Jerry Allison

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jerry Allison (born August 31, 1939, in Hillsboro, Texas) is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for The Crickets.^[1] He was also a prolific composer.^[2]

Allison was an inventive, visionary drummer who tried out new patterns, new percussion instruments, or came up with whatever inventive beat that fitted best with the guitar and vocal mood set up by Buddy Holly. In the early days at the Lubbock Youth Center, Holly's vocal and guitar were backed only by Allison's drumming, allowing for some of Holly's best guitar work.

Over time, Allison's rhythm backup ranged from slapping hands-on-knees or hand-clapping the beat to a modal plainness of cymbal drumming.^[3] His snappy cracks at the snare drum gave power to the tough, vengeful songs released under the name The Crickets. Later songs, released under Buddy Holly's own name, were softer in tone and filled with innocence and longing. On these, Allison played only tom-toms in keeping with the vulnerable sound of the vocals.^[4]

Norman Petty, the manager, often manipulated song-writing credits and Allison, although credited with another recording to which he contributed little,helped to compose the music for one of the famous songs, such as Peggy Sue.^[5] His work on The Crickets recordings gave the records much of their distinctiveness and has influenced subsequent generations of Rock'n'Roll drummers.^[6]

Allison also worked as a session musician. For example, he played on the studio recording of The Everly Brothers' "Till I Kissed You" in 1959.^[7]

[edit] Peggy Sue

According to Buddy Holly's biographer, John Goldrosen, Holly's song "Peggy Sue" was originally named after Holly's niece, Cindy Lue. The name was changed at Allison's request to Peggy Sue. Peggy Sue was the name of Allison's eventual wife (later divorced), and the title change was a way of asking her to come back after a break up.

[edit] Career after Holly

After Buddy Holly's death in 1959. Allison continued his musical career. Most of the last 50 years he's been playing on and off with former Cricket's bassist Joe B. Mauldin and guitarist-singer Sonny Curtis.^[1]

[edit] Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Jerry Allison. allmusic. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
2. ^ Songs composed by Jerry Allison. Retrieved on November 23, 2006.
3. ^ Holly George-Warren &, Anthony Decurtis (Eds.) (1976). The RollingStone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll, 3rd Edition, New York: Random House, p. 88-89. ISBN 0-679-73728-6. 
4. ^ Gillett, Charlie (1996). The Rise of Rock and Roll, (2nd Ed.), New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press, p. 97-98. ISBN 0-306-80683-5. 
5. ^ Peggy Sue. allmusic. Retrieved on November 14, 2006.
6. ^ Jerry Allison. Retrieved on November 7, 2006.
7. ^ Friedlander, Paul (1996). Rock and Roll: A social history. Boulder, CO: Westview Press (Harper Collins), p. 58. ISBN 0-8133-2725-3.