Saturday, September 24, 2011

Perry Pays Tribute to Holly

Having had a grandfather who was a nightclub owner as well as a record distributer in the 40’s and 50’s had its benefits. One of which was the wonderful collection of music left to some of his children and grandchildren upon his passing. Some of my fondest memories were listening to the tunes from the juke boxes filled with the old 45’s  and later on the turntable from such great’s as Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, The Big Bopper and, of course, Buddy Holly. As a young child, I’d dance and sing to them all!

Image by: Don McLean's 1971 album, "American Pie"

Then in 1971 a friend and I were sitting in her room listening to the radio when a DJ from the now defunct Sacramento radio station, KNDE announced, a song by Don Mclean, “American Pie,” a tribute to -----Holly. My girlfriend laughed shoved me in the shoulder and exclaimed, “This song is about you!” We did not hear Buddy, but I remember being moved by the words. It took a conversation with my older brother to finally clarify what the song meant.

Buddy Holly, AKA’s Charles Hardin Holley, was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. Following a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, 1959, Holly chartered a small airplane to take him to the next stop on the Winter Dance Party tour. He, Ritchie Valens, “Big Bopper” Richardson and the pilot were killed en route to Moorhead, Minnesota, when their plane crashed soon after taking off from nearby Mason City in the early morning hours of February 3. “The Day the Music Died.”

Sacramento Promoter, Jerry Perry, who is as much of a fan of Buddy Holly as I am, organized a fantastic “Tribute” show in honor of the late performers 75th birthday featuring a remarkable line-up of local artists who paid homage to the iconic work of an artist who many consider to be the first true “singer/songwriter” performer of the rock ‘n’ roll era.

And, what an eclectic group of musicians and styles it was. From individuals to groups, washboards, kazoos, guitars and violins each artist and instrument added a unique interpretation to Holly’s songs that was fun and at the same time, truly worthy.

Patrick Walsh opened the show solo, but strong, with his country rugged voice, fierce acoustic guitar and harmonica blowing, “Valley of Tears.”

The three piece rock band Honyockhttp://www.myspace.com/honyockbandstepped up next bringing a fresh turn to Buddy’s ode,” Love Has Made A Fool Of You,” The members of the band are all younger then Buddy was when he died at 22.

Members of Honyock (Image by: Holly S. Howard)

Aaron King delivered a majestic guitar solo, with "Maybe Baby" before The Freebadge Serenaders seized the stage with their banjo, washboard and kazoo, took on 3 Buddy Holly ditties including their version of the juke-joint crowd pleaser, "Oh Boy!"

Ole Cotton Dreary,http://www.myspace.com/olcottondrearyocd, rocked with two of Buddy Holly's better known covers, and his signature, "Peggy Sue."

Ole Cotton Dreary (Image by: Holly S. Howard)

New band Survival Guide featuring Emily (formerly of Tsunami Bomb), stuck with just two songs, but did each with thoughtful distinctiveness. Between Emily’s beautiful voice and their sparsely arranged toy piano/xylophone version of “Lonesome Tears," as Jerry Perry phrased it sounded “almost hymn-like.”

Ricky Berger,http://www.myspace.com/rickyberger, stepped in as a last-minute fill-in for Gerald Pease. Perry said she arrived at 7 p.m. with her keyboard and glockenspiel to practice ” Everyday” in the dressing room until her moment on stage. She delivered an absolutely charming rendition, which was an obvious crowd favorite!

Mike Blanchard and Vinnie Montoya of the Tattooed Love Dogs took the stage next with Everly Brothers-like harmonies.

Another highlight was when David Houston,http://www.myspace.com/davidhouston,along with a six piece string section did a beautifully awe-inspiring set featuring Buddy’s classics, “True Love Ways” and “Raining in My Heart!”

David Houston also mixed it up with Sal Valentino of the Beau Brummels (Image by: Holly S. Howard)

Legendary singer, Sal Valentino,http://salvalentino.comof the 1960’s group the Beau Brummels then joined David Houston on stage (minus the strings). The renowned vocalist took on Buddy's “Well Alright” and “Words of Love” as if they were his own, and then closed with an energetic version of “Brown Eyed Handsome Man.”

A fine musician, Kepi Ghoulie,http://www.myspace.com/kepighoulie,seized the stage with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. Ghouli took time out during performing his fun and spirited set to get the crowd laughing with anecdotes of his adventures playing in Texas at the AAA storage. David Houston also accompanied him on tambourine.

The Keri Carr band — which should probably have been called the Keri Carr All-Star Band considering some of the players she had up there with her, including one of my local country favorites, Richard March,http://www.richardmarch.com— executed a Buddy Holly a la Linda Ronstadt set: “That'll Be the Day,” “It Doesn't Matter Anymore” and “It’s So Easy,” with an enthusiastic and polished flair! Keri Carr Band (Image by: Holly S. Howard)

The Denver Pilerdrivers,http://www.myspace.com/denverpiledrivers, tore up the stage and ended the evening with their MC5 like rock versions of Not Fade Away, Midnight Shift and Think It Over.

Like Perry, Holly too loved to showcase good talent, and I could not help but imagine Holly sitting back at one of the tables at Harlow’s, taking in the show, sometimes chuckling at the silly moments, like I did, and raising a thumbs-up at a particularly good sound with a smile on his face.

Jerry Perry’s next Tribute show will be to another Rock Icon, Chuck Berry, in honor of his 85th Birthday in October.

Source: http://www.sacramentopress.com