Buddy Holly Concert

[mark1971]

Cheers Sputnikboy. I read about it somewhere but couldn't remember who had the near miss. Didn't he tie one one the night before and miss the plane because he was hungover or summat?

 

I recently bought a book about the day the music died (before my time but very interesting)& from what i gather buddy holly was so fed up with travelling on a cold bus & decided to hire a plane for himself & the crickets(waylon jennings & tommy allsup) but the big bopper talked waylon into giving up his seat because he was feeling ill & ritchie valens flipped a coin with tommy for his seat & won & the rest as they say is history.

[gularscute]

Cheers Mark. I bet Waylon and Tommy felt mighty shivery whenever they thought about their chance escape.

 

It's hardly comparable or very rock 'n' roll but I was once walking on the pavement on Charlotte Rd towards a small crane that was lifting a large stack of slates up to the roof of a house. I was going to be brave and walk underneath it in defiance of my usually cautious nature thinking that the chances of anything dropping down were very remote but at the last minute something made me swerve around it.

 

As I reached the point where if I'd continued on my original course I'd have been underneath the load, the slates came crashing down. If I'd been underneath it there's no doubt that I'd have been killed or at least sustained serious head injuries and it always makes me go cold to think of the 'What ifs'.

 

Anyway I'll shut up now, no doubt Waylon's stories are better than mine and Don Mclean's hardly going to write a song about The Day the Slates Came Down!

[Timbuck]

The 4th of March is my birthday and on that day in 1958 I was walking past the the Grand Hotel, it was raining, and three guys came out of the revolving doors of the hotel, one of the guys with big black frame glasses said to me, "Hey big fella which way is it to the City Hall", I said to him just turn right by Wilson Pecks music shop, keep on up the street until you come to all the steps and thats it. The guy in the glasses simply said "Hey fella thanks a lot".

As I crossed the road to the Town Hall, I thought my god that was Buddy Holly.

 

I went to his concert that night and was absolutely blown away, the sound from his Fender Stratocaster was awesome, especially when he played "Peggy Sue". As you say it was a great pity he was taken away so young, but testimy to his rare talent, his music has never really died.

 

Tony Land (ex Club 60 partner) now living in Brisbane, Australia.

\\The guitar that Buddy played in those days was called the "Fender Broadcaster" later on they changed its name to "Stratocaster" because there was a Banjo in America also called the "Broadcaster" ...

useless info.. I know.

[mark1971]

There was also a rumour going round that buddy holly had a gun & may have used it.

[RichardK]

I read in the paper this week about the exhibition of legendary guitars which is on at Harrods this month -the late Rory Gallagher's battered Strat, Hendrix's Strat etc etc. I wondered if Buddy's Broadcaster used on the '58 tour might be there as I reckon it's the most treasured Fender ever built. Apparently given to Des O'Connor at the end of the tour, I am privileged to have at least seen and heard it at Ipswich Gaumont in March 1958. I was 12 and bribed my Mum into taking me, in exchange for accompaning her to the same venue to see David Whitfield ! Quite a contrast !

 

I recall Buddy walking up to the microphone and saying " It's great to be here in ------ He walked over to another band member, returned to the mike and said "IPSWICH". I thought it was very amusing but, having now seen the tour dates, he probably didn't know where he was !!

 

I still miss you Buddy. You are the one.

[peter5922]

I went to Buddy's concert at the City Hall.Also went to the 50th anniverary tribute show.I have still got his album "The Chirping Crickets" and some of buddy's original 45 records

[buddysbuddy]

hi sputnikboy, I do not believe this. I am the other fella who was there on march 4 1958. after all these years.I dont know how this forum works I was actually looking for a new buddy holly relaease when I found your post.if you are still in sheffield I shall be on gerry kerseys show tonight on radio sheffield talking about buddy you can contact me if you wish on clifford@hircock.f9.co.uk cliff hircock

[JohnnyMathis]

You lucky devils.

 

Buddy Holly & Elvis both selfishly died before I was born, what I would give to have seen them live.

 

Can we not do a deal and swap the big man upstairs a couple of average bands from today to get them back? I'd happily give up Girls aloud and the Arctic Monkeys for their return.

[hank]

Great to hear about the Buddy Holly reminiscences above.

Keep them coming!

Sorry I wasn't in the right place at the right time.

I think that Buddy and the other two caught a plane to save time over the bus. They tossed a coin to see who would go by plane. The weather was awful, typical Iowa in the winter. I think the pilot was only qualified for daylight flying?

[Bassman62]

\\The guitar that Buddy played in those days was called the "Fender Broadcaster" later on they changed its name to "Stratocaster" because there was a Banjo in America also called the "Broadcaster" ...

useless info.. I know.

The first 'Telecaster' not the Stratocaster was to be called the 'Broadcaster'.

As you say the name was already in use so Telecaster was used as this was the new medium in entertainment; this was some years before the appearance of the Strat, the Stratocaster was always called the Statocaster.