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I'm Staton Rabin, and I write books for teens and tweens. February 3, 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the day the world lost three bright young stars: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson). In the opinion of many, the most gifted of these musicians was Buddy Holly-- the remarkable young man from West Texas who was legally blind, but saw the future of rock 'n' roll. Many of you may remember Buddy, and I wanted to provide a place on the Kindle Boards where fans can share their memories of him and his music. And for those who are learning about him here for the first time: welcome!
From a musical standpoint, Buddy Holly was the most influential singer/songwriter of early rock 'n' roll. The Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, and countless other rock stars since have all spoken of their enormous debt to Buddy Holly and his music. In just l8 months, Buddy and the Crickets created 25 songs ("Oh Boy!", "That'll Be the Day", "Everyday", "Peggy Sue", "Rave On", "It's So Easy", "Not Fade Away", etc.) that are still classics today. Bruce Springsteen once told "Rolling Stone" that he plays Buddy Holly songs backstage before every performance because it keeps him honest. After Buddy Holly came along, if you were talented, you didn't have to look like Elvis in order to become a rock star-- you could look like the cute geek next door. Buddy and his band, the Crickets, were the first rock group ever to write, arrange, and perform their own music, and also the first American rock band to visit England.
I've written a new book about Buddy Holly for the Kindle. Here's how it came about:
About two years ago, I stopped in at my local video store, looking for the l978 movie about Buddy Holly starring Gary Busey as Buddy. When I asked the clerk, who was about l5 years old, "Do you have 'The Buddy Holly Story'?", she replied, "How do you spell that first word?"
That's when I realized that, sadly, many teens today don't know who Buddy Holly is, and have never heard his music. Somebody ought to write a biography of Buddy Holly for teens!, I thought. But even though I write books for young people for a living, and was trained in music, I was not a guitarist. So I was reluctant to take on the awesome responsibility of writing the only book about Buddy for teens. How could I ever do him justice? I just wanted to forget the whole thing.
But 24 hours a day, Buddy's songs kept ringing in my head. The music just wouldn't leave me alone. Finally, that Sunday, I went for a walk. I figured that maybe if I could just get away from home for a while, I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. As I reached the top of Main Street, I passed through a gas station. Something made me look down. Lying there on the pavement was a pair of black, '50s-style horn-rimmed eyeglasses.
That's when I surrendered, and knew I had to write the book. And it's become the "passion project" of my life. As Sonny Curtis, Buddy Holly's bandmate, once wrote, the music didn't die at all-- because Buddy Holly lives everytime we play rock and roll.
I hope Buddy Holly fans of all ages-- and those who are discovering him now for the first time-- will use their Kindle to read more about him, will listen to his music, and gather here to remember Buddy in the coming days. Fans of Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper are welcome, too, of course.
From a musical standpoint, Buddy Holly was the most influential singer/songwriter of early rock 'n' roll. The Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, and countless other rock stars since have all spoken of their enormous debt to Buddy Holly and his music. In just l8 months, Buddy and the Crickets created 25 songs ("Oh Boy!", "That'll Be the Day", "Everyday", "Peggy Sue", "Rave On", "It's So Easy", "Not Fade Away", etc.) that are still classics today. Bruce Springsteen once told "Rolling Stone" that he plays Buddy Holly songs backstage before every performance because it keeps him honest. After Buddy Holly came along, if you were talented, you didn't have to look like Elvis in order to become a rock star-- you could look like the cute geek next door. Buddy and his band, the Crickets, were the first rock group ever to write, arrange, and perform their own music, and also the first American rock band to visit England.
I've written a new book about Buddy Holly for the Kindle. Here's how it came about:
About two years ago, I stopped in at my local video store, looking for the l978 movie about Buddy Holly starring Gary Busey as Buddy. When I asked the clerk, who was about l5 years old, "Do you have 'The Buddy Holly Story'?", she replied, "How do you spell that first word?"
That's when I realized that, sadly, many teens today don't know who Buddy Holly is, and have never heard his music. Somebody ought to write a biography of Buddy Holly for teens!, I thought. But even though I write books for young people for a living, and was trained in music, I was not a guitarist. So I was reluctant to take on the awesome responsibility of writing the only book about Buddy for teens. How could I ever do him justice? I just wanted to forget the whole thing.
But 24 hours a day, Buddy's songs kept ringing in my head. The music just wouldn't leave me alone. Finally, that Sunday, I went for a walk. I figured that maybe if I could just get away from home for a while, I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. As I reached the top of Main Street, I passed through a gas station. Something made me look down. Lying there on the pavement was a pair of black, '50s-style horn-rimmed eyeglasses.
That's when I surrendered, and knew I had to write the book. And it's become the "passion project" of my life. As Sonny Curtis, Buddy Holly's bandmate, once wrote, the music didn't die at all-- because Buddy Holly lives everytime we play rock and roll.
I hope Buddy Holly fans of all ages-- and those who are discovering him now for the first time-- will use their Kindle to read more about him, will listen to his music, and gather here to remember Buddy in the coming days. Fans of Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper are welcome, too, of course.
Thanks to Jeff and Vicki-- and Leslie, that's great that you've been to Lubbock and have seen the statue of Buddy Holly that they have there. The Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock even has Buddy's famous eyeglasses and his Fender Stratocaster guitar. Kathy, that's great that your l6-year-old son might be interested in my Kindle book about Buddy- he's part of that whole generation that I hope will carry Buddy's music with them into the future. And to PraiseGod13, you're right that the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa was the site of Buddy's final concert-- and, as you know, they've got a whole bunch of exciting events planned there for the "50th anniversary" week leading up to Feb. 3, 2009. Also, new web sites about Buddy Holly are springing up like weeds. Well, "weeds" is the wrong word-- they're excellent, so I should say "like roses in January"! And I've been invited to participate in a podcast, the Kindle Chronicles (Len Edgerly's show) where I'll be interviewed about my Buddy Holly book and why I chose Kindle for the release of it. So I'm really excited about that. Thanks again to everyone here for helping to keep Buddy Holly's music and spirit alive. Or as Buddy Holly fans say, "Rave on!"
