Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day" - The Complete True Tale
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2024
- “That’ll Be the Day” was Buddy Holly’s first big hit and is one of the records that helped define the sound of rock and roll. But did you know that Buddy had to violate his contract with Decca Records and resort to subterfuge to get the record out so the world could hear it? This is the full story behind the song, first recorded in Nashville, then again in Clovis, and how the world finally got to hear it. There's also a discussion of the differences between the two versions, and the musical roots of this great song.
If you want to read more about Buddy Holly's incredible life and legacy, I've put together a bibliography of my sources here: www.westernbop...
And here is playlist of all the songs mentioned in the series : • The True Tale of "That...
A co-production of @westcoastramble and J.P. McDermott
Copyright 2023, J.P. McDermott and West Coast Ramble, All Rights Reserved
The copyrights for still images and recordings contained herein belong to their respective owners, and are used here solely for educational purposes. This channel is not monetized.
#buddyholly #thatllbetheday #historyofrockandroll #notfadeaway #raveon #fiftiesmusic #1950s
Wow what a great history story on Buddy!
Thanks for listening!
Good to see people keeping Buddy Hollys music and legacy alive. It saddens me that most people my age know absolutely nothing about him other than Weezers song. I’ve been listening to Buddy since I was 11 or 12 and he’s been one of my top three artists ever since and I listen to his music I swear at least once a day. There will never be another Buddy Holly, the closest we ever got was with The Beatles and it took four of them to create the music Holly did.
Glad that you’re listening to Buddy - that’s what keeps the music alive. And thanks for the comment!
my need to listen to ( my idol ) buddy is constant ! the gratification is instant
I may agree. So many people in the 60’s came from the fantastic music that was released from these men. I look at the ‘50’s and I go to just Buddy. He wrote, recorded and played his own music.
I grew up in the ‘80s, and there were so many artists then heavily influenced by Buddy. Donnie Iris, Marshall Crenshaw, and so many others. I’ll never forget Buddy.
It amazes me when younger generations listens to the classics not just Buddy holly but any classic music. KEEP THE MUSIC ALIVE.
I had this weird connection with Buddy when I was about 20ish. Suddenly, I got myself into a huge Oldies phase and delved deep into his music and life. I think it was that late teenager morbid fascination with young death and legacy that was still lingering in my head. Something about this young man who was snuffed out all those years before my own life just gripped me. To this day, visiting the crash site in Iowa is a huge bucket list.
Started a lifelong love of 50s rock n roll. Oldies. And a general appreciation for an era that is too often pushed aside, misunderstood, or generalized into a hokey caricature.
Finding this channel is like a goldmine. Thank you for all you do
Thanks for the lovely comment. My love for Buddy started as a teen as well. His music has been in my head most of my life!
I grew up right down the road from the Lynyrd Skynyrd crash site. I understand your fascination with Buddy’s untimely end. He should have been much bigger!
thank you so much for putting out this video.. I am a huge buddy holly fan.. got to know about him after I started reading about beatles (who I love dearly)..
buddy's legacy lives on
Nice to meet another huge Holly fan!
Another true tale:One of Buddy's last concert on that winter tour was in Minnesota.Guess who was in the audience and up close.His Bobness,Mr.Dylan.Bob was.mesmerized,to say the least,like we all would've been.Moreover,Buddy was in the midst of performing when he looked down into the audience and his eyes happened to connect with Bob's.Bob almost felt like a torch was passed to him,knowing what we obviously know about Buddy's passing not long after, and Bob's unbelievable career over the past bunch of decades and his status in Rock history.
I loved this story, but didn’t quite trust it. Just last year his high school sweetheart sold her letters from Bob at auction. Sure enough, he mentions the concert, so it was true. I was so happy when I heard this!
Bob had just seen Elvis live, too, and had been blown away. What a time to be alive!
😊😊
I still have B Hollys old LP record back in released in 63 , the white cover with Buddy with his iconic glasses. Great record, will have it always
That’s a great thing to have.
That was great. Very well researched (not always the case with UA-cam videos), and presented.
Many thanks.
Thanks - I’ve always done my homework (when I was interested in the subject!)
@@WesternBop Ha! Me, too :)
Buddy’s got so many great songs a lot of people don’t even know about.
There are dozens!
Very interesting story of one of the most important rock and roll contributors. I know a guy who went to the US, drove to Lubbock and got to play with a guy who had played with Buddy Holly. I will be green FOREVER about that.
Thanks. I’d be envious too!
That was excellent. Information i play a lot Of Buddy Hollys songs my favorites are Peggy Sue & Oh Boy!! People don't realize how good of a guitar player, Buddy Holly was.!!!! Rocky & The Hurricanes!!!
Thanks - Rave on!
Thanks JP. Buddy was one of a kind in so many ways. I’ve been to Lubbock, and to where he used to live in New York City as well. And the surf ballroom.
Thanks for the comments! I’ve been to Lubbock and Clovis. I’ve spent lots of time in NY, but haven’t gone by the Brevoort. Surf Ballroom is on my bucket list!
JP - here's my video of the three stars memorial at the Surf Ballroom ua-cam.com/video/TZ-YoIXXTps/v-deo.htmlsi=__uW4yncyU__YNpV @@WesternBop
A really good and informative video - loved the little demo playing that was included.
Thanks very much!
Wow! Very cool story. I’m so glad this video was recommended! Thanks!
I’m glad you liked it!
This is a FANTASTIC video and history. I subscribed way before the video finished. Rock on, Sir! And thank you for putting this together! I look forward to seeing more of your videos. (And THANK YOU for not being AI -- I am now starting to read comments and reviews before hitting the "play" button.)
First class well presented.
J.P. is doing a great job here. I knew Norman Petty before his death in 1983, he recorded me and published me. A very confident and knowing man. My mom, Marla Kay, was in a few pictures with Buddy when they were both children in Lubbock about 1940. Small world for destinies sometimes. I love Buddy Holley too. Thanks.
Thank you for the kind words - it’s very cool to hear from someone with a direct connection to Norman and Buddy!
You spelled it the correct way, Holley. Very few know that was his real name.
What a WONDERFUL review. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’ll be in Lubbock at TTU in November and it would be great to meet you if you’re there.
I’m not going to be in Texas anytime soon. Have a great visit there!
Wow! Thanks so much for this!
It’s a labor of love.
JP - you could make another video comparing the two versions of "Maybe Baby" from Nashville and Clovis, too! Those two versions are great but again, the 2nd one was lower and better sound quality.
The weird thing about that weird first version of “Maybe Baby” is that it was recorded in Clovis! The first version was recorded in March 1957. The great second version was recorded in September and shows how fast Buddy was learning and growing musically!
True, the first version was recorded in Clovis on March 12, 1957.
Oddly enough, the released hit version was recorded at Tinker Air Force Base, just east of Oklahoma City, in the early hours of September 29, 1957. While there, Buddy, JI, Joe & Niki also laid down "An Empty Cup", "Rock Me My Baby", and "You've Got Love".
The Picks would go on to overdub the backing vocals for "Maybe Baby" and seven other tracks back in Clovis about two weeks later, between October 12th and 14th.
"Maybe Baby" came out in November of that year on "The Chirping Cruckets" LP, and was also released as a single in February of 1958. The original March 1957 recording wasn't released until 1983's "For the First Time Anywhere" LP.
One hit song vincen what a singer i give him the edge 16 i was😊😊
A lot of great music when you were 16!
Really well done! Thank you for this and for everything you’ve done to keep the flame burning. I love your theory about the opening to “Blue Monday”. And your deconstruction of the Decca version is spot on. Thank you!!
Thank you, Colin. It means a lot to me to get a compliment from “The Professor of Rock & Roll”!
Excellent! I have / had the 78 version of TBD here in UK. I'll look for it. I think it was on the London label here. It caught us at the right time. That bright Fender sound (was it?). Buddy's was a softer more musical R&R. Rooted in Hillbilly I suppose. As an engineer & guitar player I give great credit to Norman Petty on all fronts. He was to them what George Martin was to The Beatles. He had the contacts & know-how and it shows. He had the equipment and the studio and knew how to use it. The acquisition of Tommy Allsup was masterful. Thanks for the great insights here.
I agree with you, especially the George Martin parallel. Without the right studio and the right producer and the time to be creative we’d have never heard anything much from Buddy or The Beatles!
Nice Stratocaster, almost a 3 tone Sienna sunburst, beautiful to behold, sound is tops too!
The story I heard was that Buddy told someone to get him a Fender guitar. He was expecting a Telecaster, because at the time that was the Fender guitar. But the guy came back with this new thing...
@@hunkydorian He was literally the first major artist to play a Stratocaster. If not for him, everyone might still be playing Teles now.
Thanks for this information, J.P.
My pleasure!
Very interesting back story to that song. I have the album from 1957 "The "Chirping" Crickets" with "That'll Be the Day" on it, on the Brunswick Label. I didn't know he first recorded it with Decca.
Thank you!
Thanks for the clear story on "That'll Be The Day". While the 1978 movie was great for it's time, it seemed like the producers did very little research into the real Buddy Holly Story.
I’ve heard that the producers had trouble getting Norman Petty’s rights, so they wound up writing around him and the script came out the way it did. It’s an entertaining film, but as you point out, not very accurate.
Buddy holley is an absolute legend in the uk ❤❤❤
And also among many of us here in the States!
He’s a legend to anyone who knows the real history of rock!
Another interesting fact not mentioned----since Cedarwood music published TBTD originally and since Norman Petty picked it up for his company NOR-VA-JAK music-- Cedarwood was promised one of Buddy's future compostions-- hence, Think It Over was given to Cedarwood.
And I think Webb Pierce, who told Buddy to sing high, was one of the co-owners of Cedarwood along with Jim Denny.
Yes - one of the many complicated legal stories around Buddy!
Excellent research!! James
Thank you!
Also the differences between the two versions of Maybe baby… make another interesting case study.
Yes, those are radically different from one another!
@@WesternBop it is a huge honor to hear from you… It would be great to meet you someday and talk about Lonesome Tears and “ dearest” and other other gems.
that must be one of the most well researched posts on yt
Thanks. I like doing my homework (at when the subject is so interesting).
@@WesternBop indeed🤠
Well Done My friend - I loved it and it is good to hear facts not suppositions.
Thank you! I did my best to keep it factual from well-documented sources.
Such a great song to hear. But I like the Clovis version best. Sounded a lot better. Thanks, to this group of men. 👏
The Clovis version is definitely the tops I. My book!
I life in Iowa and not long ago a neighbor guy had a poster from the last show and told me his parents took him there when he was 11 and it was tacked up in his garage and he was going to assted living and he gave it to me. True story and m 53
That’s a treasure for certain! I’d love to see a photo of it. You could email me at jpmcdermott@westernbop.com if you’d be willing. Thanks!
Great job!
Thank you very much!
Excellent!!
Thanks!
Loved this video! I’d assumed that Norman Petty had sort of ripped off Buddy by adding his name to the writing credits, but his being “instrumental” (sorry ‘bout that) in being able to put the record out was major in its on way.
Bobby Keys was given credit in his biography as having said that he played the baritone sax on the Intro to Elvis’ Return to Sender. Are you able to confirm this? Many thanks!
Glad you liked the video! Putting the producer’s name in the writing credits was not an unusual practice at the time. On the flip side, Elvis never wrote any of his hits, but was sometimes credited as a writer in order to get him to record the song. As to Bobby Keys, it is unlikely that he is on Return to Sender. Ernst Jorgensen (one of the the main authorities on Elvis’ recordings) the sax was played by Boots Randolph. This is much more likely, as Randolph was a known session guy with hits of his own. Keys at the time was an unknown 19 year old kid. I’m not an expert on this topic however!
Thank you for responding. Not to diminish Keys’ career, it makes more sense that Elvis attracted an established musician.
Great info. Thanks.
Glad you liked it!
Brilliant and well done history. Thank you, love to hear more.
Thank you very much! I have a long piece on the Apartment Tapes that I hope to get out this year…
Great to have to have all the chapters together in one hit!
Thanks - it was a labor of love to put them all together!
4:21 How could nobody know this was Buddy’s cousin? The resemblance is striking!
🤣. It really is!
Owen Bradley would probably have had a thirty piece string section and a full chorus.
But....let's not forget how Norman Petty stole Buddy Holly blind, same with the StringALongs and other artists.
Norman was a brilliant producer, but had some questionable business practices for certain.
Agree totally what you say about Owen Bradley the only RCA artist in Nashville to benefit from a string and horn section would most likely be Jim Reeves in songs like I fall to pieces, just walking in the rain, am I losing you, perhaps Elvis was a close second.
I'm Australian and one of my dad's five brothers, Graham moved to Texas and enrolled in a Bible college where he met his future wife in 1966, she was a Lubbock girl.
Quite educational!
Thanks very much for the comment!
What do you suppose a copy of that Decca recording of TBTD would be worth to a collector...?
Pricing is all over the place on things like this. From what I’ve seen maybe $30 in excellent condition with the paper sleeve.
That ,ll Be The Day was recorded by Decca and all the songs recorded by them were released on an album called That.ll Be The DAY BUDDY HOLLY to cash in on the CRICKETS HIT.
Yep.
Does anyone know where I can find this deaf phone call? I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
spotify
For some reason the Norman Petty estate owns the copyright to the tape and are very aggressive in taking it down. It pops up on UA-cam now and then.
Long live Buddy!
J.P. -- As always, you give us the full story on all things Buddy Holly. I would say the first "That'll Be The Day" is a lousy record. But that's said with the caveat that it is a Buddy Holly record and it is being measured against the other TBTD cut for Petty and the other big tune cut that day, "Ollie Vee." I think if the record belonged to another artist -- and there was no other version of TBTD to compare it to -- we collector types would probably prize it a bit more. (God knows I revere records by Herbie Duncan, which is hard to explain to normal people like my girl friend.) One of my favorite obscure rockabilly records is "It Ain't Me" by Ray Campi on Dot. Ray clearly was listening to Buddy when he wrote that one. And if you think about, "Feelin' Right Tonight" by Tex R, from our own home base, owes a lot to The Crickets' Brunswick version of "That"ll Be The Day." Now maybe you can tell us why the parent company (Decca/MCA) put Buddy's hits out under two different names on two different labels. (That said, I'm sure all this history means nothing to those younger people who grew up without 45s or 'over the air' radio. Actually, I feel for them. We lived during the tail end of what used to be called fun.)
“…tail end of what used to be called fun” - perfect summation. I agree with you that the Decca TBTD would be highly prized if it hadn’t been surpassed by the Clovis version. I’ll have to dig around a bit to explain Decca’s releases. I think the “with The Three Tunes” is the 45 and simply “Buddy Holly” for the LP, but would have to research more. Thanks for stopping by!
Hitting the like button on this was a no-brainer - Fantastic video! (Glad they didn't choose to name themselves The Beetles - what a stupid name for a rock group!).
😂🤣😂
Interesting - Decca Records also turned down the Beatles, who later covered several Buddy Holly songs. Paul McCartney OWNS the Buddy Holly catalog now. Take that, Decca Records!
Indeed!
Paul McCartney’s MPL Music owns Buddy’s songs. The major hits. The Norman Petty company Nor-Va-Jak Music owed over $1 million in taxes. And Maria Holly still blames Norman Petty on the death of her husband.
Yes, he bought Buddy’s catalog back in the 1970s.
I knew Music Row was nearsighted back then, but they told BUDDY HOLLY he wasn’t talented? Wow… I guess they didn’t understand yet.
He was ahead of his time, for certain. He definitely blossomed when he got to Clovis with Norman Petty’s help.
@@WesternBop I would have preferred Clovis, too. Nashville has always been a bit of a clique. They usually ignore you until you get big!
It’s sad that Norman Petty is the co-writer of the major hits. He rip off Holly that would lead to Holly’s death.
Norman Petty made himself a lot of money off the Grateful Dead with Not Fade Away. Just by putting his name down and ripping Buddy off.
It’s sad, but a common practice in the 1950s. Many, if not most, artists were taken advantage of this way.
My Norman Petty story involves another band from Clovis New Mexico called “ the string alongs”. They had a hit with a song called “ Wheels”, that he took credit for. The band was made up of teen agers who didn’t know anything about publishing. I knew a guy named Jimmy Torres who was in that band and wrote that song, and had to wait fifty years to get his money for it.
Typical managerial behavior in those days.
@@WesternBop I noticed the Brunswick release immediately after TBTD is another Clovis/Petty recording, Hypnotized by Terry Noland (55010) which has the writing credits solely as Noland. The Drifters released their version shortly after that (Atlantic 1141) but by then it's credited to Noland/Petty.
Ka-ching.
The KEY in this story is Norman Petty had CONNECTIONS. End of Story. That's how the "Biz" works.
I have been discovering how complicated the recording process can be. I thought making up a pretty good song was the important part.
Yep. A great song is a necessary, but not sufficient. You have to capture a great performance, and it needs to have a great sound. It’s tough!
If you ask me Decca records, deserved to go out of business. They rejected Buddy Holly and they rejected the Beatles.
Yeah, the definitely missed the bus both times. Did you know that the Beatles used “Crying Waiting Hoping” in their Decca audition?
UK Decca was different from US Decca at the time, the owner sold off the American branch just prior to dubya dubya deux.
It’s incredible how many great talents were dismissed by Decca in the 50s and 60s. in the UK they rejected the Beatles.
It’s no wonder they grabbed up the Stones as quickly as they did!
The Beatles were rejected by all the UK labels until Brian Epstein brought them to George Martin.
I didn’t know they rejected Buddy! I knew the Beatles story.
Women tribbing
Girls tribbing
When he died could do nothin no scnool cryed on school bus
It must have been quite a shock.
With no mention of the other backup vocalist June Clark. Jeeze a documentary on a specific song and cant even include all of the people........first,get all the facts together , THEN do a video. The INcomplete True Tale
According to Goldrosen and Beecher, June Clark was probably not there. Neither the Tolletts nor Larry Holly remember her being there. They did rehearse at June Clark’s house, but she apparently felt ill that evening and didn’t make the drive to Clovis. Niki Sullivan remembers it differently, but Beecher and Goldrosen suspect that he may be remembering the demo session for the Tolletts.
Decca turned down the Beatles 😂
True! I think that’s why they snapped up The Rolling Stones so quickly. And The Stones’ first release in the US? Buddy’s “Not Fade Away”!
In my opinion the Decca version of That;ll be the day is better!
It’s definitely a good tune - it’s Buddy Holly!
Your smoking crank if you think the decca version is the better one
Far from Complete True Tale. Straight off the 'Crickets' bat: 1) BUD'S 1st BIG Hit was summer not fall '57 as composer of "Words of Love" by The Diamonds. 2) Well within his range BUD was advised to sing high on his great Rockabilly TBTD like Gene Vincent's BIG Hit "Be Bop A Lula" BUD got Gene's autograph at the Nashville D.J. Convention during his 3rd & last Decca session in November not December '56; 3) No note of June Clark; 4) 7-piece BUD/Crickets/vocalists 12-Bar swing beat TBTD intro was standard early Blues not unique to Fats. 5) Contract-freak Cohen forced BUD to create The 'Chirpin' Crickets myth not fact first nailed on 'Live' TV Tu Oct 22 Rockin '57 by Portland Oregon KPTV High Time when acapella J.I. & Joe B. looked kinda uncomfortable and the only true 'Chirpin' Cricket Niki was somehow absent! ua-cam.com/video/_t4RmxEkfJQ/v-deo.html
Thanks for your comment.
Really good stuff,but the musical examples of your great insights…just sayin’😂
I’m not sure what you mean, but I appreciate the view and the comment!