Biography: The Picks

Bill and John Pickering of “The Picks" were born in East Texas and toured with their parents as “The Pickering Family”. Upon moving to Lubbock, Texas, the family began playing concerts at school auditoriums and Texas conventions. By 1940, the family moved to Clovis, New Mexico and began doing daily radio shows on KICA during the “radio days”. The family soon met Norman Petty, with whom John and Bill became good friends. The family soon moved back and forth between Houston and Lubbock, playing music and meeting many musicians. “Pop” Pickering died suddenly in 1953 and mom, John and Bill were joined by radio celebrity Jerry “Jaybird” Drennan as bass for a short time. Soon after the death of “Pop”, “Mom” retired from professional singing and Bill and John moved on to perform on their own. They helped form “The Plainsmen” but Bill left the group soon after and Joh joined a radio and TV gospel quartet called “Happy Rhythm Boys”. Bill became a disc jockey for KLLL in Lubbock and was the first DJ to play Buddy Holly’s solo release, “Blue Days, Black Nights”.

In 1957, Bill re-acquainted with old friend Norman Petty at his new studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Seeing that Norman’s studio was to be known as the best state-of-the-art-studio in Texas, Bill soon called his brother John to do back-up vocals for Norman’s artists. Upon agreeing to this arrangement, John called his friend Bob Lapham and “The Picks” were formed.

On July 13, 1957, Norman decided to show the Picks a couple tracks from Buddy Holly, who had recorded at the studio ten days prior. While listening to “Oh Boy”, everyone agreed that additional vocals were needed. Norman quickly suggested that the boys record backup to “Oh Boy” with a “Crickets” sound. The Picks agreed and the second Crickets hit, “Oh Boy” was soon ready for release. The Picks soon added more overdubs to Buddy Holly solo songs like “Maybe Baby”, “It’s Too Late”, “Tell Me How”, “Rock Me My Baby”, “Send Me Some Loving”, “An Empty Cup”, “Last Night” and “You Got Love”. The Picks, however, were never credited for their work during Buddy’s Lifetime. It was only in 1997 that the Picks were credited on a Crickets album by MCA USA.

After Buddy’s tragic plane crash, The Picks quietly settled down outside the celebrity lifestyle and Bob Lapham became a successful newspaper editor, never to return to the music industry. John and Bill regrouped in 1969 as “The Pickering Brothers” and released turntable hits such as “Proud Mary”, “Words”, “Going Down to the River” and their own version of “Oh Boy”. Unfortunately, the Pickering Brothers career came to a stop on October 8, 1974 when Bill Pickering suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm. John, however, continued singing as a solo artist, releasing “The Picks 25th Anniversary” for fan clubs.

In 1984 Bill and John met with Maria Elena and told her about their desires to overdub more Buddy solos, and she agreed. Upon request, Buddy’s original masters were taken from the MCA storage vaults and given to John Pickering to write vocal arrangements and overdub the original sessions at Sound Masters recording studios in Houston, Texas. Bill Pickering died on January 25, 1985, soon after the overdubs were recorded. The album, entitled “Buddy Holly & The Picks ‘The Original Chirping Sound’” was released in 1986.

In 1987, John and Vicky Pickering helped plan and organize the first “Clovis Music Festival”. Today, John Pickering still performs at local churches, Rotary Clubs and social organizations in the Houston area.

Learn more about The Picks at http://www.pickrecords.com/