I read somewhere that at Buddy's funeral, they played a gospel song called I'll Be All Right, one of Buddy's favorite hymns at church. Has anyone else heard this song? I've found a song by the same name done by a group called Hot Tuna, it's a bluesy-number with a lot of acoustic guitar-could this be a remake of this gospel song? If not, what is this song that they played at his funeral?
Phil Everly was a pall-bearer at the funeral if I'm not mistaking. Well, what happened to Don Everly? Was it emotions or what that decided he wouldn't make an appearance?

I dont think I've ever heard that song, actually, I've heard very little of Buddys funeral proceedings. What I have heard though, is that yes, Phil Everly was a pall-bearer, and I dont believe Don Everly was ever asked to be one. And, when you analyze photos and anecdotes, thats only fitting. Phil Everly was always the one in photos with Buddy, laughing and having a good time. Hes the one that apparently made frequent stops by Buddy and Marias New York appartment. Even Don Everly states that Phil and Buddy were good friends,and,although he speaks kindly of Buddy, he never says the same about himself. So, who knows what happened there, mabey Buddy and Don just didnt hit it off, or mabey they wanted an even number of pall-bearers(I believe the Crickets acted as the others), either way, I dont think Don Everly was ever asked.

I think that while the Crickets were pallbearers, and so was Phil, it seems to me that there were one or two others (maybe his brothers?) Or I could just be imagining things. You're right about the picutres and how it's always Phil in there, and yes, Don does speak very kindly of Buddy, as does Phil, as seen in the real Buddy Holly story. Phil talks of dropping by Buddy's apartment in New York, he didn't say that Don was with him, as an example.

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In the History of rock and roll documenary series they briefly touch on the Don Everly absence and Don himself says that it was grief that prevented him from travelling to Lubbock
for buddys funeral and says that he couldnt face the reality that buddy was dead and in the end decided not to go.
Also Bob Montgomery and HI-pockets duncan were pall bearers as well as Niki Sullivan the rest i will have to look through my files to confirm but will do so also if you would like to hear the audio clip of don everly that I was talking about I could send one to anyone interested!

Yes, I remember Don Everly saying that he coulnt bring himself to go to Lubbock..he said he might have went and just sat in a room for a while. But in that same documentry he still says they became very good friends(they being Phil and Buddy), but again, never says that about himself. That movie actually really pisses me off because so little of Buddy is in it. What is there, a total of about 6 minutes spread between 2 short performances and about 2 minutes about the plane crash? They give at least a half an hour to Elvis alone, and nearly as much to Chuck Berry, but the biggest musical tragidy of the 50s(and of any era if you ask me) gets a short and sweet little playing of Words Of Love and and a brief look at the plane, with a stomach clenching view of Buddys body (which is the one piece of Holly footage that I never wanna see).Oh well I guess I should be thankful I got anything at all, afterall, most rock n roll documentries fail to mention Buddys influence at all...although I was holding out on the Peggy Sue footage from the first Ed Sullivan appearence...they really shouldnt advertise that is they werent going to include it...this is starting to turn into a rant, so I think Id better stop...

quote:

Originally posted by crazy_for_buddy:
sweet little playing of Words Of Love and and a brief look at the plane, with a stomach clenching view of Buddys body (which is the one piece of Holly footage that I never wanna see).

Is this a DVD, or was it on tv? I seem to remember seeing more graphic shots of the crash site, but haven't seen them anywhere online.

Julie

This was on a dvd documentry called The History Of Rock. It came with Cds called The Ledendary Years that I saw on tv and had my parents order. Its a paid program, which is why I said they shouldnt have shown that footage of Peggy Sue if they werent gong to include it. Its actually a good documentry with lots of great footage of other 50s artist, but I thought for the amount of time they spent talking about him on the advertisment, Buddy shouldve had more airplay....the CDs are very impressive though....I dont think any of the footage in that film is online, but your best bet to would be to try the Time Life website, as that was the company that put the whole thing together....good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by crazy_for_buddy:
with a stomach clenching view of Buddys body (which is the one piece of Holly footage that I never wanna see)...

They actually show that? How morbid can you get? I can't believe that they would show that.
I haven't even seen the documentary and I'm ticked off that they would show his mangled body and not mention his amazing friendship with Joe B. and Jerry, not mention his guitar skills, not mention how he stood up for his music. Instead, they show him in the worst way, in a way that no one ought to be remembered.

Well, you cant see his face(thank God for that) but its goes pretty close up, and you can really tell, for the first time, that the pile of yellow material is a body. You can make out the head and arms..and trust me its very vomit inducing. And no mention of J.I or Joe B., both with whom Im sure would have done interviews should they have been asked. One British guy says that Buddy Holly had "a fantastic guitar technique", but thats about as far as it goes. No mention of his standing up for his music, no mention of any of the innovations, noone raves on for Buddy like they did for Little Ritchard or Elvis or Chuck Berry. Insted Tom Petty says, "conveinently, Buddy went down" What the hell kind of thing is that to say!! Omg!! But like I said, they spend a toal of mabey 6 minutes on the man, of which is mostly performance and shots of his mangled remains. The whole thing SICKENS me! The History of Rock? More like the history of the worst parts of it!! They might aswell just have left Buddy out, because all the audience gained from this is what they already knew:wore glasses, died in a plane crash....bastards...dont waste your money on this one, trust me, it aint worth it.

What has Tom Petty got against Buddy Holly that he would say, "conveinently, Buddy went down." If I ever met that guy, oh boy. I don't care what type of music Tom Petty sings, because surely, without Buddy, there's no way he would have been on the airways. I don't care who a singer is, they were influenced in some way by Mr. Charles Hardin Holley, whether they want to be or not. "Someone once asked me where I thought music was going to take Buddy. I said, 'You're asking the wrong question. Where was Buddy gonna take music?'"-Waylon Jennings

Your damn right....RAVE ON BUDDY, AND KICK THEIR ASS UP IN ROCK N ROLL HEAVAN!!...you know whats really ironic though? Tom Petty was a member of the Traveling Wilburys, which also consisted of Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and occasionaly Bob Dylan...now if Im not mistaken, havent all of those musicans (with the exception of Roy Orbison I think, although he and Buddy were friends...) directly credited Buddy in influencung their musical development? I mean, you can hear the Holly sound on their records, it slaps you across the face. This fact yet furtheres my puzzelment as what promted Tom Petty to such a comment...of course, we could be taking this the wrong way, but it was something more in how he said it as opposed to what he said...either way though...what an idiot...

quote:

"Someone once asked me where I thought music was going to take Buddy. I said, 'You're asking the wrong question. Where was Buddy gonna take music?'"-Waylon Jennings

That is an AWESOME quote, and so very true. It boggles the mind to think of what he could have become if he had the chance.

Julie

Buddy actually did influence Roy Orbitson...in the way that he looked. Roy was plagued by bad eyesight and sensitivity to light, yet was self-consious of wearing glasses, especially dark coloured ones on stage. He saw this tall skinny guy called Buddy Holly wearing these massive frames on stage and started wearing his own sunglasses, which became his trademark.
It's funny, I started reading Roy Orbitson's biography...well, actually more like skimming it looking for mentions of Buddy! lol

Well, if you're reading "Dark Star: The Roy Orbison Story" by Ellis Amburn, you might as well throw it in the trash. Amburn is the consummate hack when it comes to rock & roll biographies. There's no other way to put it, Ellis Amburn is a liar and a sensationalist---he publishes rumors and half-truths and filthy gossip, never does any actual research, and he calls it a biography. Amburn has done other biographies, too, including Little Richard and Buddy Holly, and he buries what few facts he possesses with tons of pure horse crap. Ellis Amburn biographies: To Be Avoided

Nope, the one that I'm reading, or trying to read, is called Only The Lonely.

I hear so much negative stuff on Ellis Amburn's work , what did he make up or lie about ? a little spilled secrets and less than positive references to Buddy but what does he make up?

In Ellis Amburn's world, every celebrity had a drug problem, every celebrity was screwing every other celebrity, every celebrity was on the verge of suicide... Except that, for some strange reason, nobody can verify Amburn's data---It's as if Amburn is the fountainhead of this knowledge, and nobody else (including the families of the celebrities) has any idea how in the hell Amburn came up with this crap.

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This absolutely amazes me. Not only that, it's starting to tick me off. Buddy Holly, above all, was an amazing musician, he was eons ahead of his time, he was one hell of a rocker. Yet certain people here don't seem to care about that, instead choosing to focus on less flattering topics such as this.
Although the illegimate child thing still has yet to be disregarded, I cannot believe the other sort of crap that people will say about him. And that's all it is, is crap. I truly believe, that music was Buddy's first love. Maria Elena and the Crickets may have been tied for second, or even all three tied for first, but Buddy loved music, nothing could ever deter him from that.
So where do people get off saying stuff like this about him, because it's not true. Say hat you will about his temper, but Buddy Holly was probably, without a doubt, the cleanest rock star that ever lived. I respect him greatly for his music and what he did in such a little time, including the way he stood up for his music, and I would appreciate if people would stop being so disrespectful, especially when the character in question is dead. Maybe not you, but I have this thing about speaking ill of the dead. Call it a conscience, but especially when one in question never got all the recognition he deserved when he was alive, he still deserves it to this day.
Thanks.

Ok, buddy_blue, I think you misunderstood something here. Charles Austin and I are defending Buddy, and we agree with you. Im just as pissed if not more that this crap is getting said(did you read my post at all?)and I too said have some respect for the dead. You must realize from my other posts how greatly I respect Buddy, that you could even call him my hero, and the only reason I responded to this topic is because it infuriated me that someone out there is saying this kind of ****. Plus I've said countless times how clean and gentlemanly and respectful he was, and that becasue of that I wouldnt believe any rumor said about him. So mabey could you please read a little better before you say that we were disrespecting Buddy? Because honestly, I was completly in defence of him, after all, he is my idol and most favourite rocker.

I read the previous posts quite clearly, and I understand who is and who isn't defending Buddy.
What I don't understand is why other people don't respect him as much, and why they so freely diss him. I'm glad to see that there are others that will jump to his defense.
However, personally, I don't even see a need for this to be discussed. Buddy Holly would have never done anything like that, and what ticks me off is that people would even dare to discuss it, because there's no way that it could ever be true. What matters most about the man is his music, and how much not only the music world, but also how much his family lost personally. Buddy Holley was not just another rock and roll star. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a friend. And they, we, lost all of that. Why do people dare diss a man like that?

Ok, I would appreciate to know if these comments are toward me, or Charles Austin or both. Because I dont think I deserve to be ridiculed for doing nothing but defending the man. I love Buddy Holly probably more than I love anyone, and I have nothing nuthin respect for the man. I absolutly positivly disregard this rumor as bull****, but if we dont defend him who will? Thank you.

What makes me mad is that nikliss bothers to brings up crap like this when there's no way that it can be true. The comments were never directed at you or Charles Austin for defending Buddy, and maybe you ought to read the posts a bit more clearly to understand that, because the only people I'm ticked off at are those that want to dirty Buddy's name. Buddy deserves all those that he can get in his defense, and I hate to see people who can't see him for all that he was: one great musician, one great man, who would never do the things that some suggest that he would.

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I was just thinking and this somewhat morbid thought popped into my head. Does anyone know what clothes Buddy was buried in, or if any objects were placed in his casket? I would think that they would bury him in what he was most comfortable in:jeans and a t-shirt, but mind you when you look at funerals the deceased are always wearing a tux and tie, so its possible they dressed him up in that attire. Of course though, they could have dressed him up like a Texan, with the cowboy hat and the whole nine yards of it.And did anyone place anything(or more like have a mourge worker place something) in his casket? Something Buddy was fond of in life perhaps? I personally think Buddy should have gotten to take his Strat with him, it would be the logical thing to put in thereand he needs it to rock out in heaven. Anyways, just curious...

At least they should have put a pick in there with him, because I doubt that the Strat would fit in there with him.....mind you, thinking of Buddy's size, you could probably fit two Strats in there with him.
I would hope that they would have put him in a T-shirt and jeans, his favorite clothes in life, but I don't know where they would have got them, as Buddy's body was sent to a funeral home in Iowa. I don't remember where I posted this, but here seems an appropriate place to repost it. Larry, Buddy's older brother, came to Iowa to positively identify his brother's body, along with take the casket home with him. (Perhaps that's when they got some of Buddy's clothes?) Larry had brought someone with him to Iowa, and it was the friend who offered at the funeral home to go in and identify the body. When he came out, he threw up in some bushes and said to Larry, "I'm glad you didn't go in there." It's just not right, for an older brother to be burying his younger brother. Younger by a lot of years.

Yes I remember being quite dustubed by your earlier post of that quote. Wouldnt you think though, that they would have cleaned him up a bit before they had anyone identify the body? I mean, even after extensive restoration to his body and particularly his skull and chest, he would not have been a pretty sight, and apparently even if its going to be a closed casket they do that anyway. And I agree that Buddy should have at least got a pick to go down with him...apparently theres a tradition where if you stop by Lubbock, you go see Buddy Holly and stick the last pick you used into the dirt beside his grave. Apparently theres thousands of them. I know when I go to Lubbock (in May!!!) Im gonna follow in the tradition....I wish I could leave my Strat for him, but then I would be able to play in his honour, and turn my generation on to his sound (although I'll say I aint no Buddy Holly!!!)

Hey! I didnt bring up the Little Richard thing
all I asked was what did amburn write that everyone hates him so much for I didnt ever bring up the topic

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[QUOTE]Originally posted by buddy_blue:
What has Tom Petty got against Buddy Holly that he would say, "conveinently, Buddy went down.".


I think at that time Petty was talking about the change in the music. The black influenced early rock was being replaced by pat boones and teen idols and parents didnt have to worry about thier kids being so influenced by it.
The whole reason for the anti-rock sentiment was racisim with so much integration between the white and black cultures
occurring in such a small amount of time the powers that be said enough is enough and they changed the landscape of popular music by removing the biggest obstacles.
Elvis in the army ,chuck in jail,Little Richard retired,jerry lee's scandal,eddie cochran dies,sam cooke dies, so many tragedies it looks suspicious, Petty believes this conspiracy and meant that it was "convienient" for the teen idol pushing anti-rock jerks that buddy died ,because it would save them the trouble of doing something themselves.

Speaking of Buddys funeral and the people who attended it, did Maria Elena ever make an appearence? Ive read several varying accounts, some saying she flew to Lubbock, but didnt attend the actual funeral, some saying she went to Lubbock and did attend, some saying she stayed put in New York. I would imagine she was still be pretty greif striken 4 days later, and and attending the funeral would have very difficult, but she was his wife.....Anyways just curious, as I cant seem to get a straight answer anywhere......

According to some website that I can't remember, (a webiste showing different newspaper articles in referrence to Buddy) she did fly to Lubbock, but was too ill to attend the funeral.

I believe that she was in Lubbock at the time of the funeral, but was too, understandably, emotionally wraught to attend the funeral or graveside service. The information that I have on this came from one of his biographies, and at the time that the book was published, Maria Elena still could not bear to see her husband's grave and it may still be that she hasn't seen his grave.

She hasnt seen Buddys grave!?!? Wow, you would think that eventually she would want to, seeing as Buddy, well whats left of his physical form anyway, is down there. I understand that it would be difficult, because seeing a headstone or casket kind of finalizes the fact that hes not coming back, but for me, I think I would need the closure of seeing his grave.....even seeing his lifeless body. She lives in Texas now to my understanding, you think she would go visit her husband, take the view of "this is just like sitting talking with him normally"....Im kind of regretting begging my parents to take me to Lubbock this summer instead of Disneyland because, while I really want to go see him, and stand in front of the statue and go to the Buddy Holly Center and everything....I know Im gonna cry when we get to the graveyard....I cant watch the Real Buddy Holly Story without crying, let alone going and expirencing the whole thing for myself.
Ive also read that Maria Elena hasnt listened to True Love Ways since Buddys death either, equally understandable, but, while emotionally draining, I think it would be like Buddy sitting there telling her he loves her all over again......damn I have always said I envy Maria Elena for being able to be so close and intimate with Buddy, but when I think of how his death must have effected her, and probably still does.......I think I'll keep my position as the adorning fan thank you...

quote:

Originally posted by buddy_blue:
I believe that she was in Lubbock at the time of the funeral, but was too, understandably, emotionally wraught to attend the funeral or graveside service.

As I understand it, from some of the more heated discussions on the topic over the years, Maria Elena did go to Lubbock but didn't attend Buddy's funeral. Was she too distraught? Was she emotionally destroyed? Was she too ill to attend?

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i must point out that buddy's original strat has never been found. it was stolen sometime in late 1958. there are pictures during this period showing buddy with a hollow body electric Gretsch guitar that he borrowed from one of the everly's.

True, it has never been found, but I must point out a little bit of truth in the story of the original Strat. Buddy purchased that Strat on April 23, 1955, so contrary to common belief it was a 1955 model, as opposed to a 1956. The date at which it was stolen was April 15th, 1958. The boys, while on Alan Freeds "Big Beat Tour" went into a "hamburger joint" as J.I recalls it to grab some food, and within minutes the vehical harboring the Strat and all other equipment, was completly cleaned out save for the stand-up bass and bass drum. Buddy immideatly ordered a new 1958 model (the one which now resides at the Buddy Holly Center) from Manny's in New York, and it was shipped to him via air. There is some evidence that Buddy had his o Strat stolen twice, the other occurence being Aprith 9th in Windsor Ontario. So, it is possible that Buddy Holly owned 3 Fender Stratocasters, although this evidence is not tremendously solid. p.s this is all straight from Bill Griggs' mouth, thats how I was able to get the exact dates...that man is amazing.

One thing I can say about Buddy is this:

It was more than just the music that brought people to him and its very evident even years after he is gone. I didn't really read or hear too much about the funeral (but I have spoken to a few pilots here about it) but I can understand why she would not have gone. It was the very thing within him that the LORD has taken back to His Kingdom---His soul...thats who he really was and thats what (Praise the name of the LORD) is still "alive" but in a higher manner than what we can speak or even know of. He displayed it in everything he did and in himself and I think thats what really made it the most difficult because even though his body was there...he was not and it wasn't so much that he died but that he tragically lost his life for whatever reason...So though this was very sad we all know that he still is "out there" and at least he'll never feel pain or sadness or any negativity ever again and we'll always be able to remember him (even if you, like myself, were born well after he died...24 years, 9 months, and 11 days is what I missed him by!)

quote:

Originally posted by unguarded_heart:
One thing I can say about Buddy is this:

It was more than just the music that brought people to him and its very evident even years after he is gone.

Very perceptive. It's true, especially in Buddy's example (not to take anything away from Ritchie and The Big Bopper), that something about him which was greater than merely the sum of his music, draws people to him. I was four years-old when the plane went down, and didn't discover Buddy until years later. Just the same, he seems like a family member. Can you imagine having a personality that was so magnetic and genuine that people who discover you decades after you've gone wish they could have been your friend? I believe Buddy's Christian faith and strong family ties played an integral part in defining him as a man.

Balcony Buddy

Again, well said, and thats something I can tell about him too---the he was a Christian and thats something I respect very highly because I am one too. I don't think he would have wanted anyone to worship him as a god or worship him at all and I'm sure he'd be glad for the fans he has but I cannot speak for him...thats just the way I understand him to be. One other thing I loved was his sense of humor---its kind of funny how much Keith Green reminds me of him (and even sang "Peggy Sue" in the sixties as a child star). Keith had that sense of humor and personality that were just so infectious---I see Amy Grant that way too but there is always going to be something about Buddy that draws people and I wonder if his voice was trained because it was awesome!

Hehe, no offense, but I feel like such a child not knowing of some of the things you're talking about (my parents were very young when this happened as well, my dad was almost 5 and my mom was 2 hehe)