I remember reading about Buddy Holly and the Crickets years ago. I can't remember which book it was but I think it was one of those Peter Guralnick books (great books, by the way). They were discussing Lubbock, Texas, with the Flatlanders and somewhere in there was a whole big section about how Lubbock damn near disowned Holly and his music from when he was alive until the Buddy Holly Story movie came out.
I don't know how true that is, but as I read it i was just struck with what a sad place that must be, not to want to embrace the amazing creativity of the man and his band.
And now it hits me that I can't remember the last time I heard a single Holly song on the regular "airwave" radio... I heard the Blind Faith cover of "Well All Right" a while back, and that was cool, but as far as actual Holly recordings? It has been a LONG time.
I have my suspicions but I ask anyway: why is this? Is "Free Bird" 10000 times better than any Buddy Holly or Sir Douglas Quintet or ANY other good song? I don't think so.
Anyway, thank you for posting this, JR...and a shout out to the Texans who recorded in New Mexico (I didn't look it up; "Clovis" is burned into my memory for some reason.) Tex-Mex, southwestern rock. Great stuff. It hasn't aged a second.
I love this music.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about Buddy Holly and the Crickets years ago. I can't remember which book it was but I think it was one of those Peter Guralnick books (great books, by the way). They were discussing Lubbock, Texas, with the Flatlanders and somewhere in there was a whole big section about how Lubbock damn near disowned Holly and his music from when he was alive until the Buddy Holly Story movie came out.
I don't know how true that is, but as I read it i was just struck with what a sad place that must be, not to want to embrace the amazing creativity of the man and his band.
And now it hits me that I can't remember the last time I heard a single Holly song on the regular "airwave" radio... I heard the Blind Faith cover of "Well All Right" a while back, and that was cool, but as far as actual Holly recordings? It has been a LONG time.
I have my suspicions but I ask anyway: why is this? Is "Free Bird" 10000 times better than any Buddy Holly or Sir Douglas Quintet or ANY other good song? I don't think so.
Anyway, thank you for posting this, JR...and a shout out to the Texans who recorded in New Mexico (I didn't look it up; "Clovis" is burned into my memory for some reason.) Tex-Mex, southwestern rock. Great stuff. It hasn't aged a second.