The Crickets
Encyclopedia
The Crickets are a rock & roll band from Lubbock, Texas
, formed by singer/songwriter
Buddy Holly
in the 1950s. Their first hit record was "That'll Be the Day
", released in 1957.
Holly had been making demo recordings
with local musician friends since 1954. Sonny Curtis
, Jerry Allison
, and Larry Welborn participated in these sessions. In 1956 Holly's band (then known informally as Buddy and the Two Tones (meaning Buddy Holly with Sonny Curtis and Don Guess), posthumous releases refer to The Three Tunes) recorded an album's worth of rockabilly
numbers in Nashville, Tennessee
for Decca; the records were no more than mildly successful, and the band didn't hit pay dirt until 1957, when producer and recording engineer Norman Petty
hosted Holly's sessions in Clovis, New Mexico
.
Holly had already recorded for another label under his own name, so to avoid legal problems he needed a new name for his group. As the Crickets recalled in John Goldrosen's book The Buddy Holly Story, they were inspired by other groups named after birds. They were then considering insects-centered names, apparently unaware of the Bronx R&B vocal group The Crickets, who recorded for Jay-Dee. It is worth noting that they almost chose the name "Beetles". Years later, The Beatles
chose their band name partly in homage to The Crickets.
The Crickets were lead guitarist and vocalist Buddy Holly, drummer
Jerry Allison, bassist
Joe B. Mauldin
, and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan
. Sullivan dropped out after a little more than one year to resume his education. The Crickets, now a trio, continued to make stage and TV appearances, and recorded more songs, many composed by the band members themselves.
During 1957 Norman Petty arranged for The Crickets' recordings to be marketed under two separate names. The solo vocals went out as "Buddy Holly" and the songs with dubbed backing vocals were issued as "The Crickets." Petty reasoned, correctly, that disc jockeys might be reluctant to program a single artist too heavily, but would have no problem playing records by two seemingly different groups. Some disc jockeys referred to the band as "Buddy Holly and The Crickets," but the record labels never used this wording until after Holly's death.
In 1958, Holly broke with Petty and moved to New York to be more involved with the publishing and recording businesses. Allison and Mauldin chose not to move and returned to Lubbock. Holly now recorded under his own name with studio musicians Tommy Allsup
and Carl Bunch. Waylon Jennings
toured with him shortly after The Crickets folded.
Allison and Mauldin looked forward to rejoining Holly after he returned from a winter tour through the northern Midwest
. It was on that tour that Holly was killed in a plane crash
.
The Crickets went on performing after Holly's death. David Box a native of Lubbock, Texas
and a near identical Buddy Holly soundalike would join the group as lead vocalist for their 1960 single of "Dont Cha Know" (Side A), and "Peggy Sue Got Married
"
(Side B) released as Coral 62238. David Box ironically would later die in a charter plane crash on October 23, 1964 while touring as a solo singer.
In 1962, The Crickets' version of the Gerry Goffin
–Carole King
song "Don't Ever Change
" (Liberty Records
) reached the top 5 in the British single charts. The Crickets would also release in 1962 their album entitled "Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets" with Bobby Vee
singing on lead vocals. In 1964, The Crickets recorded their version of the rock and surf song "California Sun
" for their album of the same title.
In 1978, the award-winning film, The Buddy Holly Story
, starring Gary Busey
as Buddy Holly, presented an engaging but somewhat inaccurate depiction of the band's early years. Allison and Mauldin's names were altered as Jesse Charles and Ray Bob Simmons wherein Charles is portrayed with racism
, and Sullivan was written out of the film altogether which made them upset over their portrayal.
Allison and Mauldin are still touring with Sonny Curtis
, a highly successful songwriter and childhood friend/bandmate of Buddy Holly's, on vocals and guitar.
The Crickets released "The Crickets and Their Buddies" in 2004 which features several classics from all parts of their career featuring guest appearances by several prominent artists including Eric Clapton
, Rodney Crowell
, Waylon Jennings
, Nanci Griffith
, John Prine
, Graham Nash
, Bobby Vee
and more. The album was produced and mixed by Greg Ladanyi and included editing and additional mixes by Dave Carlock, Rob Hill, and Rogers Masson
.
On October 28, 2008, The Crickets were inducted into the Musicians' Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. They performed "Peggy Sue
", "Not Fade Away
" and "That'll Be the Day
" at the ceremony, accompanied by guest guitarist Keith Richards
.
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, formed by singer/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
in the 1950s. Their first hit record was "That'll Be the Day
That'll Be the Day
"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison and recorded by various artists including The Crickets and Linda Ronstadt. It was also the first song to be recorded by The Quarrymen, the skiffle group that subsequently became The Beatles...
", released in 1957.
Holly had been making demo recordings
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
with local musician friends since 1954. Sonny Curtis
Sonny Curtis
Sonny Curtis is an American singer and songwriter. Most of his work falls into the Pop and Country genres. He was a teenage pal and band member with Buddy Holly in Lubbock, Texas...
, Jerry Allison
Jerry Allison
J.I. Allison is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for The Crickets and co-writer of their Buddy Holly hit "Peggy Sue"....
, and Larry Welborn participated in these sessions. In 1956 Holly's band (then known informally as Buddy and the Two Tones (meaning Buddy Holly with Sonny Curtis and Don Guess), posthumous releases refer to The Three Tunes) recorded an album's worth of rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
numbers in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
for Decca; the records were no more than mildly successful, and the band didn't hit pay dirt until 1957, when producer and recording engineer Norman Petty
Norman Petty
Norman Petty was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer who helped shape modern popular music, including pop and rock....
hosted Holly's sessions in Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 32,667 at the 2000 census; according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates, the population had risen to 37,775....
.
Holly had already recorded for another label under his own name, so to avoid legal problems he needed a new name for his group. As the Crickets recalled in John Goldrosen's book The Buddy Holly Story, they were inspired by other groups named after birds. They were then considering insects-centered names, apparently unaware of the Bronx R&B vocal group The Crickets, who recorded for Jay-Dee. It is worth noting that they almost chose the name "Beetles". Years later, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
chose their band name partly in homage to The Crickets.
The Crickets were lead guitarist and vocalist Buddy Holly, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Jerry Allison, bassist
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
Joe B. Mauldin
Joe B. Mauldin
Joe Benson Mauldin, Jr. is ranked among the top rock bassists and became a recording engineer at Gold Star Studios, the Los Angeles studio that became the hit factory for Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and other major 1960s rock performers...
, and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan
Niki Sullivan
Niki M. Sullivan was an American rock and roll guitar player, born in South Gate, California. He was one of the three original members of Buddy Holly's backing group, The Crickets. Though he lost interest within a year or two of his involvement, his guitar playing was an integral part of Holly's...
. Sullivan dropped out after a little more than one year to resume his education. The Crickets, now a trio, continued to make stage and TV appearances, and recorded more songs, many composed by the band members themselves.
During 1957 Norman Petty arranged for The Crickets' recordings to be marketed under two separate names. The solo vocals went out as "Buddy Holly" and the songs with dubbed backing vocals were issued as "The Crickets." Petty reasoned, correctly, that disc jockeys might be reluctant to program a single artist too heavily, but would have no problem playing records by two seemingly different groups. Some disc jockeys referred to the band as "Buddy Holly and The Crickets," but the record labels never used this wording until after Holly's death.
In 1958, Holly broke with Petty and moved to New York to be more involved with the publishing and recording businesses. Allison and Mauldin chose not to move and returned to Lubbock. Holly now recorded under his own name with studio musicians Tommy Allsup
Tommy Allsup
Tommy Allsup is an American musician.He worked with entertainers such as Buddy Holly and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys...
and Carl Bunch. Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
toured with him shortly after The Crickets folded.
Allison and Mauldin looked forward to rejoining Holly after he returned from a winter tour through the northern Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. It was on that tour that Holly was killed in a plane crash
The Day the Music Died
On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song...
.
The Crickets went on performing after Holly's death. David Box a native of Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
and a near identical Buddy Holly soundalike would join the group as lead vocalist for their 1960 single of "Dont Cha Know" (Side A), and "Peggy Sue Got Married
Peggy Sue Got Married (song)
"Peggy Sue Got Married" is a song written and sung by Buddy Holly. It was released in 1959 as a 45-rpm single with "Crying, Waiting, Hoping". It refers to his song hit "Peggy Sue". It was one of the first sequels of the rock era...
"
(Side B) released as Coral 62238. David Box ironically would later die in a charter plane crash on October 23, 1964 while touring as a solo singer.
In 1962, The Crickets' version of the Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
–Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
song "Don't Ever Change
Don't Ever Change (song)
"Don't Ever Change" is a 1961 popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It is one of their lesser-known songs, although a version by The Crickets reached the top 5 in the United Kingdom. The Beatles performed the song on their BBC radio show Pop Go the Beatles, which was later released...
" (Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
) reached the top 5 in the British single charts. The Crickets would also release in 1962 their album entitled "Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets" with Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
singing on lead vocals. In 1964, The Crickets recorded their version of the rock and surf song "California Sun
California Sun
"California Sun", is a song credited to Henry Glover and Morris Levy. Originally recorded by 35-year-old New Orleans-born singer-songwriter Joe Jones, and released by EMI in the winter of 1961, it peaked at #89 on the charts.-Cover versions:...
" for their album of the same title.
In 1978, the award-winning film, The Buddy Holly Story
The Buddy Holly Story
The film was adapted by Robert Gittler from Buddy Holly: His Life and Music, the biography of Holly by John Goldrosen. It was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:...
, starring Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
as Buddy Holly, presented an engaging but somewhat inaccurate depiction of the band's early years. Allison and Mauldin's names were altered as Jesse Charles and Ray Bob Simmons wherein Charles is portrayed with racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, and Sullivan was written out of the film altogether which made them upset over their portrayal.
Allison and Mauldin are still touring with Sonny Curtis
Sonny Curtis
Sonny Curtis is an American singer and songwriter. Most of his work falls into the Pop and Country genres. He was a teenage pal and band member with Buddy Holly in Lubbock, Texas...
, a highly successful songwriter and childhood friend/bandmate of Buddy Holly's, on vocals and guitar.
The Crickets released "The Crickets and Their Buddies" in 2004 which features several classics from all parts of their career featuring guest appearances by several prominent artists including Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
, John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
, Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
and more. The album was produced and mixed by Greg Ladanyi and included editing and additional mixes by Dave Carlock, Rob Hill, and Rogers Masson
Rogers Masson
Rogers Masson is an American record producer, engineer, mixer, and songwriter. Masson is known for his ability to work seamlessly within different genres of music, and for his innovative approaches to recording. He has produced and mixed albums for artists such as Day of Fire, Vintage Trouble,...
.
On October 28, 2008, The Crickets were inducted into the Musicians' Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. They performed "Peggy Sue
Peggy Sue
"Peggy Sue" is a rock and roll song written by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, and Norman Petty, and originally performed, recorded and released as a single by Buddy Holly in early July of 1957. The Crickets are not mentioned on the single but both Joe B. Mauldin and Jerry Allison are known to be...
", "Not Fade Away
Not Fade Away (song)
"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and first recorded by Holly's band The Crickets in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957...
" and "That'll Be the Day
That'll Be the Day
"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison and recorded by various artists including The Crickets and Linda Ronstadt. It was also the first song to be recorded by The Quarrymen, the skiffle group that subsequently became The Beatles...
" at the ceremony, accompanied by guest guitarist Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
.
Discography
- The "Chirping" Crickets (1957, with Buddy Holly)
- In Style with the Crickets (1960)
- Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets (1962)
- Something Old, Something New (1963)
- California Sun (1964)
- Rock Reflections (1971)
- Remnants (1973)
- Bubblegum, Pop, Ballads & Boogie (1973)
- Long Way from Lubbock (1975) (With Albert LeeAlbert LeeAlbert William Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked both in the studio and on tour with some of the most famous musicians which stretch through a very wide of genres...
). - Back in Style (1975)
- 3 Piece (1988)
- T Shirt (1988)
- Cover to Cover (1995)
- The Original (1996)
- Rockin (2000)
- Too Much Monday Morning
- Crickets and Their Buddies (2004)
- About Time Too (With Mike Berry)