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   CLUB SANDWICH 46

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BUDDY HOLLY WEEK:

LONDON & CLOVIS

            After Buddy's 50th birthday in 1986, you might have supposed BH Week in 1987 would be something of a comedown: far from it. MPL's London Fanfair was a great success, while in the States the celebrations were mainly in Clovis, New Mexico, where Buddy recorded 'That'll be The Day'in Norman Petty's studio to break into the charts at last.
            13th September in London was a damp, gloomy day, but the Holly fans were not deterred. Ray Needham of the British Buddy Holly Society and Ray Wilkes, an international record fair specialist, had organized the stalls, and Camden Town Hall (right by King's Cross and Euston stations) proved an excellent venue. Club Sandwich 46
            "It went very well in terms of numbers and on the selling side," reports Ray N. "All the stalls had a very good day. Being a Sunday night and with many travelling back to the North and Midlands, there were only 300 people left when the concert finished at 11 o'clock, but I would say about 2,000 people attended during the day."
            There were several fresh items for the fans, too. As well as 1985's much-praised
From The Original Master Tapes, mere were three new CD's to choose from. For The First Time Anywhere is short, sweet, mid-priced rockabilly, comprising unabridged tracks first issued in 1983. From MCA America comes The Great Buddy Holly, concentrating on his pre-Clovis work in Nashville. More doubtfully, there is also a Japanese CD - doubtful since Holly's work, like much of the Beatles', is out of copyright over there. In Japan, copyright lasts just 20 years after the work is first issued, instead of 50 years after the artist's death, as in Britain and elsewhere.
            Mr. Needham was well satisfied with the success of the Society's stall: "We had the greatest variety. The others had just magazines or just records - we had posters, T-shirts, books and videos. (MPL's
The Real Buddy Holly Story.J More than 20 people joined the Society."
            Records, tapes and British CD's were generously supplied by MCA Records at cost plus VAT. The
Complete Buddy Holly boxed set went well, as did the box often singles with picture sleeves drawn from MPL's 1984 Portrait of Buddy Holly competition. Tapes did less well: fans of vintage sounds are perhaps not Walkman types.
            Another beneficiary of the central location and pre-publicity from Mike Read, Mike Smith and
co. was Rollercoaster Records' John Beecher, co-compiler of the above Complete box. Hot sellers were the raw, undubbed Something Special From Buddy Holly and the EP taken from it, Good Rockin' Tonight. An extra attraction of the EP (no. RCEP 104) is a 1955 colour picture of Buddy with his parents and Jack Neal, his first singing partner.
            "The fans were as intense as ever," says John. Telephone entertainment, the thoroughly modern way of increasing your phone bill, may even have added to their number. Throughout Buddy Holly Week, you could dial a number and hear 'It's So Easy', 'That'll Be The
Day', 'Oh Boy' and 'Reminiscing' through what sounded like a rainstorm -still, it's the thought that counts.
            London should not have to wait a year for more serious Holly action. Next March sees the 30th anniversary of Buddy's British tour and Ray Needham's Society has plans
to mark the occasion. The Town & Country Club in Kentish Town may host Sunday Night at the Town & Country on 6th March, the nearest Sunday to Buddy and the Crickets' Sunday Night at the London Palladium date in 1957.
            Five bands would feature, possibly including Glen Hardin (an ex-Cricket) and James Burton from Elvis' last band. Ex-Cricket Sonny Curtis is over in February and may also be available. The idea of a new compilation album to coincide, tracks and artwork to be chosen by the Society, has been sympathetically received by MCA. A year's subscription to the British Buddy Holly Society costs Ј5.00 and brings you three magazines full of news and reviews. The address is 186 Moor Lane, Cranham, Romford, Essex RM14 1HF. Overseas readers should send an International Reply Coupon for details.
            US readers may like to contact Bill Griggs of the Buddy Holly Memorial Society at PO Box 6123, Lubbock, Texas 79493-6123. Again, readers from other countries should send an IRC.
            Bill was a fount of information about Buddy Holly Week events in Clovis. (The Lubbock Music Festival in early September did not have a Holly aspect after all.) The New Mexico town played a vital part in the Holly story: after two years in the 'Highly Promising' category, Buddy came here, met Norman Petty and recorded 'That'll Be The Day'-the rest you know.
            1987 is the 30th anniversary of the 'Lubbock-Clovis Connection' and a whole week of events was planned, running from Sunday 30th August to Sunday 6th September. Let Bill Griggs guide you through the days.
            30th August: Gospel concert featuring John Pickering of the Picks, back-up singers on 'Oh Boy' and others.
            31st August: First tour of Petty studios (a daily occurrence), with Vi Petty present today and tomorrow. Highlights include 8mm film of Buddy, the Crickets and the Norman Petty Trio having dinner.
            "There was also the first of Vi Petty's 'Historical Musical Presentations' - the second one was on Thursday. There were recorded and live music and slides, telling the history of the studio: it was very well done."
            Holly contemporaries in attendance included further backing vocalists Gary & Ramona Tollett ('That'll Be The Day') and Bob Linville of the Roses ('It's So Easy'), besides John Pickering again. They could call themselves the Holly Chorus! Buddy Knox of 'Party Doll' fame was also there.
            1st September: Picnic at City Park and Zoo, open to the public.
            2nd September: Musical drama:
Billy The Kid. The famous outlaw is buried 60 miles away.
            3rd September: '50s-style sock hop hosted by Bill Griggs, featuring records from that era: "There were a lot of live bands all week - it was time people heard the original music."
            4th September: Concerts at 7pm and 10pm, with press conference beforehand. 'Party Doll' was Clovis' first million-seller, so Buddy Knox was received into the Clovis Hall of Fame by Vi Petty and awarded honorary citizenship by the mayor. Besides Knox, the concerts featured Bobby Vee, the Rockin' Ricochettes, P.J. Belly (he's pretty large, apparently) & The Lone Star Blues Band and Sherry Holley, Buddy's niece.
            "She sings in Olivia Newton-John style and did 'Raining In My Heart' very, very well. The concerts were held at the Downtown Norman Petty Studio and Auditorium. It's a 24-track studio recording some rock, some country - a little of everything, but very little rock
V roll as we know it."
            There was a 'Meet The Stars' party
between the concerts. Anyone could buy tickets at $25 a pair, with 10% of all proceeds to the United Way charity, chosen as most of the donation would be used within the county.
            "It was Bobby Vee's first time in Clovis since his early '60's sessions with the Crickets and he really enjoyed himself. After Buddy Knox, we've lined up Roy Orbison (the first rocker to record in Clovis) to be honoured next year and the Crickets (the most famous group to record there) in 1989. Pre-Crickets (who played with Buddy before the group formed) and post-Holly Crickets will be included."
            5th September: Memorial Society's Tenth Annual Convention, including a 'Buy-Sell-Trade Show'.
            "Larry Welborn (bassist on 'That'll Be The Day') played guitar and sang rock
V roll and country with rhythm box accompaniment.
            Then from eight to midnight two blocks were cordoned off by police for old-fashioned block parties with live entertainment. They used to do this for square dances in the old West, continuing into the '50s in some towns smaller than Lubbock - Clovis has a population of just 33,000 today."
            6th September: Gospel concert co-produced by John Pickering and Homer Tankersley: "They both recorded with Norman and were friends of his. The concert was more than a sell-out."
            On 7th September, Buddy's birthday, the Society held its usual memorial service, led by Bill Griggs. Buddy's mother, Mrs Ella Holley, and his brothers Larry and Travis were often present during the week. Bill describes Mrs. Holley as being "as sharp as a tack, with a great memory for names and dates".
            The news on future Buddy Holly releases is less cheering. As fans know only too well, an album called
Lost And Found has been pending for some two years, delayed by royalty problems. Besides undubbed and alternate versions, there's an un-issued instrumental and two radio jingles, one of which was featured in The Real Buddy Holly Story. The only ones to benefit so far are the inevitable bootleggers.
            Bill Griggs and Ray Needham have heard the tapes in the Petty studios and found them of excellent quality. To make matters worse, Bill reveals that
Lost and Found was to have been the first of three albums, to be released at yearly intervals.
            'The Great Buddy Holly album was first released in 1967", reports Bill "and unfortunately has not been digitally remastered for the CD. The best news is that the Chirping Crickets album (one of two released in Holly's lifetime) is to be reissued here in November."
            If anyone doubted Buddy Holly's continuing appeal, an auction held by the British Society would surely convince them. An EP on the Colourtune label (probably from Singapore) and an Australian single, both without sleeves, went for over £100. The legend lives on.