"THE CRICKETS SOUND" Project
A Buddy Holly & The Crickets Online Resource Hub
The Lubbock Scene
When Buddy Holly and The Crickets were starting out, their home town of Lubbock, Tx, was full of young bands, musicians and venues/drive in's etc. Here are some of them who were active at the time 1954-1959 - more to be added in time.
KDAV Radio Station
Ben Hall, Hi Pockets Duncan & Dave Stone formed KDAV around 1953. Buddy Holly & Bob Montgomery (Buddy & Bob) featured on the station a lot, where they had their own "Sunday Party" show. Much of their early demos were recorded here, live performances.
The Hi-Di-Ho Drive In
The Hi-D-Ho was Lubbock’s most popular traditional drive-in during the 1950s and 1960s. Buddy Holly and his pals entertained here
Fair Park Coliseum
The Fair Park Coliseum was a large venue where touring music acts would perform. Notably, this is where Buddy Holly witnessed Elvis play when he first came to Lubbock, Tx.
Cotton Club
Local music venue where Buddy Holly, with Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis and Don Guess, opened for Elvis Presley. This event changed Buddy Holly's life and instigated a new direction in music.
KLLL (K Triple L) Radio
KLLL Radio was owned and run by Buddy's pals, The Corbin Brothers. Waylon Jennings worked here as a DJ and it was at the station Buddy wrote and recorded "You're The One" with Waylon and Slim Corbin handclaps. The song was written on the spot, to prove how easy it was to knock off a pop song quickly.
Hi Pockets Duncan
Hi Pockets Duncan was Buddy, Bob & Larry's first (informal) manager, securing gigs for them locally. He was also the manager of The Cotton Club in Lubbock, where Elvis appeared and Buddy, Bob & Larry (with Sonny Curtis) performed in support slots.
Click HERE for more info
"Pappy" Dave Stone
Dave Stone was a DJ at KSEL in Lubbock. He obtained a radio broadcasting licence for a new station KDAV, which he set up with Hi Pockets Duncan (Buddy & Bob's first manager), and Ben Hall, bot DJ's who also had a love of Country music. The station promoted Country music. Ben Hall wrote Buddy Holly's first single "Blue Days, Black Nights". Dave Stone was very integral to making Buddy's music and talent known to Eddie Crandall, a Nashville Talent Scout & manager of Marty Robbins - Click here for an excellent article on Pappy Dave Stone.
Bobby Ray "Bob" Peeples
Bobby Ray (Bob) Peeples of Allen, Texas, passed away on October 8, 2024, at the age of 87. Bob was born in Ft. Worth, Texas, on February 28, 1937.
Bobby was a high school friend of Buddy Holly's, who had an interest in cars and also recording music. Bobby recorded a young Buddy & Bob (with Sonny Curtis/Don Guess/Larry Welborn) on their early recordings, "The Garage Tapes". It's believed Bobby had access to an acetate disc cutter.
*excerpt from Bobby's obituary
* Bob's love of music and fascination with radio allowed Bob to work with a high school friend named Buddy Holly. Bob recorded the infamous garage tapes. A few weeks later, he went along with Buddy, Niki, and Larry Welborn to Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico. He referred to that as the day the music started. He found his passion then. Bob had a few different jobs from the late '50s to the early '80s, including working at South Plains Electric Company in Lubbock, as well as at a phone company. He also worked at PAMs Studios and Good Night Audio Dallas as a Recording Engineer, where he met and worked with many local and various famous singers/songwriters in the recording industry. (Ask the family, and we will spill.) He also worked at Century21 Studios, dealing with automated radio and recordings for radio stations. The video below is from his funeral service. He passed away on October 8, 2024.
The Four Teens
Local Lubbock group formed by Larry Welborn (guitar) (after he left playing with Buddy), Joe B Mauldin (bass), Terry Noland (vocal) and Brownie Higgs (drums). See Joe B Mauldin's profile HERE to listen to them.
Terry Noland
Terry was school friends with Joe B Mauldin. When Joe B hung out with Terry at his house one day, Terry said that he'd written a song and started playing guitar and singing it. Joe B noticed the bass guitar in the corner and asked Terry to teach him how to play it. He did and they ended up jamming the song. They would go on to form The Four Teens (see above listing).
Terry was friends with Buddy Holly, they were in communication when Buddy moved to New York. One book suggests that Buddy wrote to Terry and told him he wanted to set up a session for him to produce him. Sadly, fate stepped in.
Snuff Garret
Local DJ in Lubbock, became good friends with Waylon Jennings and Buddy Holly. Snuff would go on to become a respected Music Producer at Liberty, producing The Crickets and Bobby Vee after Buddy Holly's death. Became a major player in the music biz in Nashville.
Click HERE for more info on him and his work
Ben Hall
Ben was a local DJ who formed KDAV Radio with Dave "Pappy" Stone and Hi Pockets Duncan, Buddy & Bob's first manager.
Ben was also a songwriter and wrote Buddy Holly's first Single "Blue Days, Black Nights", which Buddy recorded in Nashville.
June Clark
June Clarke was the sister of Don Lanier, Buddy Knox's guitar player in The Rhythm Orchids. Buddy & The Crickets rehearsed at June Clark's house in Lubbock, where Gary & Ramona Tollett joined in rehearsals for "That'll Be The Day/I'm Looking For Someone To Love", Gary & Ramona traded off with Buddy & the boys, they would sing backing vocals for Buddy/The Crickets and they would reciprocate and play guitar, bass, drums on Gary's songs, recorded at Norman Petty's Studio in Clovis. June was scheduled to sing backing vocals with the Tolletts & Niki Sullivan, but she backed out at the last minute, as she had a young child.
Peggy Sue
Peggy Sue Gerron grew up in Lubbock and went to high school with Buddy Holly and drummer Jerry Allison. Jerry started dating Peggy Sue in 1957 and he convinced Buddy to change the title of his new song "Cindy Lou" to "Peggy Sue". The rest is history. She would later marry Jerry Allison, but divorced from him in the 1960s. In 2008, she published her memoirs in a book called "Whatever Happened To Peggy Sue".
Tinker Carlen
Tinker Carlen was a Lubbock, Texas musician and childhood friend of Buddy Holly. He is remembered as an early collaborator in the formation of The Crickets, when they were all hanging out and jamming together as young musos do.
Known for his rockabilly style, he recorded the vinyl single "Lookin' For The Hi-De-Ho" and is the subject of the biography "Tinker Carlen: An Original Cricket".
Click Here for Tinker's book
Sue Parish
Sue Parrish was a songwriter based in Buddy Holly's hometown of Lubbock, Texas. She co-wrote the rock and roll song "Love Me" and "Don't Come Back Knocking" with Buddy. The track features a style heavily inspired by Elvis Presley. Decca Records released the song on April 16, 1956, as the B-side to "Blue Days, Black Nights."
