Customer Reviews

Hello Baby: Best of the Big Bopper

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The tragic death of the biggest bopper around is made even more tragic by the brilliant tunes and clever lyrics contained on this cd. It was the death of not only a young man with a family, but of a young musician with a future. No matter what music you're accustomed to, this cd is wholly enjoyable. The songs are relaxing, funny, and fun. It's not only good music, but it's a good time. One cannot help but fall in love with his endearing laugh, his excited voice, and his cheerful greeting so often heard throughout his songs: "HELLOOOO BABY!!" Like a fine wine, these songs only become better with age, as it is sure that the Big Bopper would have too, if he had had the chance.

The songs collected on this disk prove that the biggest loss when that plane went down was indeed J.P. Richardson. Who knows where his talent and charm may have taken him. This disk also shows the Bopper's incredible diversity of style. If you have never heard anything but Chantilly Lace, you owe it to yourself to buy this one.

The Big Bopper was true original of rock 'n' roll. Before he made his first record he was DJ on KTRM radio. He recorded his first song in 1954 and decided to become known as The Big Bopper (after the dance named The Bop which was popular at the time). He died in an accident with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, 28 years old. His songs have funny lyrics (about "Big Bopper's Wedding", "Little Red Riding Hood",...), and is there someone who doesn't know "Chanitily Lace". He even wrote a few songs for other performers ("Running Bear" for Johnny Preston), and George Jones had a big hit with his "White Lightnin'"

This is a great collection. I bought this CD because I never heard anything but Chantilly Lace, and let me tell you every song is just as good. If not better!

On the anniversary of J.P. Richardson's tragic death, I wrote a piece for The Bopper's hometown newspaper, the Beaumont (TX) Enterprise, about his life, his family and his legacy. These songs are an excellent starting place to learning more about the Bopper -- Richardson's jive-talking, flamboyant alter ego. And if this album gets you more interested in The Bopper's short life (he was only 28 when he died with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens) then you are in for a treat. Did you know that in 1958 The Bopper foresaw the advent of "music videos" (his term), the necessary visuality of rock and roll, and even filmed some of his songs to pitch his idea to Mercury Records? He did, and that's just a small part of the complex person "the other guy on the plane" was.

This is just essential 50's rock n roll. As I am writing this review it is that time of year where I really start thinking even more than usual of Buddy, Ritchie, and Bopper. Tonight it is January 30, 2011 and on Feb 3, 1959 all three of them died in a plane crash. On this "Best Of" of The Big Bopper he proves there was a lot more to his music than just "Chantilly Lace". Check out "Big Bopper's Wedding", "Little Red Riding Hood", "White Lightnin'" (which became a hit for George Jones early in his career), "Pink Petticoats", "It's The Truth Ruth" and finally the amazing ballad "Someone Watching Over You". Those songs are my favorite on here, but it is solid from start to finish. A definite must have for any music collection.

I grew up in the Rockin' Fifties and believe me, no one was sadder than me to hear of the death of J.P. Richardson, a.k.a., The Big Bopper. But to suggest, as one reviewer does, that the "biggest loss when that plane went down" was him is going just a bit overboard. Buddy Holly would certainly have gone on to be an enduring star for many years to come through both his writing and his singing. Ritchie Valens perhaps less so, but certainly was looking ahead to a more lucrative career as a performer than the Big Bopper.

Although he started out recording country music under his own name, even while acting as a DJ for KTRM in Beaumont, Texas, he soon recognized he would have greater immediate success with infectious novelty music. However, aside from a few exceptions such as Ray Stevens, Sheb Wooley and Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs, you would be hard-pressed to find another purveyor of such tunes with any longevity. Indeed, he might have had a better future as a writer, having turned out Running Bear for Johnny Preston [# 1 later in 1959 and long after J.P. was dead], but that too was more novelty than anything else.

Even his first and biggest smash, Chantilly Lace, was more of a fluke, given that the intended A-side was Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor, an attempt to capitalize on the hits by Sheb Wooley and David Seville respectively. But what a fluke. After initially being released on the "D" label in 1958, it was picked up by Mercury and soared to # 3 R&B and # 6 Billboard op Top 100 late in the summer of 1958.

Later that year both sides of his his next release were on the charts [Big Bopper's Wedding - peaked at # 38/Little Red Riding Hood reached # 72] when that plane crashed on February 3, 1959.

Really, when you think of it, the Big Bopper would have been an interesting blip on the music history scene except for the fact he happened to take Waylon Jenning's seat on that fateful flight. Even so, Rhino does a nice job with this package, providing all four sides of his only two hit singles and, as another reviewer says, you can't help but feel good when you hear his music.

It is tragic that The Big Bopper's life and career ended so soon. His music is fun to listen to and I am quite pleased to have this CD as part of my music collection. Also, Amazon plays an important part in helping me to build my music library. I can always find what I need and have never been disappointed in their service. They DESERVE five stars!

For all the Big Bopper fans you will enjoy the great rocky style of Big Bopper, a legend in his time. Every track rates very well.

Hellooo Baby!: The Best of the Big Bopper, 1954-1959
I only bought this CD to record 2 songs from it and otherwise I am not a big fan of his style. For fans of him, the quality of the songs were very well reproduced.