"Buddy made it easy to wear glasses. I was Buddy Holly." John Lennon

An excellent film biography of one of the founding fathers of Rock 'n' Roll, The Buddy Holly Story details highlights from the brief 22-month career of the enigmatic Charles Hardin Holly, better known as "Buddy."

Together with Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly created the sound that Cleveland DJ Alan Freed dubbed Rock 'n' Roll, an instantly recognizable sound that has weathered the past 40 years and shows no signs of fading any time soon.

The movie opens with Buddy (Gary Busey) performing with his combo at the roller rink in sleepy Lubbock, Texas in 1956. Supported by drums and standup bass fiddle, guitarist/singer Holly was carried live on the local country radio station. After playing a tired-sounding Les Paul/Mary Ford cover, Holly and friends kicked in to the exciting "Rockin' with Ollie V," followed by a rousing rendition of "That'll Be the Day." The crowd went wild at the exhilarating new sound but the sponsors demanded that Holly's show be dropped. The film depicts an amusing sermon against "jungle music" at church that Sunday.

Recognizing that this was something new, the DJ had taped the two rock tunes Buddy played at the roller rink and sent it off to the big city. Buddy and his group were summoned to Nashville. The hicks at the Grand Ole Opry tried to conform Buddy's sound to the prevailing country wail, but the boys were having none of it. They returned to Lubbock where they soon learned that New York wanted them to record.

In New York, Buddy demanded full production rights and got it. This meant that he would determine the mix of his records rather than trying to please the ear of some engineer who didn't understand the new sound. The Crickets, the group had been named by now, received $75,000 for "That'll Be the Day," which had been released prior to their being signed by the record company.

Buddy Holly and The Crickets were booked for a tour that started at the "Apollo," a black venue. You can imagine the reaction of both the audience and the Crickets when the curtains opened, however, the boys made good and were a success on the tour that included Sam Cooke and King Curtis.

In NY, Buddy met Maria Elena Santiago at the record company. After a whirlwind courtship, the two were married. There is an amusing scene where Holly asks Maria's aunt permission to court her in the old fashioned way.

Against his better judgment, Buddy agreed to perform on the Winter Party Tour of 1959. Tragically, he and two other up and coming Rock 'n' Roll musicians were killed when they left Mason City, Iowa on a chartered aircraft. According to Don McLean's smash hit American Pie, the February 3, 1959 plane crash that claimed the lives of singers Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J. P. Richardson was "the day the music died.'

Gary Busey gave an energetic performance as the title character, Buddy Holly. Busey was almost eerie in his characterization with an Oscar-caliber impersonation of the singer. Supporting cast included Don Stroud and Charles Martin Smith, who did excellently as "The Crickets." Maria Richwine portrayed Buddy's wife, Maria. The three musician characters played and sang live for the film, doing an impressive job on many of Buddy Holly's hits.

For the purposes of the film, a little literary license was taken with the characters and events to make it a more dramatic tale. For example, the Crickets had fictitious names because the real Crickets had signed a film deal with another studio. There was also conflict introduced for dramatic effect, i.e., Buddy's parents were not all that keen on him becoming a musician, whereas the real parents were all for it. Beyond these difficulties, the Buddy Holly Story is one of the best film biographies I have seen. I highly recommend it to all music fans and viewers who would like to get a better feel for the history of Rock 'n' Roll.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening