The Day The Music Died - 50 years and 2 days ago

thejuice · February 05, 2009, 01:10:44 PM

A bit late on the anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly but I thought it was worth a mention. While he was of my parents generation I grew up listening to their rock and roll records before I ever began listened to anything contemporary. I still listen to Buddy every now and again and in his short life wrote some brilliant songs which were also musically fantastic as well. A true pioneer of rock and roll. If you think the songs may sound dated, well the effect these songs had on The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Byrds and just about everyone in the 60's was enormous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdtqTWH0lxU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd6zBMZ423g

Also not forgetting Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper" J.P. Richardson, who lost their lives that day.

Tony Baloney · February 05, 2009, 01:13:59 PM

Heard them talking about this on 2FM on Tuesday night - 50 years and 0 days ago

They played Peggy Sue and although it sounds dated it is still a classic and is at the heart (or soul) of modern music.

Donagh · February 05, 2009, 01:17:06 PM

Good man Juice. One of the first albums I ever bought was a Buddy Holly compilation. BBC4 re-ran a great documentary the other night about him with contributions from Keith Richards, Paul McCartney and the Everly Brothers all stating how much he influenced them. Would still play some of his stuff regularly enough these days.

Doogie Browser · February 05, 2009, 01:21:59 PM

Read about this the other day, in the article I read Bob Dylan cited him as a major influence and he said he seen Buddy Holly in concert only 2 days before he died. Lennon, McCartney etc all said how much his music affected them too. Obv 50 years ago he would have been groundbreaking, as you say he made some timeless rock and roll songs.
Made glasses cool too

Norf Tyrone · February 05, 2009, 01:55:47 PM

Buddy was a legend in my house too. My old fella has some box sets of his that are probably worth a few bob at this point, and as someone says some of his tunes are timeless.

Funny... me and my da were in Liverpool at the weekend, and our flight home got cancelled which meant we did not fly home until Tuesday morning. We touched down in Dublin in the snow, and my dad says to me that when he was leaving Strabane on Sunday morning, my mother gave him a magazine to read which basically recounted the story of Holly's crash... 50 years to the day we touched down in the snow.

He said that he thought it spooky when our flight was cancelled originally and daren't mention it until we were touched down!!

Feckitt · February 05, 2009, 02:34:22 PM

1959 was the YEAR the music died

Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper all died in the crash

Little Richard gave up music to become a preacher

Chuck Berry was jailed

Elvis came out of the army and put out softer, cheesier records

& Jerry Lee Lewis lost his recording contract and became a pariah after the uproar surrounding his marriage to his 13 year old cousin.

red hander · February 05, 2009, 02:59:06 PM

'& Jerry Lee Lewis lost his recording contract and became a pariah after the uproar surrounding his marriage to his 13 year old cousin'

Jaysus, I didn't know Jerry Lee Lewis was from Derry

Puckoon · February 05, 2009, 04:12:26 PM

being a little bored last night I was surfing you tube and listening to some buddy, valance and indeed don McLean. Blissfully unaware of the significance of the dates this week. Very interesting.

I saw buddy the musical in londons west end in early 2000, the show was great, but buddy holly was way ahead of his time.

stew · February 05, 2009, 04:27:27 PM

Buddy Holly played in a ballroom in Green Bay two days before he died, I live a mile from the place and every year they have a function and hop to honor the man. I thought he was a brilliant musician, a pioneer and it is obvious he had a tremendous influence on many famous musicians.

thejuice · February 05, 2009, 06:24:13 PM

Its funny, in the early years his music was deemed offensive to many of the straight laced older generation where he lived. Rock and Roll was of course 'black' music and wasnt deemed appropriate.

Eoghan Mag · February 06, 2009, 11:15:39 PM

Jerry Lee Lewis really was an outrageous rebel of his day. I have a box set of some of his recordings and the following was caught on tape back in 1957 whilst in the recording studio:

Jerry Lee Lewis: 'Eat a while and gag a while. I do like to eat. (He makes a slurping sound) I hope you ain't puttin' that on tape! Ha! Ha! Ha! Boy! STONED! Shit I give up the ship. You ready to cut it? Ready to cut it? You ready to cut Great Balls of Fire? What am I going to eat? I would like to eat a little pussy if I had some. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Phew! (Slurp). I bet you five hundred dollars that he's taking that down on tape man. All good. Ha, ha. Ready?'

Then he launches into of Great Balls of Fire.

Buddy Holly was very good and I have some of his recordings but I always prefared the sharper edged bluesy Rock 'n' Roll that Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and Jerry Lee Lewis produced.

milltown row · February 07, 2009, 12:02:28 AM

aye he was a classic

did he fake his death or was his body ever found?