That'll Be That Was the Day...

Can you believe it's been 50 years since the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper? Man, I can't. Ever weirder is to know that, were the three still alive today, they would be 72, 67, and 78, respectively. I wish I could go to Lubbock today for one of their Buddy Holly life celebrations. Hey, this guy did a lot in 22 years, and he was my favorite musician for a long time. Then, somehow I kind of got out of the '50s and spent a brief time in the early to mid '60s, jumped into a quick infatuation with the '80s, and then settled comfortably into the late '60s-mid '70s.

Anyway, when I was in my Buddy Holly phase, I wasn't crazy about "Peggy Sue." I did like "That'll Be the Day," but most of my other favs were fairly obscure. I absolutely loved "Rock Around with Ollie Vee," though I have no idea what the lyrics are. And when I was in the 8th grade, I won $25 for singing his version of "Oh Boy" and playing my guitar at a school talent show. Yeah, I may have been a little obsessed with the Crickets when I tried to form my own rockabilly band in the 7th grade. One of my friends was supposed to be a drummer, and the other was to be a keyboardist. Unfortunately, neither of them knew how to play their instruments. Even more disheartening, neither of them had their instruments. It was all well and good that I was going to be the lead singer/rhythm guitarist. Heck, we didn't even have a lead guitar. It was a sorry excuse for a "band." Needless to say, that didn't last long.

For years, I actually celebrated Buddy Holly's birthday (September 7) by making him a poster and boring everyone I knew with random Buddy Holly facts (keep in mind, most of these people were kids my age who'd never even heard of the guy). And one year (not that long ago), I went to see a Buddy Holly impersonator at a theatre for my birthday. That was cool, but I wish I could've met the real Buddy Holly, though.