ARTISTS INFLUENCED BY BUDDY HOLLY
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is best known as the frontman for 80’s staple The Cars. The Cars were pioneers of the New Wave Sound, an influence which can be seen today in the Electro revival. While with The Cars, Ocasek wrote their monster hits Shake It Up, Drive, and My Best Friend’s Girl. Since the demise of The Cars in 1988, Ocasek has been very busy with his own solo projects, beginning with Fireball Zone in 1990, through to 2005’s Nexterday.
Ocasek has also made a name for himself as a producer for a variety of artists – from Bad Religion to Bad Brains, Nada Surf to No Doubt, Le Tigre to Hole, Guided By Voices, Jonathan Richman, and The Killers. And of course, he produced Weezer’s debut album, Weezer, which features their breakthrough hit, Buddy Holly!
Ocasek’s singing style has been called "hiccupy", leading to some comparisons to Buddy’s own distinct vocalizations. Ocasek paid homage to Buddy Holly on The Cars’ album Shake It Up with the songs Think It Over and Maybe Baby.
*Thanks to dam9191 for the initial research!
Quotes
"What about songs you didn't write, all time favorite? That's a hard one. It could be "That'll Be the Day" from Buddy Holly"
"He received encouragement from his grandmother, who, when he was ten years old, got him an appearance to sing on a local variety show, noticed he was a fan of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and bought him his first guitar."
"As far as general music goes, I don't think it's any better than the '50s, because any old Buddy Holly song is as good as any song today."
"I still listen to all the stuff that got me into music in the first place, Buddy Holly, who was probably one of the most important people to me growing up. When I wrote songs, all the way up until college, they were Buddy Holly songs, and I thought they were great."
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