Was Buddy's jamming session with Eddie Cochran ever recorded, and if so, was it released?

Hi Paul

neither recorded, nor released, as far as i know. you may want to check with Bill Griggs, however.

Buddy and Eddie Cochran were possibly the two most naturally gifted all round musicians of 50's Rock n Roll, as singers, songwriters, instrumentalists and pioneers. ( I regard him as being only slightly below Buddy). Yet Eddie has not received the public popularity of Buddy Holly. Why do you feel this is?

Paul

that's an excellent question. there are conceivably a number of reasons for the difference in popularity between these two greats. disregarding for a moment the fact that in Europe, both artists have always been more thoroughly appreciated than here in the states, it's commonly known that Holly was all but forgotten (sadly) when Don Mcclean released his classic album, American Pie, which was dedicated to Buddy Holly. and the title song, which references Holly or his music in many places, including the chorus, was a huge hit and helped to renew interest in Buddy's life and music.

John Goldrosen's biography of Buddy also helped to awaken people as to Holly's greatness. and then you had the movie, which again, helped to remind people of Holly's music and influence. Paul McCartney did quite a bit to help also, by purchasing the publishing rights to his catalog, and helping with 'the real Buddy Holly story' documentary.

Eddie Cochran, unfortunately, didn't benefit from anywhere near this type of publicity.

other reasons, i believe, have to do with the pioneering recording techniques that Holly employed, such as overdubbing, use of strings, etc... these were groundbreaking, and historically, are notable by any standards. not to say Cochran didn't break ground - everyone in the 50's did to some degree - but Holly's work tended to be on the cutting edge and was quite visionary.

another reason may have to do with the sheer variety of Holly's recordings. i'm less familiar with Cochran's work, but Buddy certainly covered a lot of musical bases, so to speak, with songs that ran the gamut from rockabilly to pop to country-flavored to you name it. and this had universal appeal and still does today. also, Holly typically sang about love, a universal theme that endears people to the songs no matter their age, gender, race, or socio-economic background.
Cochran was prone to singing more about teen related subjects, which tend to be slightly less enduring themes. other than "summertime blues", Holly's songs have been covered quite a bit more prominently and frequently than Cochran's, for whatever reason.

another less obvious reason could just be the voices of the two men. perhaps Buddy's voice has just become more well-loved than Cochran's, for whatever reason.

one last thing - Holly died in America, and his death will be forever remembered, along with the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, as the first rock n' roll casualty. Cochran, sadly, was killed in England, and his death did not recieve the same type of notoriety back home, probably due to the establishment view of the time that rock n' roll was a fad and on its way out.

one thing is for sure, both men are far more appreciated in England than they are here. i'm not aware of a movie having been made of Cochran's life, but i think that would go a long way toward helping to enhance or rejuvenate his popularity.

Thanks Jerry,

An excellent assessment.

To my mind, Cochran's guitar playing was the equal of Buddy's, and as a technical pioneer he was again Buddy's equal. Admittedly Buddy's recordings were more diverse in their styles, his ballads were superior to Cochran's (although songs like 'I remember' show Cochran as a top class singer of ballads) and Buddy's influence is greater, but purely as a Rock n Roll singer, I rate Cochran above Buddy (Can any Buddy Holly rock n roll song match Somethin' Else or C'mon Everybody?). Of course, overall as an artist, I would place Buddy above him.

After reading these posts mentioning Eddie Cochran, I had to pull out my Cochran albums and listen for the first time in quite a while. "C'mon Everybody," "Somethin' Else" and "Summertime Blues" are classic rockers, no doubt. "Cut Across Shorty" isn't bad, either!Such a shame so much talent was with us only a short time: Buddy, Eddie, JPR, Ritchie, Elvis, Hank Williams, Sr. . . . Thanks to all the members of this community who help us remember the greats and who share their knowledge of the careers and accomplishments of our favorites.

Jerry,

I would be interested to know how you rate Buddy, relative to other greats, such as Elvis, Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochran, and The Everly Brothers. (To my mind, he stands second only to Elvis).

oh well to tell you the truth there is a tie between Buddy and the Everly brothers because I love 'Little Susie'

Paul

i rate Buddy above Elvis, for reasons i've explained on other threads.... though i understand that not everyone agrees with me on that. i'll summarize some of my reasoning for you on this thread if you want, but since you asked, that's my view. thanks for your kind remarks and thoughtful posts.

If I were ranking the greatest rock n roll artists of the late 50's, early 60's, I would opt for Elvis, Buddy, Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochran, The Everly Brothers, Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, Del Shannon, Gene Pitney in that order. What do you think of that list?

Just don't put Elvis first....he's first enough everywhere else...and Buddy needs his due.

Paul

i agree with Buddy Blue on this...if i were you, i'd go read some of the other posts on this site about Elvis, namely the "Elvis vs. Buddy" thread. but there's much discussion of the matter on other threads, such as "American Pie - lyrics" and elsewhere. personally, i consider Elvis to be over-rated.

i notice your list leaves out people of color - i'm sure that's an oversight on your part. after all, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke and others can hardly be overlooked in a list of great rockers...

Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard are certainly amongst the greatest, most talented and most influential figures in rock n roll history. Their great influence on The Beatles and The Rolling Stones helps attest to that.

Buddy, Elvis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, perhaps Billy Fury.

Don't care much for Fats. Everlys are all right. Cliff Richard should have been slaughtered at birth. IMHO.

Great Post Jerry,
I am willing to bet that in 1958 that Cochran and Holly were close to the same level of popularity but, time wuold tell of the numerous innovations and immeasureable influence Buddy was to have.Eddie on the otherhand ..not so much