Gary Moore - Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music

Hey Buddy is a page-turning pursuit of Buddy Hollys legacy and his impact on others in and out of the music industry. Its as American as apple pie and as compelling as Don McLeans legendary hit about The Day the Music Died. Run, dont walk, to your nearest bookstore and get two copiesone for you and another for anyone you know who listens to music.

James Riordan, New York Times bestselling author of Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison

Gary Moores Hey Buddy is a touching narrative that chronicles his fascinating journey of discovery into the life and music of Buddy Holly through the spirited performances of John Mueller while endeavoring to explain the profound impact Buddys musical legacy continues to have more than fifty years after his tragic demise.

Jacqueline A. Bober, Curator, The Buddy Holly Center

A rock-and-rollercoaster of a read! Gary Moores emotional account of his discovery of Buddy Holly and the eye-and ear-witnesses of Hollys genius is a memorial to the influence of one of rocks true pioneers. Youll Rave On about this unforgettable story!

Bill Guertin, longtime vinyl rock-and-roll DJ and the author of Reality Sells: The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales

Weve all had Uncle Charlies in our lives who were fun to be around because they told such great stories; we always wanted to hear more. For me, Gary Moore is the Uncle Charlie of American writers. He is a great storyteller through the written wordand I always want to read more. Now hes done it again with Hey Buddy .

John Skipper, author of Meredith Willson: The Unsinkable Music Man

Hey Buddy illustrates the raw power that passion for a topic can have when it grips an unsuspecting writer. Author Gary Moore is not only a gifted storyteller but an accomplished musician and a pilot, and he uses these attributes to provide new and unique insights into Hollys music, his all-too-brief life... and his death.

Bonnie Bartel Latino, author and former columnist for Stars and Stripes newspaperEurope

Buddy Holly inspired a generation of musical greatness. But in many ways, he was very different from the musicians he inspired in his short life. These differences are what allowed a former rock n roll naysayer to finally come to grips with his musical prejudice. In discovering Buddy, Gary Moore learns as much about himself as he does about a generation of music he had selectively tuned out. Hey Buddy allowed me to walk on this journey with him. It is really terrific sweet, sad, informative, and even patriotic. This is a great read for anyone remotely interested in music and why it does or doesnt make us tick.

Beth Kenney-Augustine, Emmy award-winning producer

In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music

Gary W. Moore

Savas Beatie

New York and California

2011 by Gary W. Moore

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-932714-97-5

eISBN 978-1-611210-63-7

Mobi ISBN 978-1-611210-63-7

05 04 03 02 01 5 4 3 2 1

First edition, first printing

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For Arlene, the love of my life

Buddy Holly, tuning his guitar on a freezer in the kitchen at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo, Iowa. Courtesy of Dick Cole

Im often asked, if Buddy Holly lived, where would the music have taken him? I politely say that they are asking the wrong question. It should be, if Buddy had lived where would he have taken the music?

Waylon Jennings

Splooie!

(And only because this book is dedicated to Arlene... SUTA!)

Foreword

An Appreciation for The Pursuit

In some ways its a little difficult to write an introduction to a book in which you are quoted and featured in a couple sections. Even for someone with an oversized ego like mine, it presents a challenge. But this fine book is not about me or any of the other people quoted within its pages. We simply banded together in print to talk about the amazing phenomena that was and in many ways still is Buddy Holly. Buddy was a music innovator who influenced countless artists who came after him. He was the force behind the Texas radio with the big beat that Jim Morrison of The Doors wrote about. Buddy was the creator of that rock-a-billy sound that everyone in the 1960s, including The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, openly borrowed from.

This is a fun book with a sense of humor that is true to both author and subject. Gary Moore has been a friend of mine for a long time. Hes a talented writer and if you have experienced his work before, you know hes a lot of fun to read. Gary says some very serious things while poking fun at himself for having the audacity to put them in print. I admire that.

I also understand Garys passionate interest and deep need to pursue Buddy Holly. Some of us are just built that way. When that virus gets inside you there is no cure and there is no choice but to let it follow its course. When I was writing Break on Through , a biography of Jim Morrison, I had no alternative but to eat, sleep, dream, and study the man and his life and music. Many writers personally caught up in their subject matter experience this roller coaster ride of emotion. It is all-consuming. In some cases it can also be life-changing and awaken something within long dormant or forgotten. In so many ways Gary is the perfect person to revisit the legacy of Buddy Holly. Unraveling its meaning and impact with Gary makes Hey Buddy a memorable experience.

Because he died in a tragic plane crash that in itself has become the stuff of legend the day the music died people forget that Buddy Holly was about so much more than his death. He was a musical pioneer, a consummate performer, and a dedicated family man. He was also a man of faith. Like Buddy, Ive had my ups and downs but when all is said and done, I know that being true to my Creator is the ultimate goal. Buddy knew that, too.

I think Hey Buddy will fill in the shadows surrounding the myth of Buddy Holly and portray him as not only a legend but a good hardworking young man of flesh and blood who tried his best to remain true to his beliefs.