BUDDY   HOLLY   LIVES


The  Lee  Limerick  Story

 

Lee Limerick - Buddy Holly fan / Tea drinker

 

Firstly, I would like to say thanks to Hans for featuring my Buddy Holly covers and

 

for all the great work he has done on this fantastic website!   


 

Lee_2017
Lee 2017

 

 

I’m 46 years old and have been a semi-professional musician and playing gigs in various bands since I was 15.

During the day I am an odd-job man/handyman doing general property maintenance. 

I play around 3 gigs every week in London in various cover bands. 

My most regular gig is in Soho’s Oneills bar in Wardour Street, 

where The Crickets once played when it was called the

 Whiskey-a-go-go! 


 

Lee's RAVE ON LP

The "Rave On" LP mentioned below

 

I have been a fan of Buddy since I was a young boy. Like most kids who grew up in the 70s & 80s, playing records was pretty

 much the only indoor activity you could do on a rainy day and we have plenty of those in England! 

We had a copy of “Rave On”, an MFP compilation album of Buddy Holly’s hits. 



It was my favourite of all the records that we had, I was just so taken with this style of music and Buddy’s hiccup singing

 style. I had no idea why, I just really liked it, so I listened to it a lot. I don’t know what happened to that record, but I 

recently bought a copy of it and I can’t wait to set up my old record player now to see that red oval go round again!




 So here's Lee's rendition of 'RAVE ON' from 2019 ! 



When I saw the trailers for the movie “La Bamba” in 1987, I was hugely start-struck by the excitement of this story being in a

 new movie and was totally blown away what Los Lobos had done with Ritchie’s songs. Right then, I decided I had to get a

 guitar and learn to play. I had actually already learned to play before I was even able to see that movie, because it had a 15

 certificate in the cinema and I was only 14 at the time, so I had to wait a year to see it on video.  


 



Lee 2011
Lee 2011

 

 

I found a guitar teacher in my local newspaper classifieds, it turns out that they guy I called was Alan Warner from The

 Foundations, he just happened to live near me and was teaching students. We actually formed a rock n roll band in 1988,

 playing all the old classics in pubs around London. I played rhythmn guitar and sang (and learned as much as I could from

 him!). I also worked as an apprentice in his recording studio, I made my first recordings there. I recorded “Oh Boy” and “Rock

 Around With Ollie Vee” in 1989. I don’t have a copy of those recordings now, but I do have the master tapes in my loft,

 although I don’t have a machine to play them now! Alan and I played a few gigs together again recently, which was really

 nice, he’s a great guy and still a fantastic guitarist.   





              

Me - Alan - 1989

Me - Alan - 1989 

 

I also learned to play drums, I just taught myself from

 watching others in bands I played in. Actually the biggest

 gig I ever did was as the drummer of a band called “JAG”. In

 2005, we won a battle of the bands competition with a song

 called “Stranger Fings” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?

 v=RAtV99vdIik ) and we got to play in Hyde Park and also

 support “Madness” on their forest tour in the summer that

 year. That was an unforgettable experience!  





Lee - Drums - JAG
Lee - Drums - JAG

 

 

I never really made any effort to try to be famous or “hit the big time” so to speak. I suffered terrible anxiety when I was

 younger, so the thought of having to perform on a big stage terrified me. Plus I had kids very young, so I was happy doing

 my day job and playing gigs in pubs for fun and some extra cash.  





Lee - Drums - 2002
Lee - Drums - 2005 

 

 

I did make an album in 1996 called “Outside Out”. It was released by the now defunct “Headline” record label. John Simms,

 the singer/guitarist from “Clear Blue Sky” saw me play in his local pub and said if I had any original songs, he would be

 happy to let me use his studio to record them. We are still good friends today and he is still making some great music. I sang

 some songs and wrote the lyrics for the title track for their 2009 album “Don’t Mention Rock & Roll”.   

 

I have recently re-mastered that old album and will re-relase it soon and also make some new songs.   

  


Andrea - Lucy - Lee

Andrea - Lucy - Lee

 

 

Today, I play in London’s West End in a cover band called “Playground Mafia” and also play acoustic guitar and sing in a duo

 called “Both Barrels” with my friend and super guitarist Andrea Samengo. I play drums once or twice a month with a covers

 band called “The Swans”, which is great, because I hadn’t played drums at all for over 10 years until I joined them. I also

 play guitar in a duo my daughter Lucy, playing reggae songs. She has a great voice!

 

We made this reggae cover version of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” https://youtu.be/OH81QbJG75w

 


Me - Alan - April 2019


 Me - Alan - April 2019


 

My life and all of the people in it came about from the places I have been. The places I have been are mostly connected with

 playing the guitar and, I play the guitar because of Buddy Holly. He is still giving us all gifts!   

 

 

A few years ago, I found a copy of “The Apartment Tapes”, so myself and my best mate Joe, grabbed a few beers, set up the

 recording gear and loaded in “Peggy Sue Got Married”, which was just Buddy and his acoustic guitar. We added drums and

 our own guitars, bass and backing vocals. We got to record a song with the great man himself! 




"Peggy Sue Got Married" Video



I have long wanted to make a whole collection of cover versions of Buddy Holly songs, but due to work & stuff, I just never

got around to it until now. I am doing my best on these recordings to sing and play in Buddy’s style, it’s not my natural style.

 I have something of a hidden talent for immitating voices, although Buddy’s is so unique, its difficult to even get close! I will

 keep making more and add them to my “Thanks Buddy!” collection on my Youtube channel and on my website


 www.leelimerick.com



The new version of "MAYBE BABY", published 17th of August, 2020:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKNRsh6awng


A stunning rendition of "MAYBE BABY".  Don't miss all the other ones!


 

Maybe one day I will take the backing tracks I have made and do some Buddy Holly tribute gigs somewhere, although I look

 nothing like him, so I don’t know if that could really work. Even if I wore some glasses, I have no hair now. I did think about

 calling myself “Baldy Holly”, but I found that there is already a band with that name, very good they are too!!   



The new version of "Love's Made A Fool Of You", published 17th of August, 2020:

LOVE'S MADE A FOOL OF YOU - Lee Limerick Cover Version 17th of August, 2020


https://youtu.be/M2LypVEjLXo



 

 

Anyway, if you’re still reading, then you’re long overdue a nice cup of tea by now!   

 

 

Thanks for listening to my covers, I hope you enjoy them and thanks as ever to

 

Buddy Holly & The Crickets for all they have done for all of us!   





Editor's note:

THANX, mate!  I really like your Buddy Holly covers. as there are:
(Updated 17th of August, 2020)


BABY I DON'T CARE

BLUE DAYS BLACK NIGHTS

Brown EYED HANDSOME MAN

IT'S NOT MY FAULT

IT'S SO EASY

LOVE'S MADE A FOOL OF YOU (2 versions)

MAYBE BABY (2 versions)

NOT FADE AWAY

OH BOY

PEGGY SUE

PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (2 versions with Buddy Holly)

RAINING IN MY HEART

RAVE ON

THAT MAKES IT TOUGH

THAT'LL BE THE DAY

THINK IT OVER

TRUE LOVE WAYS

WORDS OF LOVE



THE LINKS TO THE VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE "COVERS LIST"!
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