The 500 - #420 - The Chirping Crickets - Buddy Holly & The Crickets

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 420

Album Title: The Chirping Crickets
Artist: Buddy Holly
Genre: Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, Pop
Recorded: February - September, 1957
Released: November, 1957
My age at release: Not born yet
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Not Fade Away

The Backstory

The Chirping Crickets was the debut record of the quartet The Crickets, led by lead singer and guitarist Buddy Holly. Holly, who had signed a deal with Decca Records a year earlier, was committed to them as a solo artist. However, producer Owen Bradley (who despised Rock and Roll) had shelved Holly's solo recordings with Decca. Consequently, Holly formed The Crickets as a way to untangle himself from this legal imbroglio. After the success of The Chirping Crickets album, Decca was forced to reconsider Holly's work and released it. Consequently, by 1958, he was on the charts as both a solo act and as a member of The Crickets. 

The Chirping Crickets Debut Album Cover

My Connection

In the spring of 2015, I was invited to a reception at The Grand Theatre in my hometown of London, Ontario. The event was attended exclusively by educators as an opportunity for the theatre company to introduce its line-up for the upcoming season, highlighting productions which our students might enjoy. After the cocktails, we were invited to remain for that evening's performance of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. This was a jukebox musical -- a stage-show where a narrative (either biographical or fictionalized) is built around the music of a musician or band. Unlike many jukebox musicals, where singers mime performances on unstrung guitars or imitation pianos, this show was the full monty. These actors were also singers and instrumental musicians. Consequently, as the story of Buddy Holly was told it was  punctuated by incredible musical interludes that replicated famous performances by Buddy and The Crickets. The two hour production flew by and, as I left the theatre still humming Holly's hits, I was reminded of the greatness he achieved in such a short musical career.

Zach Stevenson as Buddy in The Grand Theatre's
Production of The Buddy Holly Story.

Legacy

There was something extraordinarily special about Buddy Holly who, regrettably, didn't live to see his 23rd birthday. 

• He left a legacy that has influenced artists for five decades. He has been cited as a pivotal influence by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Elton John and even The Hollies (who named themselves in his honour).
•  He is credited as the artist who defined the typical configuration of a rock and roll band: Two guitarists, a bass player and a drummer.  
• He was among the first ten artists inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's inaugural class, 
• Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him at #13 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. 

Tragically, He died on February 3, 1959 when a plane carrying him, Richie Valens, JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson crashed near Clear Lake Iowa. This event has been immortalized as "The Day the Music Died" and memorialized in the 1971 song by Don McLean, American Pie.

Things I learned

Earlier this week, I listened to The Chirping Crickets episode of The 500 Podcast . In it, host Meyers and voice actor Tom Kenney (Mr. Show, Spongebob Squarepants) shared the following fascinating insights:

• When Buddy Holly first recorded That'll Be The Day for Decca records, the producer, Bradley, slowed the track down and raised the pitch of Buddy's voice to make it sound more like a pop song. Frustrated, Holly called Decca Records in Nashville and attempted to convince the company's head, Paul Cohen, to release the rights to the material. Holly actually recorded this phone call. In it, one can hear the desperation of a well-mannered Texas teen trying to find a way out of this dilemma. He was stonewalled by Cohen, and it was this encounter that eventually led to the creation of The Crickets.
• Speaking of That'll Be The Day, the song was penned by Holly, Jerry Allison (Cricket drummer) and Norman Petty (album producer) shortly after the trio watched the Western movie The Searchers. That catchphrase, which quickly became a signature tagline for actor John Wayne, was the inspiration for the lyric.  
• The song Not Fade Away, which I selected for my The 500 Spotify Playlist has been covered by many bands. In fact, it was the first song recorded by both The Rolling Stones and my favourite band, Rush. 

Next Up: Portishead: Dummy