Sunday Reflection: "Good Music"

 

“I always believed that good music will find its way to the people.” -- one of the founding fathers of rock and roll Buddy Holly (9/7/1936 - 2/3/1959) who created music that influenced generations, and is still relevant today across musical genres. Holly's death in a plane crash, along with Richie Valens and The Big Bopper, is known as "the day the music died," from a lyric in Don McLean's 1971 mega hit "American Pie." Holly's songs are timeless classics, "good music" that the people loved: "That'll Be The Day," "Maybe Baby," "Peggy Sue," "Oh Boy," 'True Love Ways," "It's So Easy," and many more that inspired musicians from the Beatles to Eric Clapton to Bruce Springsteen and so many others.

Recognizing his huge impact on music, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Holly posthumously in its first class in 1986, the year that he was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

Weekend Music

 

February 3, 1959, a.k.a., "The Day the Music Died," will doubtless someday be forgotten as the sad (but not apocalyptic) date in rock music history that it was.  But, for now we'll continue to note it as the day Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash in a snowy field in Clear Lake, Iowa.  Holly and Valens are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Holly having been one of the "architects" of rock and roll and Valens a pioneer of Chicano/Latin rock.  The songlist for Holly is long, but we're going with a song of his that was released posthumously, "True Love Ways," and with Valens "Come On, Let's Go" (which happens to be his epitaph).

Weekend Music Twofer

 

It's well established that early rock 'n' roll pioneer Buddy Holly influenced generations of musicians worldwide during his life and after his untimely death in 1959.  Some honored him by doing covers of this songs, like the Rolling Stones and Beatles.  His influence was also borne out in music written by others.  Here's both a cover of one of Holly's songs performed live by the Beatles, "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" (1963), and an original song written by American Buddy Kaye and Scotland's Tommy Scott and performed by Eden Kane, "Boys Cry" (1964), which peaked at #8 on the UK charts that year.  We think you'll discern the commonalities.  Hope you enjoy 

Mid-Week Birthday Songs

 

Two rock icons have birthdays today: the late, great rockabilly star Buddy Holly (b. 1936 - d. 1959) and Chrissie Hynde, who turns 71. Holly was one of the fathers of rock 'n' roll with his style of rhythmic upbeat rock paving the way for so many rockers to follow, while Hynde made her mark as the leader of The Pretenders some 40 years ago, and as a solo artist . Here are two signature songs from them. Enjoy.

Weekend Birthday Song

Tomorrow would be rock pioneer and legend Buddy Holly's 77th birthday.  We've featured a number of his songs in the past, and will in the future, but this is one of our favorites.  It's the melancholy "True Love Ways," which was among the last of Holly's studio session songs, recorded in October 1958, less than 4 months before his death on January 23, 1959.  The single, however, wasn't released until 1960.  Enjoy the song and your weekend.

Weekend Holly Songs

Today would have been Buddy Holly's 76th birthday. Tragically, Holly died along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash in February 1959. The rock 'n' roll pioneer and Hall of Fame first ballot inductee has inspired musicians such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Byrds and many others, though he had a career that lasted less than two years. "Not Fade Away," "Peggy Sue," "It's So Easy," and "True Love Ways" are some of his better-known songs - an impressive legacy. Here are two favorites that have that beautiful Holly West Texas style:

Weekend Somethin' Else to Think Over

For your listening enjoyment, we go back to two rock and roll legends who, unfortunately, died young -- Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran -- for two of their less-often played songs. (BTW, the high-octane, pneumatic Cochran was a native of Albert Lea, Minnesota - props to our Minnesota roots!)