JIMMY STANLEY’S BUDDY HOLLY TRIBUTE
BUDDY
HOLLY
JIMMY’S BUDDY HOLLY TRIBUTE
Jimmy Stanley has always been a massive fan of Buddy Holly, and his tribute has seen him perform internationally. Take a look at his biography and performances below!
JIMMY’S BUDDY HOLLY BIOGRAPHY
MAYBE BABY
Of all the great stars Jimmy grew up admiring, it was Buddy Holly. Although it was a long time after Buddy had tragically died in the plane crash, while he was showing more than a passing interest in music during his formative years, Jimmy was aware of the novel singer he heard on the radio now and then with that trademark amusing hiccup in his voice.
As history remembers the last Buddy Holly gig was at the Surf Ballroom, Iowa on that fateful freezing night of February 2nd 1959 Also taking the lives of his two fellow Rock n Roll pals on the Winter Dance Party Tour, 29 year old Big Bopper Richardson of ‘Chantilly Lace’ fame and 17 year old Richie Valens. Richie was of course the young Mexican singer/songwriter who wrote the all-time classic ‘La Bamba’ which much later became a hit in 1987 for Los Lobos.. One of Jimmy’s other early musical heroes, singer/songwriter Don McClean, immortalised the plane crash that claimed all three young men in his song ‘American Pie’ as ‘The Day The Music Died’.
Jimmy grew up not knowing much about Buddy Holly even though he loved his music. It was only when Jimmy won the Butlin’s Star Trail Contest with his rendition of Don McClean’s Rock Eulogy ‘American Pie’ that he began to acquire a curiosity for the legendary singer/songwriter from Lubbock.
EARLY TV DEBUT
It was during a performance in one of Jimmy’s early North Wales gigs with his old band Mr Blue, that a TV producer approached him. He asked would he like the chance to perform as Buddy Holly in a one-off weekly review show on Channel 4. Jimmy jumped in with both feet and the show was recorded in one day with the local Rock n Roll Society as his dancing audience.
‘Everything had to be as though it was the 1950s!’ Said Jimmy. Digital watches and electronic devices of the time all had to be switched off in case the noise was picked up in the background by the sound recordist. The songs Jimmy performed on what proved to be his TV debut were ‘Peggy Sue’, Peggy Sue Got Married’ and the evergreen favourite ‘Oh Boy!’. Permission had to be cleared with the one and only Paul McCartney as he owned the rights to Buddy’s song catalogue at the time. Evidently, [aul was delighted Buddy’s songs were being used as he was Paul McCartney’s boyhood hero too.
BUDDY GOES TO RED WING, USA
In 2011, Jimmy’s brother Ben happened to come up with a great idea. As the two brothers had never performed onstage before, he called Jimmy to ask if he would be interested in presenting a show at Ben’s local theatre in Red Wing, Minnesota, USA. He also asked Jimmy if he would like to do it as a one-off gig with himself and some local Rock musicians Ben knew, who could play the old 50s style Rock n Roll.They would call themselves appropriately The Red Wing Crickets in honour of The Crickets, Buddy’s backing band and Red Wing, the place they lived..
As it turned out, the show which was in aid of the local Sheldon Theatre Charity, became such a success playing both the local Armory on the Saturday, 2nd February to commemorate Buddy’s tragic passing, and a day later on the 3rd February at the Zumbrota theatre. The demand was sufficient for Jimmy to return a few years later as Buddy again in 2014. 5 years later, and Jimmy was once again entertaining the US crowds. This time at a club venue in Lake City. Called ‘The Winter Dance Party’ after the name of Buddy’s last tour, the show was a resounding sell-out success attracting all the local Rock n Roll fans around the area and much further afield. One couple even drove 500 miles all the way from Arizona to watch the show which was amazing considering they hadn’t even seen Jimmy and the guys performance before.
Since Covid, the request for Jimmy’s return to the USA as Buddy Holly has been pending for a while, so it may be only a matter of time before he’s singing ‘All of My Love, All of My kissin’. You don’t know what you been a-missing..Oh Boy! And other classic pop hits like ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Maybe Baby’, ‘Listen To Me’, ‘True Love Ways’, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’ and many other Buddy Holly classics to get the crowds rockin’ in the aisles…RAVE ON BUDDY!!!
JIMMY AS BUDDY HOLLY – AMERICAN PIE @ RED WING ARMORY, MINNESOTA, USA
Jimmy Stanley’s performance as Buddy Holly (with The Red Wing Crickets for the rest of the show) at The Armory’s Winter Dance Party, Red Wing, Minnesota on Friday,3rd February 2012 accompanied with guitar and Dave Watson on piano, singing the tribute song to the legendary Rock n’ Roller ‘American Pie’. All proceeds from the event were given in aid of the community’s Sheldon Theatre charity fund, and the evening was also in commemoration of the day the music died. 53 years to the day when three rising young Rock n’ Roll stars, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & The Big Bopper, boarded a light aircraft which crashed and killed all three after playing at Surf Ballroom, Clearlake, Iowa, USA on 3rd February 1959…The day the music died!!
JIMMY AS BUDDY HOLLY – THAT’LL BE THE DAY @ ZUMBROTA Mn USA
Jimmy Stanley as Buddy Holly & The Red Wing Crickets recorded ‘Live’ @ Zumbrota State Theatre, Minn. USA on Sunday, 3rd Feb. 2013. A fundraiser to commemorate the day the music died when Buddy Holly, Richie Valens & Big Bopper were all killed in a plane crash in a chartered flight after their gig @ Winter Dance Party, Surf Ballroom, Clearlake, Iowa on this day in 1959.
JIMMY AS BUDDY & THE RED WING CRICKETS – BROWN EYED HANDSOME MAN
Jimmy Stanley, brother Ben Manning & The Red Wing Crickets- A tribute to Buddy Holly & The Crickets, perform the Buddy Holly classic ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ at Zumbrota State Theatre, Minnesota, USA, Feb. 3rd 2013. A fundraiser for the local theatre charity to commemorate the anniversary of the day the music died. When rising Rock n’ Roll stars Buddy Holly, Richie Valens & Big Bopper Richardson were all killed in a plane crash North of Clearlake, Iowa on their way to the next stop of the tour in Moorfield, Minnesota. It followed what would be their last gig on the Winter Dance Party tour at Surf Ballroom, Clearlake, Iowa on the same day, 3rd Feb. in 1959.
SEE JIMMY’S OTHER ACTS BELOW!
