"THE CRICKETS SOUND" Project
A Buddy Holly & The Crickets Online Resource Hub
Books & Authors
Keep checking this page for new and old Books/Releases related to our heroes.
Click book images or Links to purchase these books from Amazon (UK for now, USA/Canada books coming soon)
Sarah Curtis - "Daughter of a Song"
Sarah Curtis wrote the book Daughter of a Song: A Memoir, which is part biography and part memoir about her father, legendary rock and roll pioneer and songwriter Sonny Curtis
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"Remembering Buddy" - The Definitive Biography
by John Goldrosen & John Beecher
(with the help of Bill Griggs)
The Holy Bible of all Buddy Holly Books.
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Buddy: The definitive biography of Buddy Holly
by Philip Norman
Buddy Holly is the best-known yet most elusive and enigmatic of all Rock 'n' Roll legends. Now Philip Norman, who has won international praise for his biographies of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elton John, has written the definitive story of a short but extraordinary life. Buddy's records are played, and his memory is cherished, the world over. Yet the full story of his meteoric rise and tragic fall has never been told.
Philip Norman uses his unique skills to give a revealing, sometimes shocking but always warmly affectionate portrait of America's mythical Rock 'n' Roll era and its brightest and most enduring star.
'Excellent ... [Norman's] cogency and thoroughness make this biography as welcome as the unstoppably fresh songs his idol left us' Sunday Times
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"The A-Z of Buddy Holly"
by Alan Mann
An encyclopedic guide to the life and music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets from 1956 through to his death in an aeroplane crash in 1959. Features 400 entries, a discography, and lists covers by artists as diverse as the Hollies, the Lemonheads and Connie Francis.
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"Buddy Holly's Britbike"
By D Larry Patterson
In the Eighties and Nineties, I wrote feature articles and took photographs for eight national and international motorcycle magazines. My article Rock ‘N’ Roll Bikers appeared in the January 1995 issue of the British magazine The Classic Bike. The article told the story of Buddy Holly and the Crickets stopping off in Dallas on 13 May 1958 on their way home from New York to Lubbock, after completing Alan Freed’s “The Big Beat” tour, to buy motorcycles at Miller’s Motorcycles (now Big D Motorcycles) in Oak Cliff, TX (suburb of Dallas). Being a motorcycle magazine, quite a bit of the interesting non-motorcycle back-story was edited out. After almost twenty years, I decided to re-edit the manuscript, add all the other information and photos I have, and republish it, along with and explanation of how I was able to garner the photos and all the information.
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"Not Fade Away: The Life and Music of Buddy Holly"
By John Gribben
Buddy Holly was killed at 22 when the plane he was travelling in crashed on 3 February 1959. Although this was less than two years after Holly's first hit record, Don McLean described this as 'the day the music died.' But Sonny Curtis, Holly's friend and musical colleague, told us that the music didn't die, because 'Buddy Holly lives every time you play rock'n'roll.' Fifty years after Holly's death, his lasting influence is clear; a musical based on his life seems set to run for longer than his lifetime and artists as diverse as Blink 182 and Bob Dylan call him an inspiration.The Beatles chose That'll Be the Day by Buddy's group The Crickets as their first attempt at recording, as well as taking the idea for their name. Clearly, the music didn't die!John Gribbin, an ardent fan since he was twelve, presents this labour of love written in the spirit of Sonny Curtis' lyric, as a celebration of Holly's all too brief life, and as an introduction,for all those not around in 1959, to the man and his astonishing musical legacy. "Not Fade Away" also includes - uniquely - a full and detailed account of every Holly recording session, which any Buddy fan will devour.
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Tinker Carlen - An Original Cricket
by Truman Dayon Godwin
Tinker Carlen: An Original Cricket This is a short biography of Tinker Carlen, a guitarist and singer in the world-famous Cricket band. It is a story of the origin of the Crickets and Tinker's involvements from the very beginning when Tinker, Buddy Holly, and other young musicians got together to "make music and entertain.”
It is Tinker’s story, not a copy of anything that's been written about the evolution of the Crickets its individual members or of their successes and failures. Some of Tinker’s life experiences are related as he remembers the challenges of pursuing a musical career Also included are many experiences of the band — some funny, some sad — as each member faces the problems of growing up and the unexpected cultural problems from people who didn’t approve of their “rock-a-billy” style of music.
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by Tommy Canale (Author), Antonino D'Ambrosio (Foreword)
If you could travel back to the 1950s with Doc Brown and Marty from Back to the Future, you'd find a simpler, more innocent time. At gas stations, attendants greeted you by name, pumped your gas, checked your oil, and cleaned your windshield-a full-service experience often taken for granted. Teens were happy and energetic, and artists sang with enthusiasm, delivering carefree lyrics like "Why do birds sing so gay?" without concern for misunderstanding.
February 3, 1959, marked a tragic day in rock and roll history with the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper in a plane crash after performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA. These artists significantly shaped the genre: a DJ-turned-musician known for his comedic style, a hit from "La Bamba," and the iconic headliner recognized by his signature glasses.
This book explores the 1959 Winter Dance Party, the Surf Ballroom, and the impact of that fateful flight. It shares stories from witnesses and reflects on the profound loss felt by the teenage generation, whose legacy endures 65 years later. As Buddy Holly said, the sounds and memories of the '50s will not fade away.
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The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens:
By Larry Lehmer
The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the 'Big Bopper' and Ritchie Valens. The tragic deaths of these three fifties Rock n Roll stars was immortalised in Don McLean's classic hit American Pie. The poignant story of the build-up to, events of, and the fall-out from the infamous 'Day The Music Died' are told here in painstaking chronological detail. A must for any serious rock n roll fan or student.
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That'll Be the Day: The Birth of Rock N' Roll
By Carolyn McHugh
That 'll Be The Day - The Birth of Rock & Roll takes you on a musical journey through the first decade of this extraordinary genre that has influenced popular music to the present day.The book features the stories of the biggest rock & roll artists such as Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry through to The Beatles and the Stones and how they influenced fashion film and art to the present day. While Elvis Presley is the genre's undisputed 'King', other seminal figures in the rock and roll movement were key in bringing the new music to the mainstream mass market. Step forward Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly - all exceptional talents whose hit songs soundtracked the major rock and roll years, ensuring, as the 1958 Danny and Juniors song put it; 'Rock and roll is here to stay'! Add to the roll call artists including Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper and Eddie Cochran. The ground-breaking talents of Elvis and his contemporaries made an incalculable contribution to music, which has inspired generations ever since.
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"Whatever Happened To Peggy Sue"
By Peggy Sue Gerron
Nearly 50 years after Buddy Holley's tragic death, Peggy Sue Gerron has written her memoirs. Using her personal diary, she unveils intimate details about her relationship with Buddy and the Crickets never before revealed in book or film. Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue is one of the most fascinating stories in Rock and Roll history, told by the woman who was there
(could be out of print)
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The Day The Music Died (VH1 Behind the Music) (Volume 0)
by Martin Huxley (Author), Quinton Skinner (Author)
They were three of rock 'n' roll's brightest stars, touring together in a music revue that was as grueling as it was magical. Dilapidated school buses that frequently broke down and rarely had heat carried them hundreds of miles across the Midwest with its unforgiving cold. Hoping to get a decent night's sleep, a hot meal, and a chance to clean the clothes they'd been wearing for weeks, Buddy Holly chartered a plane.
On February 3, 1959, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly boarded a small plane bound for rock 'n' roll heaven. This is their story, told by the family members, bandmates, and witnesses who lived it. Including material not seen in the original VH1 broadcast, Behind the Music: the Day the Music Died is a compelling record of one of rock 'n' roll's defining moments.
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by Jeffrey K Smith
This a biography of rock and roll pioneer, Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. In his 18 month professional career, he was an innovative singer, musician, and song-writer. His musical is enduring nearly six decades after his death. Holly was a talented singer and musician, as well as a prolific song-writer and budding record producer. He was truly an early pioneer of rock and roll. Holly's premature death leaves the great unanswered question: What if?
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Jam with Buddy Holly (Book/Online Audio) (Total Accuracy Guitar Workshops)
(Guitar Educational). This book/online audio pack lets guitarists learn 8 great Buddy Holly songs, then jam along with a professional session band! The book features performance notes and exact transcriptions with tab, and the included audio features a section of backing tracks minus lead guitar and vocals, and another section with all guitar parts added. Includes: Everyday * Heartbeat * It Doesn't Matter Any More * Not Fade Away * Oh Boy * Peggy Sue * Rave On * That'll Be the Day. Audio is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed or downloaded. The audio files include PLAYBACK+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right.
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Rave On: The Biography of Buddy Holly
by Philip Norman
Drawing on interviews with almost everyone who ever associated with Buddy Holly, including his widow, this biography creates a vivid picture of a young man who took the American music scene by storm and then died suddenly in a tragic plane crash.
Philip Norman is a journalist and a novelist who in 1968 was assigned to cover the Beatles’ own business utopia, Apple Corps, from the inside. He is the author of Rave On: The Biography of Buddy Holly and many other books.
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What a Wonderful World: A Lifetime of Recordings
by Bob Thiele (Author), Bob Golden (Editor), Steve Allen (Foreword)
Music industry legend Bob Thiele will never forget the first time he heard a demo tape from a group of unknowns from New Mexico billed as Buddy Holly and the Crickets. "I was never as confident in my life anything would be a hit record as I was about 'That'll Be the Day'," remembers the record executive and producer who also worked with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jackie Wilson, Henry Mancini, and a constellation of other greats on some of their most memorable recordings. But Thiele's employers at Coral Records wouldn't touch Holly and his "hillbilly garbage," and neither would any of the big major labels. Finally Thiele convinced the powers that be at Coral that they just had to release "That'll Be the Day," if only to keep him happy. The result was a monster hit that launched Holly's career and stayed on the charts for half a year.
The discovery of Buddy Holly is just one of the riveting stories Thiele has to tell in What a Wonderful World, a rollicking, no-holds-barred account of an unforgettable life in music, as told to Thiele's friend and collaborator Bob Golden. Over a still-ongoing career spanning six decades, Thiele has been a musician, dance band leader, publisher of one of the first jazz magazines in the world, a record producer, a DJ, a record label owner (several times), an A&R man, and a songwriter. Indeed, Thiele's songwriting credits include the beloved Armstrong classic from which this book takes its title. From his precocious adolescence in Queens, where he began hosting his first radio jazz show at the tender age of 14, Thiele's career has been driven and defined by a genuine love and respect for great music. He tells how he discovered Jackie Wilson, jazz immortal Erroll Garner, Buddy Holly, and others, and takes readers behind-the-scenes to legendary recording sessions with Ellington, Armstrong, John Coltrane, Teresa Brewer (Thiele's wife of 26 years), Jack Kerouac, Steve Allen, the McGuire Sisters, Pat Boone, Frankie Laine, and many other artists. Thiele captures the free-wheeling, anything-could-happen-and-usually-did atmosphere of the jazz and pop recording worlds of decades gone by, and shares uproarious recollections of the heavy-hitting movers and shakers he has locked horns with over the years. Equally important, as an enduring and inventive force in American music, Thiele offers candid and perceptive observations on the increasing corporatization of the business he loves.
A fascinating journey from the days before rock 'n' roll to today, What a Wonderful World could only have been written by a true insider's insider. It will delight music lovers everywhere.
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Buddy Holly and the Crickets Musical History in Australia
by Roderick Jordan
This second edition book totally encompasses the historical tour to Australia from January/February 1958 it shows never before seen photos quotes from some people on the tour and desvribes each city they played in including Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne. A definitive study.
Roddy started researching Buddy Holly and The Crickets after he first heard ‘Peggy Sue’ back in November 1957 on Radio Station 2NZ from Inverell. From that time, he kept everything he ever found on when The Crickets toured Australia back in January/February 1958. This culminated in three editions of hiis book on the Australian tour in 2008, 2010 and 2015.
The second edition a hardback copy with a dust jacket consisting of 455 pages.
It was called ‘Buddy Holly And The Crickets - Musical History in Australia'. The book covered the whole tour, unseen photos, chart lists and interviews all from people who were there. Including Cricket members Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin. Although the book is now out of print you can buy it on Kindle.
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For USA/Canada CLICK HERE
by Gary W. Moore
Buddy Holly, icon: black horn-rimmed glasses, blue jeans, a white T-shirt, white socks, loafers, and "Peggy Sue." Not so much to Gary W. Moore. Admitting he "grew up in a Rock & Roll vacuum," Gary favored jazz. He couldn't name a single Buddy Holly song. Buddy Rich? Yes. But that changed in a single evening when Gary was dragged along to a Winter Dance Party in Cedar Falls, Iowa—a tribute to Buddy's final, tragic 1959 tour. It was headlined by musician extraordinaire John Mueller, whose uncanny recreation of the legend was hailed by Buddy's own brother Travis as "the best I've ever seen." It took just one song to seize Gary's heart and soul. From then on, for Gary, it was everything Buddy.
In this inspiring "rock-and-rollercoaster of a read", Moore shares his personal journey to learn more about Buddy's life, music, his influence, his impact, and the times in which he lived (Bill Guertin, author of Reality Sells). He'd meet Buddy's friends and family, celebrities, Buddy Holly fans, and make a new friend himself in John Mueller. The result is "as American as apple pie and as compelling as Don McLean's legendary hit about The Day the Music Died" (James Riordan, New York Times–bestselling author).
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by John J Goldrosen
The Death of a Rock Singer--The Birth of a Legend John J. Goldrosen's brilliantly researched biography will never be surpassed, for he spent two years putting together the real Buddy Holly story--from his childhood in Lubbock, Texas, throughout each stages of his career to eventual stardom, and to the fatal crash.
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by Gary Clevenger, Peter Gibson & Tony Warran
Dedicated to the lives / legacies of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Also pilot Roger Peterson.
A collection of memories, stories and anecdotes from friends, family members, fellow musicians and fans from all over the world.
Almost anyone who is anyone is in this book.
Included in the book are 7 photos of Buddy Holly and The Crickets at the Hershey PA venue circa 1958 published here for the first time.