Jerry Allison was the drummer for Buddy Holly and the Crickets (The Crickets), the highly influential early rock and roll band fronted by Buddy Holly.
- Died: Monday, August 22, 2022. (Who else died on August 22?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 82.
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The Crickets
Jerry Allison and Buddy Holly were high school friends in Lubbock, Texas. They started a band and played at roller rinks around town. Eventually they named themselves the Crickets with a line-up of Buddy Holly, Allison, Joe Maudlin, and Nikki Sullivan. After the band recorded with Norman Petty in 1957, they found success. Though the Crickets only released one album, it is a highly influential early rock and roll release. “Peggy Sue,” “Maybe Baby,” “That’ll Be the Day,” and “Not Fade Away” are legendary tracks today. Allison is credited with co-writing “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll Be the Day.” Allison asked Buddy Holly to change the title of a song in progress “Cindy Lou” to “Peggy Sue” to impress his then girlfriend who would later become his wife. After Buddy Holly’s tragic death in a plane crash in 1959, Allison continued to drum with the Crickets featuring a rotating group of musicians. He was a noted session drummer who recorded with Paul McCartney and Waylon Jennings.
Notable Quote
“He had it about half-finished. We were riding around Lubbock and he had it written up as sort of a cha-cha beat or a rumba — a Latin feel. I said, ‘Let’s change the beat.’ I was dating Peggy Sue or had dated Peggy Sue at the time. There were some Cindy songs out at the time, but there weren’t any Peggy Sue ones. Peggy Sue probably helped. Whatever it was, Norman Petty’s engineering, Buddy’s guitar playing … it would’ve been hard to have been more commercial. It was a lovely, lovely time and people liked it and we were really pleased they did.” – Interview with Classic Bands
Tributes to Jerry Allison
Full Obituary: Billboard
