAL me es TE Moy Poe ery Pee aT Goldrosen, “We started trying to get ee On or CC eer) Nauldin, recruited long-time friend said, “You ever want to get back Sonny Curtis, who previously backed together with me, then all you have Pee nee rote a Through the months tha followed, After ist trying to reach Holly at ce ere DA LoLe La) ee Cr mee TEs ncn cy See SR aU CU ec Ae aa Ro eet Cm ee Ty tapesto New York for elease and chance for what could have been a Be EE Omen 8 TEI ‘The Winter Dance Party path from cityto nearby city the tour instead would mara iek | temperatures were a rarity. Even the New Yorkers, Dion 2ig-zagits way between distant locations, guaranteeing esis Rie ts ache Belmonts and Frankie Sardo, were undendressed ig-zagits way between distant locations guaranteeing Beadiaslieaes and the Bel Prankie Sar i _gruellingall-night rides in bare-bones buses over iey and lane highways, Despite these challenges, Holy had little choice in dangerous eo gningon forthe tour In November 1958, he announced hhe was movingto New York and would no longer ‘work with the Clovis, New Mexico-based producer Norman Pety. Holly and Petty had enjoyed a success partnership for almost two years, scoring hit after hit, Buta time progressed, Holly came to suspect that all ‘was not well with his share of recording and songwriting royalties The legal actions following the split led to Petty frveding.all ryalty payments to Holly. By January’ 1959, Holly was finding himself low on ready cash, and the offer to headline the Winter Dance Party tour offered the chance for some much-needed income Holly's past experience on GAC package tours had ‘been mostly pleasant, but times had changed forthe rock'nrollcour circuit. Rock'n oll shows were simply not as profitable as they had been just afew years earlier GAC badly needed to cut costs, and their performers? comfort was where the axe fel, The budget cuts were obvious to everyone who ‘embarked on the tour The performers were required to travel withouta road crew, and ‘were forced to load and unload their own cequipmentateach stop. Even worse, they ‘By ‘were required to travel in cheap, second first hand schoo! buses ill-equipped forthe harsh road conditions and freeing temperatures, often traversing more than 300 miles oficy roads ina singe night Within days the performers had Worked their way through several replacement buses a they experienced breakdowns severe lack of het, and sleepless, all-night rides onthe chilly and uncomfortable coaches By the end ofthe fist week the performers ‘were exhausted, and none had come all prepared for the weather Holly and Richardson were from Texas, and ‘Valens was from Southern California, where freezing efi sBoen, Fav Gi Wc Jaa ee perforated and none ey dforthe prepared, forthe sub-zero temperatures. The Winter Dance Pasty quickly received a new name, “the tour from hel Tocation of the crash, Jerry Dwyer tumed his plane back towards the Mason City Airport, landed, then hurried to hi the eras site. When he arrived, the police were already sartodrive w ‘on the scene, I¢quickly became obvious that asthe plane crashed, the right wing had struck the ground firs, ripping itaway. The remainder ofthe plane had cartwheeled across the field for 500 yards, crumpling the ish investigators later estimated the plane was travellingat 17Omph when itstruck the ground, The bodies of Holly, Valens, and Richardson had been flung, clear ofthe plane as i tumbled across the fel, with Holly's and Valens’ bodies lying 20 feet south ofthe main \wreckage and Richardson's bouly 40 feet beyond the fence row. The body of pilot Roger Peterson was found crushed in the ball ofthe wreckage. All four men died on impact. point on the cour ly morning hours of February. On the evening of 1 January the Winter Dance Party tour rocked the National Guard Armory in Duluth, “Minnesota. Despite the hardships, the performers gave ther all or each performance, Over 58 years later,one from hell came in the ‘the end oft come attendee, Bob Dylan ~ a high school student a the time ~ recalled Holly's performance in his 2017 Nobel Prize lecture. "He looked me right straight dead in the eye, and he transmitted something” Dylan sae. “Something, I didn’t know what. had And it gave me the chills Buta sparkling performance provided litte comfort ‘once Holly and the other musicians had traipsed back out to the freezing bus, They had been on the road for only a few hours when the vehicle slowed and came toa FRANKIE SARDO Cy Tee Beet ea Oe er Te eT] et emer relatively itl is aid about the Winter Dance Party opening act, Frankie Sando Sado died Pe OL born singer relayed his memories of the tour to Jim McCool and Sevan Garabedian in 2010, cor Cra aa ny ee aa ae ES SPS ect me cra TCO) War, wiat di I care | was just having fun! SE ee Cad cowboys do! We all joked, sang, played poker. We'd meet with the fans al the time - no separation. I anybody had played the star they'd have been thrown ofthe bus! Beer] time at lar Lake that dit Buddy said CO ea ay Tee Een Pe Tee Tea Re acs Nera eee ore) Ne eae) PT cea Cree cay ee cee ad POM on viene, 1 complete stop With heavy snow fallingand temperatures © (00 Sw oma Fem Sa wasn Aipping to 35 degrees below zero the musicians found! Sat ase themselvesstranded ona lonely stretch ofhighway in the scien gia teu ‘wilds of northern Wisconsin, While several of the musicians began burning ies mat newspapersinan effort to stay warm, Carl Bunch, Hollys _ fataleguasa drummer, was having difficulty movinghis legs and the alt dts a4 Thi pain in his fee w Bopanna Tight, guitarist Tommy Allsup examined Bunch’s fet, which had tured a disturbing shade of bowen Finally, deputy sheriff arrived onthe scene and called for additional patrol cars that ferried the dangerously quickly becoming intense. Inthe dim hypothermic musicians to Hurley, Wisconsin on the Wisconsin/Michigan border where they were able to get few hours of warm sleep ina hotel. The situation was more dire for Carl Bunch. Diagnosed with a severe case of frostbi hhe was admitted to the hospital in nearby Ironwood, Michigan, where he spent the next several days recovering. A scheduled matinee show in Appleton, ‘Wisconsin wascancelled, but he assembled musicians continied on to Green Bay ‘Wisconsin inthe relative comfort ‘ofa Greyhound bus for an evening performance at the Riverside Ballroom, ‘The next day, 2 Pebruary, had been schectuled as an official day of, buta call from New York ruined any hope forrest and relaxation. Hoping to wring every possible nickel from the tour last, minute booking had been arranged atthe Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, lowa ~ and itwas 350 miles aay. Holly andthe rest had litle choice 12 neon and boarded yet another second-hand school bus forthe Jong trip west. “Surely” Holly thought, “there has to be a better way co travel cemergeney calls about the erash filled the airwaves of Clear Lake and Mason City, nearby radio station picked up on the reports while monitoring police cas. As soon asthe frst identification ofthe bodies was reported, the station begun running announcements ofthe crash, as wellas submitting the story to national wire services. Initial announcements were short on details; many reported Buddy Holly’s death along with unidentified ‘members of his band’. Atleast part ofthis early confusion was caused by the discovery of Tommy Allsup’s wallet lying inthe debris The night befo Allsup had given Holly his walletso he could use the identification to pick up a registered letter ‘waiting for Allsup in Moorhead, Minnesota, ‘Surf Ballroom manager Carroll Anderson was called to make an identification of the bodies, and shortly afterwards corrected news reports ‘went out over the wire services and the tory was broadeast coast-to-cost ‘over radio and television stations No consideration was given tothe families and friends ofthe victims. Maria Elena Holly would endure the shock oflearning ofher husband's death through her television, Allsup spotted a picture of The Big Bopperon TV ashe entered the Moorhead hotel only when he SELES S$ hms oth mene Today aesand mittee | Ont esas orm a. ASON fou tinea Scere : emia : ‘nthe Abert Ju arm The vou 9 Rock ‘n’ Roll Id Newspa spoke to the check-in desk did he realise dhetuvarved ‘Charter: in Clear Lake, lowa, Holly was Plan and cold, and with no time Sando bands aban repulsive. As Waylon arr. Sennings eal inhi 1996 autcbiograpty, “Wel change for. inthe dressing room, goon gel sweated and then run bckto thebas We tr to hang our wrinkled suitsinthe se andar awh toe indo ripe in there Weall seed ie gots On theway to Clear Laks, Holy suggested chartering plane tofiyhimsl,Alsapand Jennings the next top fees ete torso “lng PRrerryfs taie sal Wel reich Sr neta inMoorhead, Minnesota, would give them time to get Sg Sunnie sil tent oat Mh 92 some sleep, take a bath, have their clothes laundered, and make arrangements for the following show. Allsup and Jennings agreed, and after arriving at Clear Lake, Holly asked Carroll Anderson to make the arrangements 14. TO NECK 15 ‘The Winter Dance Party qa be ‘with the nearby airport in Mason City, lowe. ooreTewedage | City airport at12:40a.m.on 3 February. They were met raringthe show, JP Richardson heard about the plan, StteBetdcat sn by Jerry Daye, he owner of Dwyers Flying Service, Daringthe show JPRichardson heardaboutehe plan, Meta by Jerry Duyer, the owner of Dwyer’ Flying As The Big Bopper was over six feettalland weighed eadentenmmng_ af pilot Roger Peterson. The forecasts for the night morethan 250lbs,attemptingtosleeponthetiny bus Nan 3,158, indicated excellent visibility of 10 miles or greater. With seats was agony for him, Furthermore, he was coming the temperature dipping to 18 degrees Fahrenheit and down with abad case of the fa, Desperate to avoid wind gusts to 38mph with light snowfall predicted, ‘conditions were les than perfect but sil adequate for normal visual flight more bus travel, he had litle problem convincing Jennings to give up his seat. Ritchie Valens, ‘equally keen, tried the same tactic with Allsup. ‘The wo tossed a coin, with Valens winning the coveted spot But Peterson had missed a weather advisory for lowered visibility due to fog and snow: This would necessitate yingby instruments ~askillhe was not certified for. Also, the plane was equipped with an old-style atinade gyro which displayed the plane's bank nd pitch in the opposite manner tomore modern instruments. ora SOMETIME DURING THE ‘evening, Holly made all to Maria Elena, As he later recalled to writer John Goldrosen, “He told me whae an awful tour it had been... everybody on the tour was really disgusted with the whole thing He said the tour was behind younger, less experienced pilot fying with no visibility it meantone might believe the plane was climbing when it was descending, Unaware ofthese potential pitfalls, Holy, Richardson, and Valens stowed their luggage and climbed into their seas - relieved nobody else to doit” fora respite from the tur from hell and oblivious tothe Holly, Richardson and Valens arrived at the Mason

    You might also like