Do you believe in rock-and-roll?

[eldritchhobbit]

The Day The Music Died
Uploaded by skipgoforth

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Day the Music Died.

I was raised with a deep appreciation for the late, great Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and their lasting places in music history. Above all, I was raised with a strong and abiding love for Buddy Holly. He is my father's favorite musician, and by the time I was in kindergarten, I could sing his entire discography from memory. I'm pretty sure I still can. Okay, I know I still can. His influence on popular culture cannot be overstated. His key role as a great pioneer of rock-and-roll is both lasting and profound.

This Saturday, my husband and I are going to see "Rave On: A Buddy Holly Tribute." It's an appropriate week to celebrate his life and legacy, and I'm looking forward to it.


Here's footage of Buddy Holly playing "Peggy Sue" in 1958:

Watch on YouTube

And here's one of the best rock songs ever written -- a song covered by everyone from The Rolling Stones to The Grateful Dead to The Band, a song Rolling Stone ranked as one of the greatest of all time -- Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away." I offer this complete with visual proof that Buddy Holly continues to move music fans (even at Pepper Jack Cafe in gorgeous Hamilton, Ontario):

Watch on YouTube

"I'm not trying to stump anybody... it's the beauty of the language that I'm interested in."
- Buddy Holly

Comments

can music save your mortal soul?

[greenhoodloxley.livejournal.com]

Aww. See, this is what I'm trying to explain to my younger/uninformed co-workers....the real music is always there. (The sad thing, it mostly depends on how you're raised. I was raised with the best, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, segued into Zeppelin, etc.) To this day I get really annoyed if people don't understand the importance of Bob Dylan/the Beatles...but I get a little sad at the thought of trying to explain Buddy Holly, since they probably have never even heard of him. *heavy sigh*

My dad just showed me a tribute about Buddy Holly, written by Don McLean.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/01/mclean.buddy.holly/index.html

Re: can music save your mortal soul?

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the link to Don McLean's tribute!

You said it beautifully: the real music is always there. I agree with you, too, about how important it is to understand (and for the next generation to know) the roots of the entire genre. Without Buddy Holly, without Bob Dylan... well, for that matter, without Bo Diddley and Woody Guthrie... These artists were and are in conversation with each other through their music, one generation building on and responding to the sounds that came before.

We are fortunate that we were raised so well, by parents with such great taste, aren't we? :)

[homespunheart.livejournal.com]

Rest in peace...Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the "Big Bopper"...I remember "the day the music died!"

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

*moment of silence*

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

I remember listening to Buddy Holly on my friend's record player in her basement rec room. It was a sad day, and one can't help but wonder how much greater his influence might have been.

Have a great time at the show!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

It was a sad day, and one can't help but wonder how much greater his influence might have been.

That's so true. He made such an impact as it was, and he was only 22 when he died. That's hard to imagine.

Have a great time at the show!

Thank you so much! I definitely plan to do so.

[mamomo.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I hope there are some Buddy Holly tribues in my city this week. I never, ever, ever get tired of his amazing music.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hope so. It would be great if you could take part in one of the celebratory events around this anniversary.

I never, ever, ever get tired of his amazing music.

Me too!

[saffronhouse.livejournal.com]

Thanks especially for the Not Fade Away link! So smile-making on a sad anniversary.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

You're most welcome! The "Not Fade Away" video put a huge smile on my face on a sad day, too. I'm glad you enjoyed it.