The Crickets are an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer/songwriter Buddy Holly in the 1950’s. Their first hit record was “That’ll Be the Day”, released in 1957 and a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They helped set the template for subsequent rock bands such as the Beatles, with their guitar-bass-drums arrangements and tendency to write their own material. After Holly’s death in 1959, the band continued to tour and record with different vocalists, releasing new material into the 21st century. (More from Wikipedia)
Buddy Holly and the Crickets also helped win over black audiences to rockabilly and rock and roll when they were signed – literally sight unseen – for a series of shows from August 16 to 22, 1957 at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre. They were the first white act ever to play at the Apollo; though it took several appearances, the audience eventually warmed up to them.
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There were indications that Buddy Holly was beginning to eclipse even Elvis Presley in popularity, particularly in England but also in America. For one thing, Buddy Holly and the Crickets toured the United Kingdom for a month in 1958 (they were only the second white rock band to do so), which Elvis never did, at least in those days. Elvis Presley went into the Army in early 1958 – though his record company had plenty of future hits in the can, he was clearly no longer on the scene.
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One of the most memorable scenes in the 1978 film, The Buddy Holly Story depicts a performance by Buddy Holly and the Crickets at the Apollo Theatre in 1957. As the applause dies away when the audience realizes that the band is white, Buddy says into the mike, “Well, we didn’t expect you either”, before launching into their set.
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Both Paul McCartney and John Lennon have called Buddy Holly a primary influence on their work; Ian Whitcomb once said that “Buddy Holly and the Crickets had the most influence on the Beatles”. The Beatles did a lovely cover of "Words of Love" that was released in late 1964 on their album Beatles for Sale. During the recording sessions for the Let it Be album in January 1969, the Beatles recorded a slow version of “Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues” (a song popularized by Buddy Holly, though not written by him); the song was later released on Anthology 3. Also, John Lennon recorded a cover of “Peggy Sue” on his 1975 solo album Rock ’n’ Roll.
(June 2013/1)
