Texas, USA 2004

In October 2004, I planned a trip to Lubbock, Texas, the hometown of Charles Hardin Holley, aka Buddy Holly. This spelling of "Holly" was a mistake by Decca records in Nashville but Buddy decided to keep it that way. The pictures more or less tell their own story. I wanted to feel for myself what the area was like that he came from and to see if I could meet some family members and maybe people who knew him. I had a great trip and managed to do all and more than I had intended! I started my trip in Houston, Texas, and nearly two weeks later got back there for my flight home. From Houston I travelled to San Antonio, to visit The Alamo - what a history lesson! After Austin Texas, I moved on to Old Fort Worth and the stockyards. It was halfway on the long cattle drives. The Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis New Mexico, the home of most of The Hits. Sitting in the chair where Buddy sat, looking at some of the old recording equipment. I heard "Heartbeat" coming out of those speakers. It was the best sound ever! Buddy's Fender amp he used to record with. It also went on the road with him. Plus one of the vocal mics he used, along with the Baldwin grand piano and the Celeste - the tinkling keyboard used on "Everyday". The original Coca Cola machine that Buddy would have got many cokes from. It stands in the reception of the studios. My few days in Lubbock have to be dedicated to the memory of the late English Dave Tobin "The Southend Cowboy". Dave is pictured here, complete with white stetson, in the Smoky River Diner  in Downtown Lubbock along with Sherry Holley and her husband Tommy and me. Photo taken by PJ Liggan. My visit to Buddy's grave, which is in the City of Lubbock cemetery. Buddy's grave stone. He is buried along side his Mum and Dad. It is customary to place a guitar pick on Buddy's grave so that the music can live on. This is the old Radio K.D.A.V., possibly one of the first radio stations to play country & Western music. Much of the original recording equipment is on show. As the sign says, from this room Buddy & Jack Neal hosted their radio programme "The Sunday Party". Me with Jack Neal. As a teenager in your ol' man's car, you would cruise down to the Hi-D-Ho for a burger. The original is long gone and this is the new one. I had a burger here - it was the best ever! Lawsons Roller Rink where Buddy and the Crickets would hone their skills on the skaters. Lubbock High School, where Buddy graduated in 1955. 1911 6th Street, Lubbock Texas. On this site stood the house where Buddy was born. Due to massive redevelopment there is nothing left, and all the houses have been removed. This is Buddy Holly Plaza and the Walk of Fame, dedicated to all the musicians, artist and sculptors of West Texas. Why the shorts? Well, I am a tourist! And the temperature was well into the 90s! Sherry Holley's husband (centre) is a great keyboard player, and member of a superb band called Cadillac Jack. Pictured here with me and the guitar player from his band. I spent a great Saturday night watching Cadillac Jack in a bar called The Sting. What a fabulous band and what a great night out in Texas! Tommy is buried behind the rack mounted keyboards. Me with Tinker Carlen, a friend of Buddy's from junior high school. He was never a formal band member but they used to jam and hang out together - and probably cruise down to the Hi-D-Ho. I was invited to the home of Bill Griggs, known as the greatest Buddy historian. He told me his greatest compliment came from Buddys older brother Larry, who said "You know more about my brother than I do." Sunday morning I attended the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, where the Holley family have worshipped for years. I am here with Sherry, her husband Tommy (who hadn't had much sleep after the prior nights gig!) and Sherry's father - Buddy's older brother Larry Holly. I visited the Buddy Holly Centre a few times. It is the home of the Music & History of West Texas and the Life & Music of Buddy Holly. I bought lots of items from the gift shop! The late Dave Tobin and me outside the Buddy Holly Centre in Lubbock, Texas. The Buddy Holly Centre, where Buddy's last Fender Strat, his Gibson J 200 and other personal items are on show. The new centre on the right is tastefully joined to the old Fort Worth and Dallas South Plains Railway Depot, and the old rail track runs right through the middle of the complex. I left Lubbock and headed for Amarillo. After driving a way on the famous Route 66, I was on my way to Oklahoma. In Oklahoma City I visited the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. If you have ever been into Westerns this is a place you must visit. It was stunning. This is a statue called "The End of The Trail" and depicts the demise of all tribes of the Native American. From Oklahoma back to Texas and onto Dallas. I visited Dealy Plaza where John F Kennedy was assassinated. My last night was spent in Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico in a restaurant called Landrys - with a large beer and fried catfish.   What a trip!