Monday November 15, 2021 “Not Fade Away” Buddy Holly
Hands up who remembers Bo Diddley...all of you with your hands up move into the ‘old’ corner of the room while those of you who are younger and have your hands up, move into the ‘you know your music’ corner.
Bo Diddley created one of the most replicated, stolen, covered, or borrowed beats used in music over the past several decades..
It goes like this: ‘bomp, be bomp, be bomp,bomp, bomp’ and you have heard it in dozens of songs from the fifties through today. And if you are wondering what some of those songs might be, well welcome to Bo Diddley Week.
We’re starting with one of the more obvious copies by Buddy Holly who had quite clearly heard Bo Diddley’s signature song “Bo Diddley”. "Not Fade Away" is credited to Charles Hardin (Buddy Holly) and Norman Petty who owned the recording studio in Clovis, NM where Buddy Holly & the Crickets made their first recordings. Interestingly Mr. Petty’s name appears as co-songwriter on several Buddy Holly songs.
Although “Not Fade Away” would only be a minor hit for Holly it would be covered by Rush, Stephen Stills, Florence & the Machine and famously by the early Rolling Stones whose version includes Phil Spector on percussion and Gene Pitney on background vocals.
Stay safe and well...and you may be surprised at the many different artists who should probably have paid some royalties to Bo Diddley, but likely never did.