The Crickets
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Performing on Sunday July 27, 2008 at 3:00 PM on the Grandstand Stage
In a career that has spanned nearly five decades and millions of records, The Crickets are unquestionably The American Rock and Roll band. Since the group’s founding in 1957 they have influenced virtually every major rock performer in the United States and abroad – from Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles (whose name was even Crickets-inspired). Their hits “That’ll Be The day,” Peggy Sue,” “Oh Boy,” “Not Fade Away,” “Maybe Baby,” “It’s So Easy,” “I Fought The Law“ and “More Than I Can Say” are bona fide rock classics and considered primary lessons in how rock music should be written, played and enjoyed. As Paul McCartney once put it, “If it wasn’t for the Crickets, there wouldn’t be any Beatles.”
The Crickets were formed in Lubbock, Texas by Buddy Holly and J.I. Allison. Bassist Joe B. Mauldin was recruited shortly thereafter. They were one of the first rock and roll bands to be self-contained, writing, playing, producing and recording their own material. They were among the first rock bands, too, to utilize overdubbing and multi-track recording years before it became standard studio practice. Above all, they were the first rock musicians to make rock and roll truly accessible to their audience; their instrumental format of guitar, drums and bass spawned thousands of garage bands worldwide – including one formed by a very young John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
With the release of “That’ll Be The Day” in June of 1957 and their many subsequent hits, The Crickets became the leading rock and roll band in the world. In late 1958, Buddy Holly decided to move to New York and become more involved in the business side of music. Allison and Mauldin continued on with The Crickets, adding their old friend Sonny Curtis as lead guitarist and vocalist. Sonny had played guitar and fiddle in earlier groups with Buddy and J.I, so his joining was a welcome and seamless fit with the band’s unique sound and approach. The first Crickets’ album without Buddy Holly, “In Style With The Crickets”, was recorded in the same Clovis, New Mexico studio as had all their hits, with additional sessions in New York and Los Angeles. Their classics “I Fought The Law” and “More Than I Can Say” were introduced on this album. With a new Crickets recording contract with West Coast-based Liberty Records, as well as a shift in focus from touring to the studio, Los Angeles became home base for the group for the next 15 years.
For more information visit their website at http://www.thecrickets.com/
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