Well, i’m here in Clear Lake, Iowa for the 50 Winters Later celebration. Buddy Holly passed away 50 years ago in that horrible plane crash. Buddy was one of my dad’s best friends, and first musical partners. I was invited by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the good folks here at The Surf to perform with Tommy Allsup. Tommy played on alot of my dad’s early songs with Buddy, and was on the last tour with Buddy……..flipping the coin with Ritchie Valens for his seat on the plane.
I flew from London on the 26th of January to Los Angeles……had a night there…….flew to Denver……and met my friends Brian and Jill Wall…..we then drove 900 miles in their campervan to Clear Lake….arriving on the 28th at dinnertime.
We had just gone to The Boathouse next door to the Surf……when we met Shirleen and her sister. She is what they call a “Holly Dolly”, and was actually there for Buddy’s last performance. In the video i speak to her about her recollections of the night:
She was a good sport. I’ll be videoblogging along the way, and have interview with Tommy Allsup, and Maria-Elena Holly coming up………so stay tuned.
I’ve never felt that the Buddy Holly movies have given us a real view into the way Buddy truly was………my dad was pretty disgusted by the Hollywood movie. I asked Tommy Allsup to tell the story of his coin toss with Ritchie Valens one more time. I also asked him what he thought of the movies that have been made………..here it is:
A little later was our show at the Surf. Tommy played on alot of the songs that my dad wrote that Buddy performed………”Heartbeat”, “Wishing”……..others……..and Johnny Rogers (Buddy Holly) does such a great job at recreating the way Buddy sang with my dad when they were the duo, Buddy and Bob. I was blown away in Clovis, New Mexico at the festival last year when we started singing “Flower of My Heart”. I’ve been told i sing like my dad, and i certainly believe that Johnny has Buddy’s style down from that era.
It was an honor to be involved on such a great night:
Maria Elena Holly has always been very nice to me. I said hello on the first night, and then right after we play she came to congratulate me. I asked if i could get a brief interview with her and she graciously agreed.
If you enjoy the videos, and this website in general…….imagine you are at a show, and i have a tip jar out…………you can put money in my tip jar to show your appreciation for my efforts to entertain you!!! You can do it straight through paypal:
I’m standing on the side of the stage watching Pat Dinizio from The Smithereens soundcheck with one of my old pals and favorite drummers, Kenny Aronoff.
Had a funny thing happen the other night here at the Surf……a stately looking English fellar came to the merch desk after my part of the show. He asked if he could buy a cd. We made small talk…….with me asking him where he was from……somewhere around London he said……..i signed the cd, and then asked him if he’d ever been to the Surf before…..usual small talk……..turns out it was Sir Tim Rice!!! I discovered that today after the symposium i did at Clear Lake Middle School…..he showed up to do his seminar! Crazy. I felt like an oaf.
Ha. More later.
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It is the morning of January 2nd, 2009. Last night was pretty surreal. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hosted a Super Bowl Party at the Holiday Inn in Mason City. I spent most of the afternoon at The Surf Ballroom soundchecking for tonight’s show. The house band includes Hutch Hutchinson and Kenny Aronoff (Mellencamp,Fogerty)…….and Chuck Leavall from The Rolling Stones……amazing band. I’ve known Kenny for years…..he played on my un-released second record on A&M…..great guy.
At soundcheck i learned i would be singing tonight with Dave Mason on “Cryin’, Waitin’, Hopin’”, and possibly with Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens on “Words of Love”…….so, i’m lying here listening to both songs to brush up. I’ll be opening the show with a lonely version of “Wishing”. I’m really excited about it……..it is an honor to open the show, and i expect they will light it pretty dramatically………alot of pressure, but i’m going to try not to think about the 2,500 people out there and just play it like i always do.
Anyway, i was a little late getting to the Holiday Inn bar……i was the last person out of the Surf actually…..behind all the tired crew members that were looking forward to a night off. I got there and sat down in a booth with Shelby Morrison from the Rock Hall…..she was partly responsible for me coming to Clear Lake, and has been a good friend for the past few years. Sir Tim Rice was seated in the next booth and we waved hello…..i got up to say hello, and just to be polite i introduced myself to the guy sitting in the booth across from him………..older, English guy with long grey hair. He hardly looked up and didn’t offer his name…….so, i made a point to ask him his name again……..i find it very rude and arrogant when people don’t say their name when introduced. I sat down and talked with Sir Tim……..and soon after the “old grey” guy got up and went to the bar…….i asked Sir Tim who it was…..he said, “Peter Gordon from bla, bla , bla”……ok, i just google “Peter Gordon” and he is actually the Gordon of Peter and Gordon. The Peter……oh, that sounded bad because he is actually a nice guy……is Peter Asher, whom i met at Conway Recording studio when i was doing my first record…….he produced alot of the great Linda Rondstadt records…..here they are together (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g5F94Kix4U)
Anyway, Sir Tim apologized for him and we carried on………sometime later he came to the bar and we got a drink……..i really like that guy………….i spied Johnny Rogers speaking with the guys from Black Sabbath, and being an Ozzy fan and former metalhead of sorts….i wanted to say hello………they pretty much blew me off, but that was cool. There is a pecking order sometimes at these “industry” do’s, and i guess they were doing the peckering.
I ended up hanging with Jerry Allison from The Crickets. I’m very fond of J.I., and his wife Joannie. They’ve always been very sweet to me. He was saying he has known me since i was a baby……he was my dad’s best man at his wedding, and they are kind to me as only you can be when you’ve know someone since they were a child……i hope my son will have people like that in his life someday. J.I. is always up for a laugh, and we sought out as many laughs as possible until he retired.
Well, that is it for now………i’m going to the Surf now to rehearse with Pat, and i reckon Dave Mason. I’ve be videologging tonight, and am really excited about the evening. It is rumored that Keith Richards and Ron Wood are coming…….apparently, Sir Tim Rice has been giving them a hard time and telling them not to miss this special night. I also hear that Paul McCartney is going to show…..i would find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t. Stay tuned…..i’ll try to post a videologue when i come in.
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I’m at the Surf…….Chuck Leavall from The Stones just finished singing a spirited version of “Honky Tonk Women”……….and here is a little video of what was happening when i first got here.
Looks like i’m singing “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” and “Listen to Me” with Pat from The Smithereens…….that is what happens when you hang around and Graham Nash doesn’t show up!!!! Ha! Ha!
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Well, all i can say is the finale of the 50 Winters Later week was fantastic! I flew back to LA yesterday from Minneapolis…….pretty tired. I spent this morning editing the video from the Feb. 2nd concert…..i sang “Wishing’………then sang with Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens and Dave Mason……incredible. I say i spent most of the morning editing the video……well, it crashed on me, and i lost everything!!! So, it will be later tonight before i get the video up.
The most poignant came in the Surf Ballroom dressing room and noticed J.P. Richardson (Big Bopper’s son) sitting in a chair by the backstage door. He looked so sad, and was holding tight onto a briefcase that i believe was owned by his father.
I walked over to him and said, “i’m sorry for your loss”, and told him that i have a 3 and a half year old son, and everytime i get on a plane, or in a car now…….i pray for safety, and think about how much i want to be with him. I said, “i’m sure your father felt the same way about you”.
He thanked me, and i had to walk away and compose myself…….it tore me apart to see that man……..50 years old now, he was born two months after his father’s passing, sitting there in tears thinking about all the time that he missed with his father.
So sad and tragic.
More later………..gotta run for awhile……i’ll upload the video tonight.
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Well, after working on the show video from the Feb. 2nd video for about 6 hours total…….and losing it twice…………once just a few minutes ago when my buddy put his computer down on the firewire cable and it unplugged it……thus corrupting the edit that i had just done……..i’ve come to believe that maybe this footage is not meant to be seen.
I’ll think about it more, but sometimes these type things should be taken as a sign!!!
Goodnight……..more later. Kevin
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Ok, i woke up at 8:30am after falling asleep at about 4am this morning………….and started working on the video of the finale concert at the Surf on Feb. 2nd. I had two major technical hiccups while editing this video, and on the day my favored Flip Video died on me, so i had to use my Sony Handicam for recording, but left my charger in the hotel room…….so there is a large segment of the show that did not get recorded. In the end i brought out my Blackberry 8320 to record the stars being projected on the ceiling of the Surf…….magical moment.
Anyway, here is the video!! Enjoy!
If you like these videos, and this blog then please
After numerous attempts to get my flip video camera working again…..i broke down and bought a new Flip Video HD camera on Amazon.com……it should arrive today. Look for some footage of around Los Angeles later. I found this review helpful-http://kirkmastin.blogspot.com/2008/02/flip-video-vlog-tale-of-two-formats_21.htm
These are the tools i use while on the road………must haves!
If you like the videologues from Clear Lake, then check out the 50 States in 50 Days videologues….we try to have fun.
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{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
Kevin, thanks for posting all these vids. What a precious lady, Mrs Holly is..!! Oh And I can imagine how special and unforgettable these days were for you and for Tommy Allsup too..yea, actually for all of you who
love(d) Buddy Holly.
Malene
Kevin, thanks for posting all these vids. What a precious lady, Mrs Holly is..!! Oh And I can imagine how special and unforgettable these days were for you and for Tommy Allsup too..yea, actually for all of you who
love(d) Buddy Holly.
Malene
Kevin,
Thanks for the videos. It’s was great to see the interviews with Tommy Allsup and Maria Elena Holly especially about your Dad. This is where you belong on a historical night like this.
Don & Karen
Kevin,
Thanks for the videos. It’s was great to see the interviews with Tommy Allsup and Maria Elena Holly especially about your Dad. This is where you belong on a historical night like this.
Don & Karen
Hi Kevin,
I’m Dénes Visky from Hungary /Europe/).
It was my 18th birthday back in 1989 on the 2nd of february, that I was listening to the radio in the evening. I don’t remember clearly but the title of the programme was something like; “Tribute to Buddy Holly”
From that moment as I recorded the songs /unfortunately cuted the speaker’s script/ I became Buddy’s fan for a life.
Now 20 years later as a musician too ,its so exciting to be there with your help)))
My wife and little daughter is sleeping behind me , the cake’s taste is still in my mouth, …….. it’s dark here and dead silence……..and I’m thousands of miles away …… in the Surf Ballroom …..)))))
Well…. man….Thank you !
Dénes
Hi Kevin,
I’m Dénes Visky from Hungary /Europe/).
It was my 18th birthday back in 1989 on the 2nd of february, that I was listening to the radio in the evening. I don’t remember clearly but the title of the programme was something like; “Tribute to Buddy Holly”
From that moment as I recorded the songs /unfortunately cuted the speaker’s script/ I became Buddy’s fan for a life.
Now 20 years later as a musician too ,its so exciting to be there with your help)))
My wife and little daughter is sleeping behind me , the cake’s taste is still in my mouth, …….. it’s dark here and dead silence……..and I’m thousands of miles away …… in the Surf Ballroom …..)))))
Well…. man….Thank you !
Dénes
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for your efforts to bring me closer to the Surf Ballroom for this celebration. I stumbled upon your website at the right time. You did a great job offereing this to fans who could not be there. The happiness in your face is the best part. Great interviews and everything. As a young ( 49 ) rocker from Gloversville, New York, my love for Buddy grows stronger every year. I tell my kids how I feel and they seem to understand. Stratocasters for everybody.
Mike Johnson
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for your efforts to bring me closer to the Surf Ballroom for this celebration. I stumbled upon your website at the right time. You did a great job offereing this to fans who could not be there. The happiness in your face is the best part. Great interviews and everything. As a young ( 49 ) rocker from Gloversville, New York, my love for Buddy grows stronger every year. I tell my kids how I feel and they seem to understand. Stratocasters for everybody.
Mike Johnson
What a weekend it was….your performance with Tommy and Johnnie was priceless. Watching the video will bring back memories of the night.
Thanks for the blog.
What a weekend it was….your performance with Tommy and Johnnie was priceless. Watching the video will bring back memories of the night.
Thanks for the blog.
This is GREAT!! sounds like you had a TERRIFIC time in Clear Lake! I was at the 20th reunion (the 1st) and it was unbelievable!! My girlfriends and I used our rent money to rent a car and drive down since I was going out with one of the guys from the Whitesidewalls and it was well worth the horrible drive in the blizzard and the problems o rent caused of course but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything! I took my granddaughters to Omaha in July to see the Jonas Brothers and on the way we toured several spots in Iowa including Arnold ‘s Park and the Rock N Roll Museum where the owner and I got to talking and he told me the tickets were going on sale–of course when I got back and online they were all sold out so I couldn’t go back for the 50th–BOO HOO!! I guess I just will have to live it through you and your videos. Hopefully someone will do a dvd of the entire week soon so we all can at least “pretend” we were back there—THANKS for the memories!! Mary
This is GREAT!! sounds like you had a TERRIFIC time in Clear Lake! I was at the 20th reunion (the 1st) and it was unbelievable!! My girlfriends and I used our rent money to rent a car and drive down since I was going out with one of the guys from the Whitesidewalls and it was well worth the horrible drive in the blizzard and the problems o rent caused of course but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything! I took my granddaughters to Omaha in July to see the Jonas Brothers and on the way we toured several spots in Iowa including Arnold ‘s Park and the Rock N Roll Museum where the owner and I got to talking and he told me the tickets were going on sale–of course when I got back and online they were all sold out so I couldn’t go back for the 50th–BOO HOO!! I guess I just will have to live it through you and your videos. Hopefully someone will do a dvd of the entire week soon so we all can at least “pretend” we were back there—THANKS for the memories!! Mary
Thanks for the compliments……i had a good time out there…….thank you. Kevin
Thanks for the compliments……i had a good time out there…….thank you. Kevin
Not only dealing with his own schedule & performance at the Surf Ballroom, then having the great foresight to capture this great moment in music history on video, and to share it with us folks… but also to ask all those people & artists the kinda questions we all have in our hearts and minds.
Well done Kevin. Precious stuff !
Yer a star & a gentleman !
Cheers from bonnie Scotland
Pete
Not only dealing with his own schedule & performance at the Surf Ballroom, then having the great foresight to capture this great moment in music history on video, and to share it with us folks… but also to ask all those people & artists the kinda questions we all have in our hearts and minds.
Well done Kevin. Precious stuff !
Yer a star & a gentleman !
Cheers from bonnie Scotland
Pete
Kevin,
Just watched the latest video, what a wonderful wonderful night. So glad you were there and looking forward to all the story’s you have to tell. Hope to see you at the 75th.
Thanks again.
Don & Karen
Kevin,
Just watched the latest video, what a wonderful wonderful night. So glad you were there and looking forward to all the story’s you have to tell. Hope to see you at the 75th.
Thanks again.
Don & Karen
Thank you guys for the comments on the videos. I guess i hit a chord with this one. No pun intended!
I had a great time in Clear Lake and was truly honored to be invited to participate.
There was an energy that night that was palpable…..really through the week.
I’m glad that i had special access to some of the folks that i was able to interview.
I hope i can continue to bring events like this to life through videologging! Thanks aa bunch……..i guess no one liked my queen video!!!!?!?! Kevin
Thank you guys for the comments on the videos. I guess i hit a chord with this one. No pun intended!
I had a great time in Clear Lake and was truly honored to be invited to participate.
There was an energy that night that was palpable…..really through the week.
I’m glad that i had special access to some of the folks that i was able to interview.
I hope i can continue to bring events like this to life through videologging! Thanks aa bunch……..i guess no one liked my queen video!!!!?!?! Kevin
Kevin,
Your version of your pop’s song, Wishing, has been in my head ever since the 50 Winters Show. It’s fantastic. You did a great job at the gig, too — man, what a night!
Best regards,
Joe Coffey
Kevin,
Your version of your pop’s song, Wishing, has been in my head ever since the 50 Winters Show. It’s fantastic. You did a great job at the gig, too — man, what a night!
Best regards,
Joe Coffey
Kevin,
Thanks for posting those videos and comments. I wish I could have been in Clear Lake last month. I’m gonna be 50 this summer, so maybe for my anniversary, I’ll go then for a visit. Meanwhile, your videos are the next best thing.
Great job man!
Richard
Kevin,
Thanks for posting those videos and comments. I wish I could have been in Clear Lake last month. I’m gonna be 50 this summer, so maybe for my anniversary, I’ll go then for a visit. Meanwhile, your videos are the next best thing.
Great job man!
Richard
Thanks Kevin for the music and the memories!
Thanks Kevin for the music and the memories!
Kevin, I just dug out an old VHS tape of Prime Time Country with You and your Dad, The Crickets, Joe Ely and Todd Snyder.
You did a great job of Wishing with one of the Prime Time Country singers. It was to Promote the Remembering Buddy Disc.
Can you tell us anything else you remember about the taping of the show?
Kevin, I just dug out an old VHS tape of Prime Time Country with You and your Dad, The Crickets, Joe Ely and Todd Snyder.
You did a great job of Wishing with one of the Prime Time Country singers. It was to Promote the Remembering Buddy Disc.
Can you tell us anything else you remember about the taping of the show?
Chuck,
Wow!! I would love to see that tape! Well, i was honored to be on the show. I was nervous as hell that my dad was going to “say the wrong thing”……..so, i probably looked a little nervous.
Poor Tom Wopat…….great guy, but not the best interviewer………..was pretty nervous himself. I know he was a fan of everyone involved with Buddy Holly, so that might have been why.
I was nervous to meet Luke Duke!!! Ha! Kevin
Chuck,
Wow!! I would love to see that tape! Well, i was honored to be on the show. I was nervous as hell that my dad was going to “say the wrong thing”……..so, i probably looked a little nervous.
Poor Tom Wopat…….great guy, but not the best interviewer………..was pretty nervous himself. I know he was a fan of everyone involved with Buddy Holly, so that might have been why.
I was nervous to meet Luke Duke!!! Ha! Kevin
Dear Kevin
I was privileged to be at the 50th Anniversary Concert and perhaps you might remember our short discussion in the hall outside the Surf shop when we talked about our brief meeting in Glasgow after your appearance with the Mavericks at the SECC.
I guess the performance on your blog must have been on the Saturday night show in Clear Lake which I missed as I just got into Minneapolis early Sat evening. Therefore I’m so glad you were able to put it up for viewing.
Did I catch you saying that you had also been in Scotland the previous week?
I may have mentioned that my very first girl friend bought me the “Holly in the Hills” album featuring your dad and Buddy, so it was great to hear you sing Flower of my Heart and Soft Place in my Heart. Another favourite from that album was Queen of the Ballroom.
I am pleased to say that I am not quite old enough to remember Buddy when he started out; the first record of his that I bought was “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” in 1963, then “Bo Diddley” and of course, “Wishing”. Your slightly slower interpretation and the way you sing the title have given the song a whole new meaning for me.
I did laugh when you said that getting to open the show and sing only one song was because you were “low man on the totem pole”, I guess that echoes some of your other comments.
Not recognising Sir Tim Rice must have been embarrassing but I can tell you there were a great many people in the audience who had no idea who he was. But he was quite happy to speak to anyone (including me!) and sign autographs and queued like the rest of us to get his souvenirs in the shop.
I thought that when you were talking about an Englishman with grey hair you were going to refer to Graham Nash. Now, he does seem to have an attitude problem, he more or less took over the Sunday afternoon symposium. Also I found his comment on the stage at the end “what a great night” quite ingratiating.
Despite the non appearance of Paul McCartney et al, putting the three stars on the ceiling and playing “True Love ways” was a fitting end to the night that I must admit had me in tears.
I went out to the crash site the next morning, must have been just about the same time of day 50 years on from when the investigators were there but it was just too cold to get emotional.
I had always planned to be in Lubbock for the 50th Anniversay but when I found out about the concert I knew I had to be there; everyone in my office was on the Surf Ballroom site when the tickets went on sale!
Lastly, I wanted to say that I have been reading a book about Buddy written by an English author Philip Norman and he makes mention of the fact that when Buddy first started recording in 1955 I think his then manager stood aside as did your dad both graciously not wanting to stand in Buddy’s way on his rise to stardom. You must be very proud to know the part your dad played in Buddy’s success and I hope you go on keeping both their music alive and making new music of your own for many years to come.
Come back to Scotland soon, maybe I’ll host a house party or get you to play our village hall in Milton of Campsie, 12 miles NE of Glasgow.
Best wishes
Alan
Dear Kevin
I was privileged to be at the 50th Anniversary Concert and perhaps you might remember our short discussion in the hall outside the Surf shop when we talked about our brief meeting in Glasgow after your appearance with the Mavericks at the SECC.
I guess the performance on your blog must have been on the Saturday night show in Clear Lake which I missed as I just got into Minneapolis early Sat evening. Therefore I’m so glad you were able to put it up for viewing.
Did I catch you saying that you had also been in Scotland the previous week?
I may have mentioned that my very first girl friend bought me the “Holly in the Hills” album featuring your dad and Buddy, so it was great to hear you sing Flower of my Heart and Soft Place in my Heart. Another favourite from that album was Queen of the Ballroom.
I am pleased to say that I am not quite old enough to remember Buddy when he started out; the first record of his that I bought was “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” in 1963, then “Bo Diddley” and of course, “Wishing”. Your slightly slower interpretation and the way you sing the title have given the song a whole new meaning for me.
I did laugh when you said that getting to open the show and sing only one song was because you were “low man on the totem pole”, I guess that echoes some of your other comments.
Not recognising Sir Tim Rice must have been embarrassing but I can tell you there were a great many people in the audience who had no idea who he was. But he was quite happy to speak to anyone (including me!) and sign autographs and queued like the rest of us to get his souvenirs in the shop.
I thought that when you were talking about an Englishman with grey hair you were going to refer to Graham Nash. Now, he does seem to have an attitude problem, he more or less took over the Sunday afternoon symposium. Also I found his comment on the stage at the end “what a great night” quite ingratiating.
Despite the non appearance of Paul McCartney et al, putting the three stars on the ceiling and playing “True Love ways” was a fitting end to the night that I must admit had me in tears.
I went out to the crash site the next morning, must have been just about the same time of day 50 years on from when the investigators were there but it was just too cold to get emotional.
I had always planned to be in Lubbock for the 50th Anniversay but when I found out about the concert I knew I had to be there; everyone in my office was on the Surf Ballroom site when the tickets went on sale!
Lastly, I wanted to say that I have been reading a book about Buddy written by an English author Philip Norman and he makes mention of the fact that when Buddy first started recording in 1955 I think his then manager stood aside as did your dad both graciously not wanting to stand in Buddy’s way on his rise to stardom. You must be very proud to know the part your dad played in Buddy’s success and I hope you go on keeping both their music alive and making new music of your own for many years to come.
Come back to Scotland soon, maybe I’ll host a house party or get you to play our village hall in Milton of Campsie, 12 miles NE of Glasgow.
Best wishes
Alan
I wanted to add a comment about JP (The Big Bopper) Richardson Jnr. You mentioned that you found him sitting in a corner with his dad’s brief case.
I don’t know if you saw him give his performance on stage but towards the end he held up the brief case and said something like “now it’s going home where it belongs”. I don’t know whether it was in a museum in Clear Lake or perhaps the police or the coroner’s office had it. Anyway when he made that statement he broke down in tears, but quickly recovered to finish his segment of the show. He is one powerful singer, much better than I expected.
I got my picture with him in the foyer.
I wanted to add a comment about JP (The Big Bopper) Richardson Jnr. You mentioned that you found him sitting in a corner with his dad’s brief case.
I don’t know if you saw him give his performance on stage but towards the end he held up the brief case and said something like “now it’s going home where it belongs”. I don’t know whether it was in a museum in Clear Lake or perhaps the police or the coroner’s office had it. Anyway when he made that statement he broke down in tears, but quickly recovered to finish his segment of the show. He is one powerful singer, much better than I expected.
I got my picture with him in the foyer.
Alan,
Hey man…..i would LOVE to do a concert in your village hall. I could do one in August…Kevin
Alan,
Hey man…..i would LOVE to do a concert in your village hall. I could do one in August…Kevin
Alan,
I didn’t see his performance, but found him in the dressing room afterwards…….clutching his father’s briefcase.
I felt SO sorry for him. I felt that i needed to say something to him……so, i did. I told him i was sorry for his loss.
The poor man grew up without his biological father………it was an emotional night for him. He was sitting right next to the last door those guys would ever walk out of……..The Surf Ballroom dressing room door.
They walked out of that door straight into rock ‘n’ roll history and folklore……but to him……..his father walked out of that door, and he missed him.
My heart went out to him…..the Big Bopper’s son.
Kevin
Alan,
I didn’t see his performance, but found him in the dressing room afterwards…….clutching his father’s briefcase.
I felt SO sorry for him. I felt that i needed to say something to him……so, i did. I told him i was sorry for his loss.
The poor man grew up without his biological father………it was an emotional night for him. He was sitting right next to the last door those guys would ever walk out of……..The Surf Ballroom dressing room door.
They walked out of that door straight into rock ‘n’ roll history and folklore……but to him……..his father walked out of that door, and he missed him.
My heart went out to him…..the Big Bopper’s son.
Kevin
Kevin,
You are so right about JP Jnr.
I also wanted to say something about Carl Bunch.
I met him briefly at the sale in the school hall next to the symposium auditorium. I didn’t realise he was blind or nearly blind till I saw him being led round the hall in the Surf on the Monday night.
I really think it is so sad that a man like that who has his place in R&R history is reduced to selling pictures/autographs for $2 and signed drumsticks for whatever. If he’s poorly and in financial distress then hopefully you and your fellow performers could rally round perhaps with a benefit concert? Surely Sony Curtis et al would want to help him out?
I did ask him about being hospitalised on the tour and he told me it was in a place called Ironwood, Michigan. I couldn’t figure that out as I always understood that Green Bay, WI was the stop before Clear Lake. Then I found a website called classicwisconsin which gives a very detailed account of the tour and the dreadgful conditions the artists had to endure. They were actually on their way from Duluth, MN to a 1.30pm matinee at the Cinderella Ballroom, Appleton, MN when the bus broke down in the middle of the night. They were rescued by the Iron County Sheriff and Carl Bunch taken to Grand View, Hospital.
The concert was cancelled and “The group boarded the 11.30am Chicago Northwestern train out of Hurley and made it to Green bay with time to spare before the 8.00pm show at the Riverside Ballroom.”
Alan
Kevin,
You are so right about JP Jnr.
I also wanted to say something about Carl Bunch.
I met him briefly at the sale in the school hall next to the symposium auditorium. I didn’t realise he was blind or nearly blind till I saw him being led round the hall in the Surf on the Monday night.
I really think it is so sad that a man like that who has his place in R&R history is reduced to selling pictures/autographs for $2 and signed drumsticks for whatever. If he’s poorly and in financial distress then hopefully you and your fellow performers could rally round perhaps with a benefit concert? Surely Sony Curtis et al would want to help him out?
I did ask him about being hospitalised on the tour and he told me it was in a place called Ironwood, Michigan. I couldn’t figure that out as I always understood that Green Bay, WI was the stop before Clear Lake. Then I found a website called classicwisconsin which gives a very detailed account of the tour and the dreadgful conditions the artists had to endure. They were actually on their way from Duluth, MN to a 1.30pm matinee at the Cinderella Ballroom, Appleton, MN when the bus broke down in the middle of the night. They were rescued by the Iron County Sheriff and Carl Bunch taken to Grand View, Hospital.
The concert was cancelled and “The group boarded the 11.30am Chicago Northwestern train out of Hurley and made it to Green bay with time to spare before the 8.00pm show at the Riverside Ballroom.”
Alan
Kevin – good for you for taking the videos of the event which we attended with the greatest of pleasure. I am sure many fans wud like to have a copy….I agree with my friend Alan; the little time Carl has left shud be enough reason to help him get thru with all the creature comforts we take for granted…cud he not be included in a documentary or whatever against renumeration
Christopher Vock ( Morgins, Switzerland)
Kevin – good for you for taking the videos of the event which we attended with the greatest of pleasure. I am sure many fans wud like to have a copy….I agree with my friend Alan; the little time Carl has left shud be enough reason to help him get thru with all the creature comforts we take for granted…cud he not be included in a documentary or whatever against renumeration
Christopher Vock ( Morgins, Switzerland)
I rarely comment on blogs but yours I had to stop and say Great Blog!!
I rarely comment on blogs but yours I had to stop and say Great Blog!!
I’m trying to find a little more history on Donna Ludwig girlfriend of Ritchie Valens. I wanna hear what she has to say!
hi, when you were in mason city you ate a pro’s sandwich shop and i waited on you! and i found you like you advised! and how did your friends like “bowl of meat” haha Id just like to thank you for coming in and making my entire day at work! I couldnt stop talking about you and your friend! Your a lot of fun!
Ha! That is funny! We had a blast. We both were in tears about the “cup o’ meat”………hilarious. Thanks for being fun. Kevin
Go for it. Good luck. Kevin