BUDDY HOLLY TINKER SESSIONS VERIFIED
I had heard this in the late sixties, but had never heard anything about since…….until now.
This is from the News.OK website:
A rock-and-roll mystery has finally been solved.
For years, record album liners noted Buddy Holly and The Crickets recorded four songs at the Officers Club at Tinker Air Force Base — including the hit single, “Maybe Baby” — during the wee hours of Sept. 29, 1957. However, no one at Tinker was able to verify this happened.
“We get several calls during the year about this,” said Tinker spokesman Ron Mullan. “Our historian has searched records and copies of our newsletter. But there is no proof this ever happened.”
Until now.
“I do remember recording those songs there,” said Jerry Allison, the Crickets’ original drummer, who lives in Nashville.
Crickets producer Norman Petty was booked Sept. 28 at the club with the Norman Petty Trio, Allison said.
“I think Norman had the same machine he had at the studio with him, a monaural Ampex machine,” he said. “He listened through headphones to get the mix.”
The Crickets were scheduled to perform at the Oklahoma City Municipal Auditorium on Sept. 29 as one of the acts with the Show of Stars ’57.
“They thought we were a black act when they first booked it. So it was perfect we were big fans of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, the Drifters and Clyde McPhatter,” Allison said.
Buddy’s mom and dad were in the audience that night, the only time they ever saw Buddy perform outside his hometown of Lubbock, Texas.
Researcher verifies account
Oklahoma Buddy Holly researcher Graham Pugh said he saw a copy of airline tickets documenting the Crickets’ arrival at Will Rogers Field on Sept. 28, 1957.
“Jerry Allison and Nikki Sullivan have both verified to me that Norman met them at the airport and drove them to Tinker,” Pugh said. The group spent the night in guest quarters.
“They attended the closing night at the Oklahoma State Fair,” Pugh said. “Then they were taken back to the Officers Club for a late night recording session.”
Album liner notes show the Crickets recorded “Maybe Baby,” “You’ve Got Love,” “An Empty Cup” and “Rock Me My Baby” during an all-night session.
The next day, Holly and the Crickets were invited to Sunday dinner at the home of an Oklahoma City couple who lived near the Capitol, Pugh said.
After the recording session at Tinker, Petty took the tapes back to his studio in Clovis, N.M., to add background vocals.
“We never thought of ourselves as a vocal group. Still don’t. We’re a band,” Allison said. “Norman overdubbed the picks on the whole first ‘Chirping Crickets’ album. I wasn’t thrilled with it myself, and Buddy wasn’t crazy about it.”
In 1992, another Oklahoma Holly researcher, Kevin Terry, presented a plaque with an original 45 rpm record of “Maybe Baby” that was placed in the Officers Club at Tinker. But Pugh said a new club manager later ordered the plaque be removed. He said a worker at the club rescued the plaque from the trash and gave it to him for safe keeping.
“If they would like to have it back I would be happy to present it to them,” Pugh said.
Almost 17 months later, on Feb. 3, 1959 — the date known as “The Day the Music Died” — Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens were killed in a plane crash following a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa.
The Crickets are being inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
October 28th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Sorry Guys I have been comp Delete for a while, I am currently signing on at the truck stop inAmarillo, TX. But I Digress, I have seen all of the proof of this that Graham Pugh Has And had verified this many years ago thru his files and archives As well as being a researcher he is the guitar player for the band I was working with for the last 10 years. Yu should see his stuff on Eddie Cochran and the OKC connection. Graham has shown me old film on buddy in OKC at the O club. Gotta run See ya Later
October 29th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Wonder why they didn’t mention the film. That would definitely be proof this happened. How old is Graham & what got him interested in doing the research. Good stuff.
October 30th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Sometimes, I feel like I’m living in a different world from you dudes…
October 30th, 2008 at 11:11 am
HS,Yeah, sometimes we old farts forget there are younger people on this blog that may not get what we’re talking about. The older you get the more you reminisce and or, forget what what you’re doing (even from one minute to the next). Ain’t retirement grand?
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
From TX To PA. Sunn. Graham will be 63 this New Years Eve. He was in England to Air Force Parents And is retired AF Himself. He Is one of the best guitar players I have ever worked with and has one of the best research files on Buddy and Eddie I have ever seen. He has introduced my to many of the people who were around then that are still alive. He was a member of a band back in the ’70s called The Foxxe. I could arrange a meeting if you are interested. I have wanted to get him and MRambler together for a while to jam and visit, and after the 1st of the year he will not be involved in a band anymore(long story,unrelated) I do not remember the address of his website but can get to it thru the bands website and click on his Bio/Page I will look it up and be right back.
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
I think it’s http://www.Stingraysonline.com Or just search Mike Black and the Stingrays
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 pm
What a coincidence. I played with The Foxxe for a brief period of time in 1971 in between other bands I played with. I was going through some personal problems & things didn’t quite work out & I formed another group. Graham sounds real familiar. Of course the drawing card was the female vocalist, who I thought was very good. I played in another band on the same bill with them in 1995 at a reunion concert at the Fairground Arena with a few notable bands from the 1960’s & 70’s. Small world.
November 10th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
The Female vocalist was probably Graham’s wife Ira. Who is the Absolute Best Female vocalist I have ever had the pleasure working with. Graham and Ira joined the Stingrays in I believe 89-90ish And Ira performed until she was diagnosed with Lupus in 2001. You may also recognise another of his achievements from KOMA a few years ago
“The Ballad of Barry Switzer” Barry Don’t take your guns to town. Which Graham penned and Mike Black sang.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
THIS JUST IN! As seen on KFOR 6:00 PM news this evening. In a special ceremony Graham Pugh has returned the Buddy Holly Memorbelia Collection To the Tinker AFB Officers Club. The Placque, A Signed Picture, And another Gold record with a Hand written note from Norman Petty. History has been returned back where it happened.
December 6th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
J.J. Yes it was Ira (Red Hair). Graham is the one who recruited me to join the band.
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Today, Feb. 3, is the 50th anniversary of “The Day The Music Died”.
This is a site with some great interviews and features on the anniversary:
http://data.desmoinesregister.com/holly/index.php
February 27th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I remember “The Foxxe” – especially a singer named Steve Bruno.
March 7th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
JuJu, that must have been a later incarnation of the “Foxxe”, or a completely different band. What year was that? I played with them briefly in 1971.
March 14th, 2009 at 12:03 am
Summer of ’70…
March 14th, 2009 at 12:16 am
What instrument did he play? I thought Ira had been the lead singer for quite some time, before I joined them. Graham & Ira are the only 2 I really remember.
March 14th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Sunn: Graham Plays Guitar, Ira plays Keyboard and Sings. I don’t know too much about “The Foxxe” Just bits and pieces from Graham over the years While working with him and Ira in the Stingrays.