BUDDY HOLLY AND THE CRICKETS - BIG BOPPER - RITCHIE VALENS AND DION AND THE BELMONTS

At the time that I was signed by United Artists, I became friends with a group of guys who liked to hang out in diners and plan their musical careers.  The group included Dion as well as Buddy Knox and Bobby Darin.

BUDDY HOLLY and THE CRICKETS : CRICKETS WERE INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME IN 2012

  The Crickets who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 were Jerry Allison, Joe B. - Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, and Sonny Curtis.  The picture is of Jerry and Sonny with Buddy.

Here's an updated link! ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME PAGE - THE CRICKETS

Buddy left Sonny and Joe B behind when he went on the tour where the plane crashed and killed him, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, so they survived and went on.  They played surf inspired music in the early 1960's.

THE ROSES : BUDDY HOLLY and the CRICKETS BACK UP SINGERS : ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME LINK!

Back on May 10, 2010, post (308) we posted a link to the Roses ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME page.  Here it is again : THE ROSES : ROCKABILLY HALL   Robert Linville, tenor; Ray Rush, baritone; and David Bigham, bass.

To quote the page, "In March of 1957, "The Roses" traveled with Roy Orbison to Clovis, New Mexico to record at the Norm Petty Recording Studio. At this time, they met Buddy Holly and the Crickets. "The Roses" got an opportunity to work with Buddy and the band when another group didn't show for the session. Norman Petty liked their work and asked "The Roses" to move to Clovis to be available as a staff vocal group. During 1957, "The Roses" did vocal back-up for numerous artists."

These included, Buddy Knox: "Somebody Touched Me," "To Be with You," "I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself"

Well, friends, I was there when Buddy recorded those songs with the Roses backing him, and I recorded with them backing me too!

Thanks to our friend Arne who posted this YouTube video you can hear The 1957 era Roses (and me!)

THE CRICKETS: 2012 INDUCTEES INTO THE ROCK : I RECORDED WITH THEM AT NORMAN PETTY'S

The Crickets were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past weekend! I'm happy about it! They deserve the credit! We're linking to their bio on that site which starts like this:

"The Crickets were Buddy Holly's Buddy group from 1956 to 1958, a period of time when Holly was one of rock and roll’s hottest stars and main musical innovators. In fact, Holly appears to be a member of the Crickets himself on the cover of his first album, which is credited to the “Chirping” Crickets. Although there’s no question that Holly was the central figure – lead singer, lead guitarist and chief songwriter – the Crickets contributed heavily to Holly’s sound and success. As guitarist Joe Mauldin told Holly biographers John Goldrosen and John Beecher, “Other stars kept their musicians on salary but Buddy said, ‘No, man – share and share alike. You’re as much a part of this group as I am. If it wasn’t for you guys, I couldn’t perform the show that I put on.’” Moreover, Buddy Holly and the Crickets were a self-contained group that had two guitars, bass and drums and wrote their own material, serving as the blueprint for a torrent of rock bands that followed in the Sixties, including the Beatles..."

I did two recordings with the Crickets left behind at Norman Petty's studio. Here is "Blue Baby" and that's the Crickets backing me. Buddy Knox was there with me.

This video was provided by Arne, who has a great YouTube station, was the first person to ever post a Wes Bryan video, and has become one of our friends in Sweden. You can go to this video on YouTube and link to his station. The Crickets who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were Jerry Allison, Joe B. - Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, and Sonny Curtis.

Since the Crickets are part of my story we've posted quite a bit on them as well as Buddy Holly. We invite you to use the search function of this Google Blogger to find previous posts!

QUOTE FROM "LIFE" BY KEITH RICHARDS with JAMES FOX

KEITH RICHARDS "LIFE"
pages 766-767 Large Print version (Don't you just love that?!)

"Eventually I played with almost all the survivors among my childhood heroes, like JAMES BURTON, the EVERLYS, THE CRICKETS, MERLE HAGGARD, JOHN LEE HOOKER and GEORGE JONES, with whom I recorded "Say It's Not You." The award I was proud of was when Mick (Jagger) and I were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, because it was signed by Sammy Cahn on his deathbed. It took me years to appreciate just how great was the art of Tin Pan Alley writing - I used to dismiss it or it went straight through me. But when I became a songwriter I could appreciate the construction and the skill of those guys..."

KEITH RICHARDS with JAMES FOX
Little, Brown, and Company
C 2010 by Mindless Records, LLC

WES BRYAN I JUST WANT YOUR LOVE

OK Arne and friends! Here is the official scoop from me, WES BRYAN on the recording of this song! "I Just Want Your Love."

I split a session at Norman Petty's with BUDDY KNOX who recorded "I THINK I'M GONNA KILL MYSELF" that session. Yes! Jerry Allison of the Crickets was on drums, as was Joe B. on stand up base, and Sonny Curtis was on lead guitar. (Sonny went on to write the Mary Tyler More Show theme song...)

Jerry Allison was married to PEGGY SUE and she was there! Peggy Sue was beautiful and of course she's got the song "Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly and the Crickets written for her!

THE SONG WAS WRITTEN FOR ME by two singer-songwriter friends from New York - ERSEL HICKEY and JOHNNY RIVERS!

Quote from JOHN by CYNTHIA LENNON - John Winston Ono Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980)

From JOHN by Cynthia Lennon C 2005 author
page 49

"John Loved Buddy Holly and the Crickets, so they toyed with insect names. It was John who came up with Beetles. He changed it to The Beatles because he said if you turned it around it was "les beat," which sounded French and cool. They settled on Silver Beetles."

Cynthia Lennon

(276) LIBERTY RECORDS - NEW HOME TO BUDDY KNOX, JOHNNY BURNETT, and THE CRICKETS

Johnny Burnette, Buddy Knox, and The Crickets were recording for LIBERTY RECORDS by '62. We're linking to Dave Edwards and Mike Callahan here, as they have made a great effort to present the history of record labels and this link links to a whole discography. (Click on the title above.)

Now as a songwriter at American Music, I had some intellectual properties that I had signed over the rights to the company for - temporarily. Those properties have been returning to me over the last several years. And one of the songs I was so proud of and originially wrote with Elvis in mind got recorded instead by Johnny's brother Dorsey Burnette...

(234) THE CRICKETS (WITHOUT BUDDY HOLLY) 1962

The Crickets, without Buddy Holly, did go on for some time. I'd recorded with the Cricket's left behind while I was in Texas, Norman Petty the producer. I was shocked by the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, who I had met in New York.

Now if you search for Buddy Holly using the search feature of this Google blogger, you'll read a three part story we wrote about the Day The Music Died...

THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (on the Youtube presentation below) is another of the Cricket's songs. They're moving towards surf music and away from Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" in a tub!

(190) NOT FADE AWAY BUDDY HOLLY - THE ROLLING STONES

This YouTube video features the Rock and Roll Classic "Not Fade Away" which has been covered by so many artists!



And here's the Rolling Stones (with Brian Jones),who covered it circa 1964.

(189) BUDDY HOLLY'S WORDS OF LOVE - THE BEATLES

The Paramount Theatre in New York; big Rock and Roll shows were put on there and they were so exciting! Here's a preserved performance of Buddy Holly and the Crickets doing "Peggy Sue" thanks to a YouTube contributor at the Paramount, and it appears to us that might be Kitty Carlisle doing the introductions with a bevy of prim debutants behind her! Now, earlier in this blog (use the search feature to locate other postings that include Buddy Holly and the Crickets!)I mentioned meeting Buddy in New York and recording myself with the Crickets left behind when Buddy went on the tour that he died in a plane crash in 1959. And we've been saying that before the British Invasion of America the Americans invaded Britain.


VIDEO REPLACED JANUARY 2012

So though on our time line here we are still in the very early 1960's let's take a look at some Buddy Holly covers by the Beatles...

And now here's the Beatles...



VIDEO REPACED JANUARY 2012

(57) I RECORD WITH NORMAN PETTY/ Buddy Holly's Ex Musicians and Backup Singers

When Buddy Holly was on his last tour he went without the band that he was first famous with, the Crickets, so they were not on tour with him when that plane crashed. The individual Crickets were working as studio musicians in recording sessions over at producer Norman Petty's in Clovis, New Mexico.

NEW VIDEO MARCH 2014



Buddy Knox and I drove from New York to Winston Salem, visited with my dad, and then headed for Norman Petty. At Norman's studio there I recorded songs with Norman as producer and for my musicians I had Donny Lanier, the lead guitarist for Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids, and Jerry Allison, the drummer for Buddy Holly with the Crickets!

Donny Lanier was the lead guitarist who did the two solo breaks on Buddy Knox and the Rhythm Orchids' hit "Party Doll." (The guitar sounded like Scotty Moore so Elvis wanted to record "Party Doll himself!)

So on my songs "Baby Blue" and "I Just Want Your Love," I've got some of Buddy Holly's Crickets sound and some of Buddy Knox's Rhythm Orchids.Donny Lanier played on "Blue Baby," and "I Just Want Your Love." His instrumental intro sounded a lot like "That'll Be The Day."

ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME - THE ROSES  updated March 2014   Here's a bit of information on the vault at Norman Petty's which I believe was located after Norman died.

SCHAUER. DE : NORMAN PETTY SESSIONS VAULT  updated March 2014

Also backing me for vocals on the two songs are The Roses, David Bigham and Robert Linville, Texans who also did backup vocals for Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox, and Jimmy Bowen in 1958-1959, and who toured as backup vocalists with Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

RCS DISCOGRAPHY WES BRYAN PAGE

"Blue Baby" and "I Just Want Your Love" were released in 1999 without my knowledge. My writing partner, Christine, and I found out on the Internet. RCS shows them as I knew them to be - unreleased.