A Winter Dance Party in Darlington
Millions of people who weren’t even born in the winter of 1959 can recall the awful news from 3 February. A light aircraft crashed into the snow near Clear Lake, Iowa, in the midst of the frozen Midwestern United States. An inexperienced and tired pilot, Roger Peterson, had attempted a “taxi run” to Fargo, North Dakota, accompanied by three musicians; Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson. All four died, and the Winter Dance Party tour was over. Almost 70 years later, and 4,000 miles from Iowa, we’re in Darlington County Durham, still celebrating the 22 years of Buddy Holly’s life. And not forgetting RItchie and J.P.
Act One
The show first played in the West End in 1989, and ran for more than 12 years. It recreates scenes from the career of Buddy Holly, starting in Texas in 1956, through to that fateful day in Iowa. Lubbock, an archetypal small town on the high plains, has both types of music; Country and Western. Our story begins with Buddy and his band, The Crickets, rebelling. Starting with the usual cowboy stodge at a local radio gig, complete with line-dancing, the band breaks into ‘Rip it Up’. Some great work here by the cast, as they cajole the audience into singing and clapping along to every song. Although we don’t need much persuading: This is a jukebox musical, and we know the drill.
Rock and Roll
Buddy’s Rock and Roll doesn’t go down well with the squares. But, despite the conflicts, the band impresses enough to be given a recording session at Decca Records in Nashville Tennessee. Buddy and the band perform ‘That’ll be the Day’ This will later make them famous. But not now. Yep, Nashville is a country music town at heart, and it’s back to Lubbock.
A Lucky Break
A local DJ tells Buddy and the band about a record producer in Clovis, New Mexico, called Norman Petty. Petty is a great talent spotter but also a shyster, a frequent combination in showbiz. He bamboozles our heroes into signing an exploitative contract. But they’re back in the studio. Buddy has written a song called Cindy Lou, but Jerry Allison, the band’s drummer, persuades the band to change the song title to that of his girlfriend, Peggy Sue. A J Jenks’ portrayal of Buddy Holly comes to life as he improvises the arrangement. The band belts out the number, and Thomas Fabian Parish enjoys himself as the animated Norman Petty, trying to get to grips with Buddy’s new-fangled idea of ‘overdubs’
Everyday
Then, an accident of history. Buddy has written a ballad called ‘Everyday’. On 29 May 1957, a day’s recording session spills into night, and Jerry Allison starts larking around, slapping his knees for percussion. Buddy likes the sound, and decides to keep it for the recording of Everyday. Norman Petty’s wife Vi is the session pianist, but there’s also a celesta next to the piano. Vi plays a couple of notes on it. Buddy Holly hasn’t heard the xylophone-like sound of a celesta before, but he decides to use that on the track too. The band goes for a take, with Buddy singing almost acapella, and the stringed instruments way down in the mix. Did it really happen like this? Who cares? It’s a joy, faithfully reproduced on stage. You can listen to the actual recording here.
Harlem
Norman Petty uses his showbiz connections to book Buddy Holly and the Crickets a slot at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. He omits to tell the booker that they’re white. Out in the sticks, this causes problems for the likes of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. Lots of DJs won’t play their records because the artists sound ‘colored’. Anyway, Tyrone Jones opens with ‘Reet Petite’ and Marlena Madison does ‘Shout’.
Can white men play the blues?
And after much joshing, the white boys hit the crowd with ‘Not Fade Away’, followed by a rocked up version of ‘Peggy Sue’. Then an on-stage jam with Little Richard’s hilariously unsubtle ‘Long Tall Sally’. The set finishes with a blistering version of ‘Oh Boy’, Buddy Holly’s variation on the same theme. This band can REALLY play, and the Darlington Hippodrome, sorry, the Harlem Apollo, lap it up.
Act Two
We’re in downtown Manhattan, at the office of Peer Music Publishing. Buddy Holly and the Crickets are fooling around with the receptionist, a young Puerto Rican woman named María Elena Santiago, played by Marta Miranda. Buddy starts flirting with Maria, then asks her for a dinner date. Offstage, within five hours of meeting, Buddy proposes marriage. Maria accepts, and the wedding takes place two months later. It really happened. Back in the studio, the band are trying to record ‘Think it Over’. but a quarrel breaks out, with Holly criticising the band members for being unprofessional. The Crickets split from Buddy Holly, and they head back to Lubbock with Norman Petty. Some dramatic licence here. In reality, the split was amicable.
True Love Ways
They’re planning a tour of the mid west, but Maria has a premonition of an impending disaster. Buddy soothes Maria by singing his latest creation, the autobiographical ‘True Love Ways’, He would later record this with an orchestra. It’s a great track. Fade to black.
The Last Waltz
The lights go up, and we’re in the Surf Ballroom in Clear Water, Iowa on 3 February 1959. The Winter Dance Tour party has been a nightmare. The boys decide to hire a plane to the next venue. But there are only three seats available, so they toss a coin to decide who gets them.
The show must go on
But first, the gig. Joshua Barton takes the stage as the larger-than-life Big Bopper. There’s only one song the crowd wants to hear, his foot-stomping Chantilly Lace. A truly funny song, and the audience enjoys the call and response, and ‘Hello Baaaaaby’. Great stuff. Then the 17-year old sex symbol, Richie Vallens, played by Miguel Angel. They knew what they were doing when they brought Richie along. Of course he sang his big hit, the Mexican folk song La Bamba, followed by Buddy Holly singing ‘Maybe, Baby’, ‘Peggy Sue got Married’ and ‘Heartbeat’. The audience loved this, erasing painful memories of when Showaddywaddy and Nick Berry covered it.
One last jam
Richie Vallens and the Big Bopper came back on stage for one last knees up. This production captures the party atmosphere that seems to have prevailed on the tour, despite the hardships. Great musicians at the top of their game. A reprise of ‘La Bamba’ en español, then ‘Wild One’ with driving piano and sax.
The Day the Music Died
Roger, Buddy, Richie and JP head for their plane, and the lights go down. But now for long; this is a celebration of life and music. The boys come back on stage and storm through ‘Johnny B Goode’, and it brings the house to a standing ovation. Of course there’s an encore, a reprise of ‘Oh Boy!’, then one last shout out – “Darlington, you really rock!”. Postscript: María Elena Holly (née Santiago) is 94 years old, and lives in Dallas, Texas.
Try to catch this show while you can:
Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is playing at the Darlington Hippodrome, Parkgate, Darlington, DL1 1RR.
Box Office Telephone 01325 405405
These dates are available:
- Wednesday 18 March 7:30 pm
- Thursday 19 March 2:00 pm
- Thursday 19 March 7:30 pm
- Friday 20 March 7:30 pm
- Saturday 21 March 2:30 pm
- Saturday 21 March 7:30 pm
