The New Clovis Sessions – That’ll Be The Day Fifty years after Buddy Holly came to Clovis, New Mexico to record at the Norman Petty Studio, the original studios were reopened to record The New Clovis Sessions. These are the first new recordings since the studio was closed shortly after Holly's untimely death in 1959. Several of Holly's bandmates from the 1950's returned to the studio for these recordings. They were joined by a new generation of musicians and Holly fans who continue to carry his music forward. Larry Welborn played bass on "That'll Be the Day" in 1957. Fifty years later Larry talked about that experience: “I was 15 years old. Buddy asked me to play bass. So I borrowed a big bass fiddle and we brought it to Clovis. We recorded ‘That'll Be the Day’ right here in this studio. We worked late into the evening, just like we are doing tonight. When we needed a break, we came out back and sat right where we are sitting today. If you told me we'd be recording here fifty years later I would have said ‘Sure, That'll Be the Day.'" Tommy Allsup was playing Western Swing in 1957 when he met Buddy Holly. Allsup recorded with Holly at the Petty Studio and later toured on the Summer Dance Party and Winter Dance Party. Allsup remembers: "I was playing guitar on a recording session in Clovis in 1957. Buddy heard my playing and asked me to play on his songs. I played lead guitar on several hits, including ‘It's So Easy' and ‘Heartbeat.’ We recorded all night. We started at midnight and worked until dawn. Back then, the highway ran in front of the studio. At night there were no trucks on the highway so it was quiet and perfect for recording.” Jack Neal was Holly's first musical partner. Jack wrote "Modern Don Juan” which Buddy recorded on “That'll Be the Day” album. Jack recalls: "Long before Buddy was famous, we teamed up in junior high and played country music. We had a weekly radio show on Lubbock radio KDAV. We played country and gospel. We had so many fans they had to stand outside while we played." Gary & Ramona Tollet added backup vocals on the original recording of "That'll Be the Day." Gary remembers that the song was recorded around three in the morning. “We got it in just a few takes and then stopped because we had to go to school in the morning.” David Bigham sang with The Roses, a group whose vocals appeared on more than one hundred songs recorded in Clovis. Bigham and the Roses sang on Holly’s "It's So Easy," and “Fools Paradise.” Bigham and the Roses toured with Holly in 1958. John Mueller is well known for his Winter Dance Party Tour, a concert recreation of Buddy Holly's last tour in 1959. His tribute has been a smashing success for several years, with screaming fans and sold out venues. Daryl Davis is a rockin' piano player with roots in blues, rock, rockabilly, and country. Davis currently plays with Chuck Berry, and in the past has played with the Coasters, the Drifters, the Jordanaires, the Platters, Johnny Johnson, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. Scott Porter is the producer of this project. Porter previously produced the acclaimed CD “Stay All Night – Buddy Holly’s Country Roots,” with Tommy Allsup and Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys. The Winter Dance Party Band includes four incredible musicians – Mike Acosta (sax, flute & vocals) George Mueller (electric and acoustic guitar) Ed Maxwell (upright bass) and Sammy Kestenholtz (drums, percussion & vocals). This band brings energy and excitement to all tracks on this CD. The L.A. Party Dolls are three lovely and dynamic ladies whose backup vocals grace these recordings Laura Powers, Michelle Fox and Rosanne Limeres. Quincy Stringham is a musician from Salt Lake City, Utah. Quincy provided invaluable contribution to the production, manufacturing, marketing and sales of both The New Clovis Sessions and Stay All Night. Quincy is a member of the semi-legendary Salt Lake City Band, "The Grey Dogs." Stay All Night - Buddy Holly's Country Roots In April, 2004, a legendary group of musicians gathered to record Stay All Night – Buddy Holly's Country Roots. These recordings shine a light on the country, rockabilly, and blues that influenced Buddy Holly and feature Holly’s original bandmates, his contemporaries, and a new generation of musicians who have been influenced by his recordings. Tommy Allsup Grammy Award winning guitarist Tommy Allsup started his musical career in Claremore, Oklahoma in 1949 at the age of 18 with the Oklahoma Swingbillies. He played in several Western Swing bands in Kansas and Oklahoma and formed his own band in 1953. He joined Buddy Holly in 1958 and played lead guitar on several of Buddy's early hits. Allsup performed with Buddy until the plane crash that took the lives of Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. Tommy continued as a session player and producer in Los Angeles and Nashville. He has played guitar or bass on over 7000 recording sessions. He has produced sessions for Willie Nelson, Bob Wills' and the Texas Playboys, Asleep at the Wheel, and Hank Thompson. Tommy plays lead guitar for Bob Wills' Texas Playboys, and has a recording studio near Ft. Worth. Having played with both Buddy Holly and Bob Wills', Tommy is most accurately described as being "somewhere between a Cricket and a Texas Playboy." Tommy arranged and produced this album, playing lead guitar on every track. Tommy's vocals are featured on the title tune, Stay All Night, a Bob Wills' standard. Carl Bunch Originally from Odessa, Texas, Carl was playing drums with the Hood Junior High Orchestra in the early fifties when he was recruited by the popular local group "The Poor Boys." The Poor Boys performed at concerts, dances and on weekly televison and radio programs. The group also recorded in Ft. Worth and in Clovis, New Mexico. It was at their recording session in Clovis that Carl first met Buddy Holly. Buddy liked Carl's drumming, and later asked Carl to play drums in his touring band. Carl joined Buddy, Tommy Allsup, and Waylon Jennings on Buddy's final tour, the ill fated Winter Dance Party. After the tour Carl returned to Odessa and joined Roy Orbison's band. Carl is certainly no stranger to country music. Over the years he has played with Ray Price, Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce and Hank Williams, Jr. Carl's vocals are heard on the second verse of Goodnight Irene. The Flatlanders More a legend than a band, The Flatlanders were formed in Lubbock, Texas, with three singer-songwriter guitarists: Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. Ely met Gilmore in Lubbock, and sharing a love of Jimmie Rodgers, they formed a traditional country band. The Flatlanders initially recorded several tracks in 1972 but these were not released until several years later when the three had become better known as solo artists. From time to time, all three have collaborated on various projects. The Flatlanders are Buddy Holly fans and frequent attendees at the Buddy Holly Symposiums in Lubbock, performing and joining in after-hours jam sessions. Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore were recently honored by being asked to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's tribute to Buddy Holly. Billy Grammer Billy Grammer is one of the great guitar players of country music. One of thirteen children born to a coal mining family in Illinois, Grammer grew up with music, playing fiddle, guitar, and mandolin at local gatherings, sometimes accompanying his father, other times performing solo. In 1955, Grammer joined Jimmy Dean's television program and played with Patsy Cline, George Hamilton IV, and Roy Clark. Grammer also worked as a sideman in several bands, including those of Clyde Moody, Grandpa Jones, and Hawkshaw Hawkins. In 1958, Grammer founded his own band and recorded Gotta Travel On, a top hit on both country and pop charts. Buddy Holly enjoyed Gotta Travel On and performed it on stage during the final Winter Dance Party tour. Grammer became a regular cast member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1959, and went on to record many albums and do session work for the next thirty years. Grammer later retired from recording, but continues to perform regularly at the Opry. Here Grammer performs his great hit, Gotta Travel On. Larry and Travis Holley Buddy Holly's older brothers Larry and Travis share Buddy's love for music and his unique musical talent. The Holleys were a musical family and growing up everyone played an instrument. Larry played violin in junior high and high school orchestra and Travis played accordian. When Travis was 13 and Larry 14 they played briefly on KFYO radio. Travis later learned to play guitar when he was in the Marines during the second World War. When Travis returned from the service, Buddy saw his guitar and said he wanted one "just like his older brother." Buddy borrowed Travis' guitar and Travis taught Buddy his first chords. Larry bought Buddy his first Fender Stratocaster guitar when Buddy started playing rockand roll. (In one of Buddy's earliest recording contracts the "e" was mistakenly dropped from his last name, and he came to keep the spelling "Holly" as opposed to his family name "Holley.") In the early 1950's, Travis played and performed country music in local clubs including Lubbock's Cotton Club. It was there that Travis met Lefty Frizzel and played with Ernest Tubb. For several years Larry and Travis put aside their music while busy with work and family. Travis served as choir director and songleader for his church, but otherwise did not play much. About 10 years ago both brothers resumed playing. The Holley brothers' style recalls an earlier era. Larry and Travis sing the traditional country & western and gospel music from their youth in the 1930's and 40's. Their beautiful harmonies are reminiscent of the country duos in the 1940's such as Wiley and Gene and the Blue Sky Boys. Their pleasing harmonies are heard here on Remember Me, and When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again, both from the 1940's. Retired now, Larry and Travis still reside in Lubbock. Both enjoy playing and singing. Larry is active as a trustee in the Baptist Church, where he has taught Sunday School and sang in the choir for the past 20 years. Their gospel roots can be heard on the Hymn: Softly and Tenderly. Judy Luis-Watson and Paul Watson Judy Luis-Watson and Paul Watson are accomplished blues musicians with particular experience in early southern blues styles who tour and record with BluesWorks, their group based in Maryland. Judy, a blues pianist, vocalist, and songwriter, grew up in a family of musicians in East Africa. She moved to Canada and then to New Mexico where she mastered many of the Southwestern musical styles. Paul, originally from Washington, DC, is a blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter whose playing favors country blues with a bit of jazz. Paul also plays the mandolin in the old time string band tradition. Judy and Paul are familiar with the country blues that influenced Buddy Holly. At these recording sessions, their vintage blues blended seamlessly with the older country styles. Judy played piano on several tracks and her vocals are featured on Suitcase Blues, a 1920's blues made famous by legendary Texas blues singer Sippie Wallace. Paul is featured on two tracks: Just Because, and Careless Love. Their contribution is a perfect example of the cross fertilization between country and blues in the 1950's. Jack Neal Lubbock native Jack Neal was Buddy Holly's earliest professional musical partner. In 1951 Jack began playing with Buddy in a duo called "Buddy and Jack." Together young Buddy and Jack played traditional country music at local talent shows in Lubbock and performed on radio and television. In 1953, Buddy and Jack recorded two songs at KDAV radio station in Lubbock: I Saw the Moon Cry Last Night and I Hear the Lord Calling to Me. These songs are among Buddy's earliest recordings and are released here for the first time. Both feature Jack on vocals and guitar and Buddy on guitar. Jack is also featured on two new tracks. The first is a new recording of I Saw the Moon Cry Last Night. Jack also plays the Honky Tonk standard There Stands the Glass, a hit from 1953. A kind and gentle man, Jack continues to perform regularly in in Lubbock. Al Perkins Grammy winner and West Texas native Al Perkins is a slide guitar wizard. Al learned Hawaiian steel guitar at age 9, and began playing professionally at age 17. He became a member of the popular West Texas band The Sparkles before moving to California to play sessions for the growing country-rock movement. Perkins has played steel guitar, slide guitar, and dobro on literally thousands of recordings, for everybody from the Eagles and Rolling Stones, to Roy Orbison and Emmylou Harris. For this collection Al played two vintage guitars, a double neck 8 string non-pedal National, and a single neck six string non-pedal Supro. Most often featured on guitar, Al makes a rare vocal appearance on the second verse of Stay All Night. Scott Porter The producer and organizer of this project, Scott has played in several country and roots-rock bands, and has worked at the Smithsonian's Folklife Program for the preservation of traditional American music. The idea for this project arose from the informal jam sessions with many of these other musicians during Buddy Holly Symposiums in Lubbock. Scott's vocals are featured on the Bob Will's classic Faded Love. Robert Reynolds An accomplished bass guitar player for the outstanding country group The Mavericks, Robert Reynolds is a Grammy award winner and two time CMA award winner. Robert is a Buddy Holly fan, and has played Buddy's music since his teens. Robert has a deep respect for American roots music, and has played with the legendary members of Elvis Presley's original band Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. Robert is always the life of the party, joining in all the jam sessions and playing bass for most of the recordings on this project. Robert's vocals can be heard on the third verse of Stay All Night. Larry Welborn Larry Welborn was 15 years old when he met Buddy Holly in Lubbock. Buddy, Larry, and Bob Montgomery played together at school, parties, store openings and on Lubbock's all country radio station KDAV. Larry played bass on Buddy's first hit: "That'll Be The Day," recorded at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico. On this CD Larry can be heard commenting on that fact in a light moment between songs. Larry later went on to play with Waylon Jennings and Buck Owens. On this collection Larry is featured on Drivin' Nails in My Coffin. Larry arranged Drivin Nails - a straight Honky Tonk song - to give it a Western Swing feel. Larry also sings on Statue of a Fool. Larry continues to play weekly and operates his own recording studio in Mead, Oklahoma. Bob Wills Texas Playboys The acknowledged "King of Western Swing," Bob Wills started his career with a single fiddle in the West Texas town of Turkey, in the late 1920's. Wills teamed up with guitarist Herman Arnspiger in 1929 to form the beginning of what would become a large dance band. In the 1930's and 40's Wills toured constantly throughout the southwest. His band grew to include over seventeen members, with a horn section that matched many of the big bands of the day. A dance band that defined the Western Swing style, the Playboys moved easily from old time hoedowns to sophisticated big band arrangements. To country fans, the Texas Playboys will always be a fiddle band, with the instantly recognizable twin fiddle harmonies. Bob Wills passed away in 1975, but the Playboys continue today under the direction of vocalist Leon Rausch and guitarist Tommy Allsup. The band today is a collection of Texas Playboys from the various eras of the groups career. The Texas Playboys contributed much of the music for his collection, and Leon Rausch's vocals are featured on Right or Wrong.