Texas Tech University - La Ventana Yearbook (Lubbock, TX)

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Bobby Vee sings to a young fan dur- ing his appearance at Budfest, The Main Event. Vee was one of the many performers in Lubbock to honor Buddy Holly ' s 50th birthday. Niki Sullivan, Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin, all onetime members of the Crickets, the legendary band Buddy Holly performed with, and Sonny Curtis, who also played with Holly, display the plaques they received upon being inducted into the Lubbock Walk of Fame. Buddy Holly — 19

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In memory of a legend: Buddy Holly That ' ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue and Well, All Right were simple songs, but good ones. When heard, one person comes to mind. His name was Charles Har- din Holley, better known as Buddy Holly by his rock ' n ' roll tans. Holly was born 50 years ago on Sept. 7, 1936, in Lub- bock. Growing up in a West Texas town, Holly usually was seen playing his guitar in school, in his car, on dates and at the local carhop drive-in. On his first recording con- tract from Decca Records, his name was spelled Hol- ly instead of the accurate Holley. He wanted the contract so much that he kept his name that way for the rest of his life. His first record release, on April 16, 1956, was called Blue Days, Black Nights. Holly performed with many different people on records and on stage. His first group was called Bud- dy and Bob, consisting of Holly, Bob Montgomery and Larry Welborn. They got their start on KDAV radio station in Lubbock (now FM 99) with music consisting mostly of country. They were given their own radio show called The „ Sunday Party. In 1956, while recor- ding in Nashville, a group called The Three Tunes consisted of Holly, Sonny Curtis and Don Guess. In 1957, the Crickets were formed with original group members Holly, Jerry Allison, Niki Sullivan and Larry Welborn. Holly and the Crickets split in 1958 after several replacements, but the Lub- bock rock innovator con- tinued in New York as a worldwide star. Holly died on tour on Feb. 3, 1959, in a plane crash near Clear Lake City, Iowa, in which Richie Valens and J.P. The Big Bopper Richardson also were killed. Texas Tech students of the 1980s can ' t remember Buddy Holly ' s world, cruisin ' in a Chevy, poodle skirts and bobby socks, drinking sodas at the Village Mill or the Hi-De-Ho, danc- ing the Bop or listening to songs by Holly and the Crickets, Fats Domino or the Everly Brothers. Tech was a small West Texas college located on College Avenue. 50th Street had not been completely paved and J Pat ' s and the Spoon were far in the future as popular gathering places. A small part of the past was brought to Lubbock Sept. 1-7 during the Lub- bock Music Festival. The celebration, which marked the 50th birthday of Holly, included activities from parades to concerts. After the parade, Lub- bock ' s Harry Leeds Band performed a free concert at the civic center. The band played songs from the ' 50s and ' 60s and some original music. The Nifty Fifties Car Club displayed its automobiles in the civic center, with dona- tions going to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Dur- ing the band performance, Mayor Pro Tern Joan Baker read an official proclama- tion declaring Sept. 1- 7 as Buddy Holly Week. On Sept. 2, an unveiling of a special painting of Bud- dy Holly by Lubbock artist Joe Belt took place at First National Bank. The limited edition No. 1 was presented to Larry Holley, one of Buddy ' s brothers. A sock hop staged by the Nifty Fifties Car Club drew an active crowd, including musicians such as Sonny Curtis and Larry Welborn. On Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, ac- tivities included a dual per- formance by the Lubbock Symphony and Ballet Lub- bock and the Buddy Holly Memorial Society conven- tion at the civic center. The convention ' s agenda in- cluded slide shows, presen- tations and appearances by celebrities such as Jerry Allison, a former Crickets member. Frank White of KCBD-TV closed the con- vention by doing a live broadcast for the local 6 p.m. news. The night concluded with a 5V2-hour concert that pro- bably was the biggest and longest rock ' n ' roll concert Lubbock had seen in years. The Budfest, a concert for all ages, allowed a small au- dience in the civic center exhibition hall to reminisce about the Buddy Holly days. The audience was given a chance to listen to some live rock ' n ' roll featuring Carl Perkins, the current Crick- ets, former Holly band member Sonny Curtis, Bud- dy Knox, Bo Diddley, The Saxman Ace Cannon, Bob- by Vee, Del Shannon, the Rockin ' Ricochets and local entertainers P.J. Belly anc 1 the Harry Leeds Band, in ad dition to Buddy Holly ' : niece, Sherry Holley. Finger-snapping, foot tapping and jitterbugginj brought the audienci together as the cool, relaxec stage came alive witr oldies but goodies. Song, such as I ' m a Wanderer ' and Runaway by De Shannon, Take Good Can of My Baby by Bobby Ve and Shout performed b? the Rockin ' Richochet. filled the auditorium witll memories. The musicians sharec moments to remember Buc dy Holly and his influeno on the music industry. Sort ny Curtis sang his song witi the words, Buddy Holb lives every time we pla; rock ' n ' roll. With ever; song performed, the musi of the ' 50s and ' 60s wa brought back to life by ge nuine rock legends on Lubbock stage. Sept. 7 would have bee the 50th birthday of Holb and the Buddy Holli Memorial Society con| ducted its annual memorif service at his .grave in Lub bock. Society member came from all over th world, including severe from Great Britain. Joe Ely, a current musi cian who started in Lub bock, J.D. Souther an Lubbock-based band th Nelsons combined thei talents and played at dance. Their performance ende with all the musicians o stage singing Buddy Holl tunes. — Paige Hindmai

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have f„T the« air. ,, u niorComP 20 — Rec Center All-Nighter All-nighter draws large crowd DeLuca highlights night of activities Seemingly using every square inch of the Student Recreation Center, the an- nual All-Nighter again boasted a large turnout. Always a favorite among Tech students, the All- Nighter consistently has served as a means of break- ing the monotony of return- ing for the spring semester after a few weeks of relaxation. Hundreds of students show up to the event, which offers a little something for everyone in attendance. The All-Nighter took place Jan. 30 to kick off the 1987 spring semester which officially began two weeks before. The festivities began at 7 p.m. with the start of the basketball tournament on Rec courts 1 and 2, with court 5 in use for a co-rec volleyball tournament. Swimming, kayaking and sailboarding also started at 7 p.m. in the aquatic center. Rappeling could be found in the north upper room, and floor hockey rounded out the opening events in the mat room. The Polar Bear Fun Run began at 7:30 p.m. at the north Rec Center entrance. On the agenda for 8 p.m. was Fit Is It in the archery golf room and Wallyball at the racquetball courts. Both the racquetball (courts 8-13) and spades (classroom 201) tournaments also were on the slate for 8 p.m. along with the always popular Casino Night, which took place in arts and crafts room 205. At 9 p.m. the highlight show began on Rec basket- ball court 4 with the slam dunk contest. The contest featured Texas Tech ' s defensive football standout Eric Everett, the reigning champion, who despite his 5-9 frame managed to defy the law of gravity long enough to perform mid-air acrobatics en route to slam dunks worthy of Phi Slam- ma Jamma. I guess next to the hyp- notist, the slam dunk con- test probably is the most en- joyable part of the evening, said Junior Compass, a graduate finance student. We have some good athletes out there who don ' t realize it ' s impossible to walk on air. But then again, the clumsy ones are out there, too. At 10:45 p.m., all ac- tivities came to a halt and students jockeyed for posi- tion on court 3 hoping to get as close to the stage as pos- sible. Yep, that ' s right, it was time for Tom DeLuc and An Evening of Im-| aginative Improvisation and Hilarious Insanity. DeLuca entertained the audience with off-beat comedy anc hypnosis. Although DeLuca ' s show was a hard one to follow entertainment still was t come. At 1 a.m. the Mr. ) Ms. Texas Tech Body- building Contest began oo court 3. Taking center stage male and female member: of the student body wen asked to show off theii muscularity. A flex here and a flex there, a few oohhs and aahhs, and thel contest was under way. All tournaments, which were stopped for DeLucaj were resumed at 1 a.m. Tha fencing club demonstrate its talent to the studentt body in archery golf roorn 114. Second sessions of rap| peling, open swim andj Casino Night also began at I a.m. At 2 a.m. the darts tourna-] ment began in the arts anal crafts annex and wateil jousting began in the aquatic center. Finals of al. tournaments still in pn» gress were scheduled for a 4 a.m. start, making it truly ar all-night event . — Tony Renteria