Overlooked Albums #14: Buddy Holly and The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets

It’s remarkable that the bulk of The Crickets' studio recordings was produced in a rough span of three years. What came before and after were demos and home recordings that saw the light of day with the public’s demand for more material. The “Chirping” Crickets was the group’s first record, a great collection of tracks that ranks high as one of the best debuts of all time. Even today, it gives the impression that the group’s talents had sprung on the scene fully formed from day one. It isn’t so.

The group started in Lubbock, Texas as a strictly country and western outfit, complete with fiddle player. What one gets from the early demos is the absolute impact Elvis Presley’s music had on Buddy and the guys. The fiddle was soon ditched, Jerry Allison’s drums were brought in, and the flavor became rockabilly peppered with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley covers.

After a few rejections, Holly signed with Decca and started recording in Nashville on January 26, 1956, making Blue Days-Black Nights, a good single that had no impact on the charts. The second and third sessions in Nashville were washouts, producing an early version of That’ll Be The Day that was outside Holly’s vocal range. It seemed most producers in Nashville didn’t know what to do with rock ‘n roll, so Holly was dropped. By the time Holly was picked by Brunswick, The Crickets’ sound had been honed through rehearsals and live gigs. The move to Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico would become a watershed moment in modern music. A new recording of That’ll Be The Day on February 25, 1957 confirmed that Holly had finally found his voice.

Norman Petty’s contribution as producer should never be underestimated. As a recording musician and songwriter, he had a keen ear for what worked. He had a talent for fixing technical problems and allowed the group to work around the clock when the vibes were good. Those marathon sessions produced a wealth of material that spilled across two albums.

The “Chirping” Crickets captures the group in flux. The rockabilly style is still heard on songs like Rock Me My Baby and I’m Looking For Someone To Love. Maybe Baby and Tell Me How are something else: the chords are fuller, and Allison’s drumming takes its cues from the rhythm guitar and Holly’s vocals. The songwriting became more organic, not fixed on any particular trend, and credits were shared between Holly, Allison, Petty, and bass player Joe Mauldin.

A year after Nashville, Holly had refined his singing style, and the relaxed mood at Petty’s studio suited him. He didn’t have Presley’s vocal range, so he worked with his limitations. His vocal inflections and hiccups became trademarks along with his horn-rimmed glasses. This distinctive style meshed perfectly with the background vocals supplied by The Picks on Not Fade Away, Last Night, and Oh Boy.

With the success of That’ll Be The Day and Oh Boy, the group’s career would become a blur of concerts, TV appearances and recording sessions, and leisure time would be rare and precious. The home recordings Holly left behind show that he could have survived any future musical trend.

Holly died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, but the music didn’t die with him. Through the 52 years since his death, there’s been a glut of re-releases, compilations, cover versions and tributes. This year saw the release of Rave On Buddy Holly, a fine tribute album that provides a clue as to why this music is still cherished: the songs hold well through any arrangement, style or tempo.

What makes this music timeless? For one, it’s not derived from a scientific survey or a corporate meeting. It represents a rare unfolding of creativity that has inspired musicians across generations, a well that never runs dry. To put it simply, people will continue to fall in love with this music as long as there’s love. It’s that simple.