Stars appear and shadows a-fallin'

I went to a party last night, and like all good parties the music was played live. Lots of people took turns but these two guys playing guitar were doing the lion's share, and they did well.
At one point they played Buddy Holly songs. Sure-fire crowd pleasers. Oh Boy, Peggy Sue, all that. I don't think they realised it was quite significant they were playing Buddy songs on the 2nd of February. . the night of Buddy's final concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa.
And even more poignant for me - this time last year I was in the Surf Ballroom, where Buddy Holly played that last show, for the 'Fifties In February' festival, watching the original Crickets sing the same songs. I have friends there now.
So, I thought I'd upload a few photies. Here's the Surf Ballroom. It was going to close. . . but the efforts of Rock & Roll fans meant it stayed open, and it's become a place of pilgramage for R&R fans. The cars parked on the left are by the dressing room doors, where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens caught the bus to the small airport onthat fateful night.
The Surf Ballroom . . mecca of fifties Rock & Roll.

About five miles out of Clear Lake is the crash site. Now marked by a metal plaque.

Original Cricket Joe Maudlin on stage.

It was minus 28 with the wind-chill. I had frosted eyelashes like Scott of The Antartic.


Here's the 'clear lake' that gave the small town its name. Completely frozen over - all seven mile!

See the guy second to left? He owned the airport that the plane left from. He still ownes the wreckage. He was the last person to see the three rockers alive . . he watched the taillights dip in the sky as the plane went down.
The guy with the beard on the right is a Buddy fan. He designed the plaque now at the crash site.

The main Rock & Roll show on the Saturday night was fantastic. Here's the do-wop group The Cleftones. It's the first time I've seen doo-wop done by original 50's doo-wop artists. They were superb showmen.

Here's singer Jimmy Rodgers and Mark & I. We're Buddied up a treat! (I don't wear glasses normaly by the way!).

Here's the cafe in the Surf. Shitloads of Rock & Roll artifacts on the walls, and pictures of the great music people that have performed there.