BUDDY  HOLLY  LIVES

Buddy  Holly  News  ( 8 )

2025 Winter Dance Party Lineup

© Surf Ballroom Clear Lake IA

For more information have a look at their website:

https://www.surfballroom.com/wdpLineup.html

Keeping The Memory Alive

Upcoming Jamie & Sherry Gigs In Scotland

© Jamie Bell

Spread The News !

A NEW BUDDY HOLLY MOVIE ?

© 2024 Variety Media LLC

Thanks to Lothar Pedd

https://variety.com/2024/film/global/mario-van-peebles-thatll-be-the-day-buddy-holly-rock-n-roll-1235958754/

NEW  BUDDY  HOLLY  BOOK  COMING  SOON

© Genesis Publications 2023

Born out of a conversation with Roger Daltrey, who first conceived the idea of Words of Love back in 2017, Genesis Publications is honoured to publish the definitive celebration of musician, songwriter and rock and roll trailblazer, Buddy Holly.
In partnership with María Elena Holly and the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, this seminal volume covers Buddy's life, music and enduring legacy, offering an unseen perspective on the man behind the timeless music. This edition is presented as a limited edition boxed set of just 559 copies and features original cover art created specially by Ronnie Wood, with a foreword by María Elena Holly and an introduction by esteemed music critic Greil Marcus. The proceeds will benefit Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.

Screenshot 

The book is narrated by over 80 of the world's most influential musicians, such as David Gilmour, Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and Brian Wilson, explaining what Buddy Holly means to them. Words of Love unravels the complexities of Holly's enduring legacy, from his Texan roots, to his work in the studio and on tour with the Crickets, to his inner creative world and the final months of innovation in New York City that preceded his tragic death.

Words of Love charts the unusual rise of a musical pioneer who defied conventions and changed the course of music history. Buddy's career is presented through a large collection of never-before-seen photography and personal items belonging to Buddy Holly, accompanied by the stories of those close to him, including María Elena Holly.

© genesis-publications.com 2023

CLEAR LAKE - SURF BALLROOM  Feb 2024

© Surf Ballroom 2024

NEVER  FORGOTTEN

( Forthcoming Events In February, 2023 )

USA

Thanks to  Dave Skinner and  Roddy Jordan

More about J.P. here on my 'old' website :

- The J.P. McDermott Story -

https://www.buddyhollylives.info/archiv/526962/2503610.html

------------------------------------------------

U.K.

Thanks to  Dave Parsons  and  Roddy Jordan

USA

Thanks to Roddy Jordan for letting me know

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CONCERT  POSTER  WORLD  RECORD

Unbelievable, but true: 

The Rarest Known Buddy Holly Poster For Feb 3, 1959,

Told To Be The Only Existing Poster For The 2 Moorhead WDP Concerts,

Sells For

$ 447,000  !

Thanx to Dave Parsons and Roddy Jordan for the information!

©  HERITAGE AUCTIONS and 5d-blog.com, 2022 

It happened on Nov 11, 2022

WDP 2023 - SURF BALLROOM

Here is the line-up for the 2023 memorial events honoring the 3 stars Buddy, Ritchie and J.P..

© Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake IA 2022

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Sonny West in Hemsby

R.I.P.  Sonny  West

July 30, 1937  -  September 8, 2022

Songwriter of Buddy Holly’s ‘Oh Boy’, ‘Rave On’

Sonny West dies

By KCBD Staff (Thank you!)

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD)

 It is with heavy hearts we share with Buddy Holly fans

and Rockabilly aficionados, Sonny West, most notably

the songwriter of “Oh Boy” and “Rave On”,

passed away on September 8, 2022 in Grove Oklahoma.

Sonny on stage, SURF Ballroom Clear Lake IA, Feb 1, 2020

Sonny West, was born as Joe Bob West in West Texas on July 30, 1937.

Though Sonny lived many years in Texas and throughout the Southwest,

he resided in Northeast Oklahoma the last two years of his life.

Sonny West with Buddy Holly's brothers, Larry and Travis

Sonny wrote songs, and was a man of many other talents as well,

being a self-taught silversmith and artist of beautiful silver and turquoise

 jewelry inspired by the Native Navajo and Zuni American Tribes

of New Mexico. Sonny was also an inventor.

He single-handedly manufactured vinyl record needles for

jukeboxes around the world. In more recent years, Sonny was

a maker of several styles of guitars showcasing

that special sound of a bygone era.

Sonny in the SURF Ballroom, Feb 1, 2020

Many of us in Sonny’s world, felt he was there at the very beginning of real Rock-n-Roll music, and fortunately crossed paths with Buddy Holly at just the right time, when they were mere teenagers. He has now become one of the last to close out that era.
Before his songs made the Billboard charts with Buddy Holly’s rendition, Sonny had recorded the double-sided 45 record “Rock-ola Ruby” and “Sweet Rockin’ Baby” in 1956. These songs are considered by many to be the beginning of the Rockabilly genre, where it led to what we know as Rock-n-Roll Music.

ROCK-OLA RUBY

SWEET ROCKIN' BABY

Sonny's Business card, from Hans' collection

Sonny is one of the original inductees of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame,

the West Texas Musicians Hall of Fame,

The BMI Million Airplays Award for Sonny West

and is a recipient of BMI’s Million Airplays Award.

His songs have been recorded by scores of artists and featured in

dozens of television shows, films, documentaries, and television ads.

2 Friends: Sonny West & Tommy Allsup

Until recently, Sonny performed in live shows in Europe and the U.S.,

entertaining fans with his well-known classics. He was proud to be

 a part of the rich history his music had been an integral part of.

He is survived by one sister, two daughters, two step-sons, a step-daughter,

 four grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his wife.

Public visitation date and time are pending.

A public “Rave On” Celebration of Life will also be planned

for November in Oklahoma. If you would like to attend,

inquire by email at RaveOn.SonnyWest@gmail.com

If you were impacted by Rockabilly Music, or specifically Sonny’s songs,

and would like to share memories, photos or other correspondence, please write to:

Sandra Fay West-Haynes
PO Box 451391Grove OK 74345-1391

In lieu of flowers, please send support to the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. (tbhef.org)

© 2022 KCBD. All rights reserved.

Editor's note:

Sonny West was more than a friend to me, he was my buddy

for 17 years. The friendship began in 2005, when I started

my Buddy Holly Fan Pages buddyhollylives.info

Rest In Peace, Sonny ! We all miss you !

Hans

All photos added to this © KCBD article were sent to Hans (editor) by Sonny West himself

with written permission for publication on this website.

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R.I.P. Jerry Ivan Allison

August 31, 1939 - August 22, 2022

The Last Surviving Member Of The Original Buddy Holly And The Crickets Band, 

Drummer Jerry Ivan Allison, Passed Away

Editorial Text © 2022 PA News Agency

Buddy, Joe B. and Jerry

Musician Jerry Allison, who played alongside Buddy Holly in American rock band The Crickets, has died. 

The drummer, who is credited with co-writing hits including That’ll Be the Day and Peggy Sue, 

died on Monday aged 82. His death was announced on the official Buddy Holly Facebook page, 

with a statement paying tribute to Allison as a “musician ahead of his time”. 

Photo by © Steve Bonner,  taken December 1989

at the Happy Day's Club in Dallas

Thanks to Roddy Jordan for sharing !

“Our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Jerry ‘JI’ Allison, 

drummer in the Crickets, one of Buddy’s very closest friends, 

and the inspiration to drummers for decades since, 

who passed away today at the age of 82,” the statement read. 

 “JI was a musician ahead of his time, and undoubtedly his energy, 

ideas and exceptional skill contributed to both The Crickets, 

and rock n’ roll itself, becoming such a success. 

“Buddy is often heralded as the original singer-songwriter, but JI, too, wrote 

and inspired so many of the songs that would go on to be eternal classics.” 

The Crickets were formed by singer-songwriter Holly in January 1957. 

Their first hit record, That’ll Be the Day was released in May 1957

 and peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 100 chart in September that year. 

From Ian Higham's Collection

The cover of their first album, The ‘Chirping’ Crickets, showed 

the band line-up at the time of Holly, Allison, Niki Sullivan, and Joe B Mauldin. 

Of that four, Allison was the last living member with Sullivan and Mauldin 

having died in 2004 and 2017, respectively. 

Holly himself died in an air crash in 1959, aged only 22. 

The Crickets, who also at one time included country musician Waylon Jennings,  

were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.

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 Texas Country Music Hall of Fame 

 2022  inductees

Maria Elena Holley, Buddy's widow, with the latest posthumous award for our Buddy.