Considering some of the pretty good artists who have ended their careers as exhibits at the museum of faded glory that is Branson, Missouri, it seems a fair question whether Buddy Holly’s legend would have survived his own survival. Nobody doubts that he was talented, and musicians tell me that he was innovative in ways that wouldn’t become common for decades afterwards. But I’m cynical enough to think that even my own passion for his work is influenced by the legend that merely dying while his star was rising made of him.
Some points of comparison:
Elvis’ legend survives despite his ugly spiral into an inglorious doom, and I would characterize him as mostly a very good cover artist.
Roy Orbison remained a legendary figure to his death, and I don’t recall anybody ever turning their nose up at the older, fatter version of him.
Eddie Cochran died tragically at a similar point in his career and remains a legend, though a somewhat more obscure one. His work is still considered quintessential rockabilly, even though I would argue that his pal Gene Vincent came closer to the Platonic ideal with Be Bop-a-Lula.
As for Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, where would their careers have gone. Valens was good, though I may be overly sentimental about his work, but how many singer/songwriters that good faded immediately? Richardson had one excellent song, but most of his opus had more the character of novelty songs. He is arguably famous for having died in good company.
I suspect that Holly would have remained a legend had he lived, though even more overshadowed by Elvis. I could even see him having gone behind the scenes around the time Phil Spector carved out a staring role for the producer. I suspect Valens would have been fondly remembered and visited on pilgrimages to Branson. The Big Bopper would probably have gone back to his regular gig as a DJ, of which there are very few enduring legends.
Hey, awesome OP. I was just thinking about this–I guess a lot of people have been, considering it’s been 50 years. But I just watched La Bamba and the Buddy Holly Story in the last couple of weeks so I was also curious.
I assumed that La Bamba was his only hit, and the others were kind of cheesy but now that I’ve actually listened to them, I really like them. I’m not sure if “Donna” and “We Belong Together” seem good because it’s sad that he died or because they’re actually great. Though at this point, for me, I’m not sure it matters.
I had the same thoughts as you about Buddy Holly. He had way more creative control of his music than most people did at the time, which impressed me. I like to think he would’ve become known as a great producer in addition to a singer.
I only know “Chantilly Lace” and it’s a lot of fun. I did feel a little guilty for thinking, though, that he probably wouldn’t be considered such a big deal if he hadn’t been on that plane with the other two. But he had a very cool voice. I get the feeling that he would have been one of those great DJs if he’d lived longer.
How creepy is the Big Bopper’s son for selling off his dad’s casket on eBay, though?
Buddy was still very young but his music was already evolving. he was getting better and edgier all the time. His music ending was not the loss, it was his future work being denied. You could really sense he was special.
For my birthday this year I got a CD of his greatest hits from my friend. One of the first records my friend had as a kid in the 1950s was a Buddy Holly record. The song “Everyday” was on one side but I forget what he told me was on the other side. That’s actually a favorite song for both of us but I never knew that until recently.
Me and him eat together a lot and for like a month straight we played the CD every night while we ate dinner.
Buddy Holly died before I was born but I choke up every time I think about how he died and how young he was.
Just chiming in - I totally paid my dues listening to and learning rockabilly and early rock n’ roll. Buddy Holly’s songs are so tight - they take a single powerful emotion/situation and revel in it. That’ll be the Day, Peggy Sue, Rave On, Not Fade Away. Completely different from, say, Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry, who both specialized in story songs.
And Johnny Angel, don’t go talkin’ smack about Eddie Cochran! ;) No question, Be Bop a Lula smokes (but I also love Race with the Devil, Blue Jean Bop, Baby Blue and Say Mama especially) - but Cochran was a different kind of songwriter - if he had lived, who knows where his great lyrics and musical sense could’ve gone. There’s a reason that, unlike Be Bop a Lula, a bunch of Cochran’s songs - Something Else, Summertime Blues, C’mon Everybody and others - have been regularly covered by other artists. His songs had solid bones.
And just a quick shout-out to Gene Vincent’s first lead guitar player, Cliff Gallup - what a freakin’ MONSTER player - the main inspiration of Jeff Beck - 'nuff said.
And Little Richard brought the danger and edge to rock n’ roll with his to-the-floor vocals and “I don’t know what he’s saying, but it has to be dirty” lyrics and delivery…
Bryan Ekers, I had no idea what you were talking about so I Googled it.
That book sounds really good and I don’t even like science fiction. It sounds like some wacky-ass fiction idea that I would have except way better. I like those kind of Mad Mad World huge multi-character stories where everybody’s chasing everybody else and they all end up in a big confused pile yelling and stuff in the same location at the end.
I may buy it used.
Thank you for telling me about that.
(Now I need to get back to work and stop screwing off. I have a project due in ten days and checking the Dope every ten minutes ain’t helping me stay on task. :o)
I could see a scenario where his career may have been similar to Johnny Cash’s. Cash certainly remained a legend for many years – and seemed to keep his legend status whether or not he was working at the time. Now, I don’t mean to disrespect the great Mr. Cash, but he had some chancy times in there as well. I am often startled when I see some of the footage from the 1970s variety shows and can see how there were clearly some Fat Elvis issues going on. In 1982, Cash wasn’t on the radar of the typical young music fan in marked contrast to the way he was viewed twenty years later by the youth audience in 2002. He lived long enough to see a significant renewal of the popular appreciation of his work … if only we were so lucky to have Buddy Holly have the same experience.
So something along those lines is my vision for Buddy Holly. I bet you could have seen him play in a small but reputable venue in New York City in the 80s … and I also think there’s a good chance he would have been able to fill a stadium, possibly appearing with other “greats,” by the late 1990s. Young bands would probably vie for his notice the same way they seem to compete for the right to trot out David Crosby or Willie Nelson for studio sessions or on tour.
Oh, about the OP…Do you think that maybe Roy Orbison got less flack for the fat issue because he never was presented as super svelte stud to begin with? His voice is truly heavenly, but with him, I don’t think people really cared what he looked like, just as long as he could sing.
My understanding is that his lyrics were mostly penned by his girlfriend Sharon Sheeley. It was also she who wrote the clean version of Tutti-Fruiti. According to The Story of English, the original lyrics went something like this:
Tutti-fruiti! Good booty!
If it don’t fit, don’t force it
Get it greasy, make it easy
Probably in Little Richard’s mind, it was still dirty.
I was going to make the same comparison. I could see Holly’s career evolving into a sort of elder statesman whose albums, while not #1 hits, were very relevant to the music scene. Like Cash, Costello, or Bennett.
I always wondered if I elevated Holly up a little bit because I lived in Lubbock, where everything is named after him.
There was an awesome music festival every fall in Holly’s honor that brought out a lot of the old rockabilly crowd that DIDN’T die young. Even as a young man, I was able to appreciate the faded legends on the stage (no cover charge. They just set up stages in the bar district and let people gather).
I saw Holly’s contemporary, Carl Perkins, singing Blue Suede Shoes and Memphis while drinking a margarita in the street. None of the guys with me had heard of him. A few months later, I read a small blurb in the paper that he had died.
I tend to think Holly would have been more of the major news flash deaths and not an unknown blurb like Perkins.
Great OP, by the way. My ipod will be getting some Rockabilly music tonight!
Dude - in *EVERYBODY’s *mind, it was still dirty! No different that Good Golly Miss Molly
Good Golly Miss Molly - sure like to ball,
when you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ - 'can’t hear your momma call
Yep - Little Richard dispensing “nonsense” lyrics to the innocent unhip folks! I can just imagine Mrs. Cunningham humming along to that while Richie and Joanie finish their homework…
That’s good stuff - I didn’t know that about Cochran. Great songs, regardless of who wrote them…
I recall seeing an interview with Pat Boone at the time, and he seemed to think it was just kind of strange that they would ask him to sing these meaningless lyrics. Speaking of what time will do to your reputation – Pat Boone famously had a much bigger hit with Tutti Frutti than Little Richard had. Ever heard an oldies station play Boone’s version?
Then again, the Robins’ version of A Fool Such as I was so clearly superior to Elvis’ that it’s clear that the judgment of time is not always just.
A while back, I remember seeing a Powerpoint presentation showing slides of events in Buddy Holly’s life, with Don McClean singing “American Pie” in the background. I am unable to locate this presentation anywhere. Can someone please tell me where I can find it? Or does someone have it saved and can e-mail it to me?
Thank Og, no - I mean, sure, I have seen video and heard it a bunch of times and he looks and sounds like a silly, finger-snappin’ white boy (sorry if that offends anyone - just trying to supply the visual)…whereas Mr. Penniman (aka Little Richard) just flat out smokes. His vocals totally stand up today…
J. P. Richardson was also a songwriter. “White Lightin” and “Running Bear” both went #1 on the Country charts. Through the years I’ve heard that he was also into music production. He produced early music videos on film. So he probably would have been more behind the scenes than Holly or Valens.
And yes, BB Jr.'s little deal creeped me out, too.
My favorite Greatful Dead live song was “Not Fade Away”. I have 3-4 different versions of that song, and I love it to death each and every version of it, because of the lyrics and just how earnest and fun that song can be.
And then lo and behold one day, I discovered that it was actually a Buddy Holly Cover.
I’ve never heard the Buddy Holly Version, but I think I’ll go listen to that one now.
No question, Be Bop a Lula smokes (but I also love Race with the Devil, Blue Jean Bop, Baby Blue and Say Mama especially) - but Cochran was a different kind of songwriter - if he had lived, who knows where his great lyrics and musical sense could’ve gone. There’s a reason that, unlike Be Bop a Lula, a bunch of Cochran’s songs - Something Else, Summertime Blues, C’mon Everybody and others - have been regularly covered by other artists. His songs had solid bones.
I can just imagine Mrs. Cunningham humming along to that while Richie and Joanie finish their homework…