Customer Reviews

Remembering Buddy: The Definitive Biography Of Buddy Holly

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This is, hands down, the best biography of Buddy Holly available. I have read them all and though others have their moments (mainly rare photos) they are spoiled with proven factual errors and unsubstantiated rumors. John Goldrosen's book is the standard by which all others are judged.

Goldrosen is a stickler for accuracy and his research is meticulous. He also keeps close to all things Buddy Holly. I first met him at the dedication of the Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock in 1986. Bill Griggs (founder of the sadly discontinued Buddy Holly Memorical Society) thinks highly of Goldrosen and there is no higher compliment for a historian of Buddy Holly.

The updates keep making the book better (and more accurate) but I will always keep my first copy which I've had signed by Buddy's parents, his brothers, Jerry Allison, Niki Sullivan, Joe Mauldin, and, of course, the author John Goldrosen. If you only read one biography of Buddy Holly, this should be the one. If you have read others and would like to know what Buddy was really like, get the latest edition of this book. You will not be disappointed.

Update 2005: Sad to note that this book is out of print. So is the earlier version titled "The Buddy Holly Story" by the same authors. It's still worth reading if you can find a copy. Check your local library or used book store. Hopefully another publisher will pick up the book and it will be available again.

This is a detailed and complete biography of Buddy Holly's life and career. It is accurate and has a good index. The more recent Ellis Amburn biography has an impressive bibliography, but unfortunately numerous errors have been found in it. This makes the Amburn book useless as a reference as the reader cannot trust it. Not so with the Goldrosen and Beecher book: it is accurate and is still the definitive reference for Buddy Holly fans. I strongly recommend the Goldrosen and Beecher book over the other more recent biographies for its completeness, accuracy and ease of use. If you want to own only one book about Buddy Holly, this is the one to get.

I've been a fan of Buddy's since he was still alive. This is the best biography available. The authors do not deal in sensationalism and wacko explorations of Buddy's sex life or possible contributions to the crash of the plane. He died at 22, and was only famous for two years, and never was wealthy. He can be expected to have had moments of immaturity, and to have made mistakes in judgement. But the overwhelming evidence is that he was a nice, normal young adult with abnormal talent for singing, songwriting, guitar-playing and record-producing. He's been gone for more than 40 years, and he left about 80 recordings behind. Those performances are still wonderful, and this book tells you a lot about how they were created and captured and preserved. Who needs anything else?

This is the book to buy if you want an accurate, well-written biography of Buddy Holly, the greatest rocker of them all and the most influential person in the genre's history. If it were possible, I would give this book ten stars. It is absolutely the best biography of Buddy Holly. I got my first copy in August 1975 and have gotten updated versions as they came out. I've read it several times. John Goldrosen spent a year or so of his life (circa 1972) researching this book and talking to the people involved.

The 1986 edition of Remembering Buddy published by Pavillion Books (reprised in 1987 as paperback published by Penguin Books) is the most recent version of John Goldrosen and John Beecher's outstanding biography of Buddy Holly. Although it is out of print, used copies in good condition can still be obtained through Amazon, and it's well worth the effort to get one if you are a fan of Buddy Holly and his music. This text does not suffer from the inaccuracies and sensationalism found in many other books on Buddy Holly. John Goldrosen took the time to carefully research his subject and gives fair treatment to all parties on controversial issues such as the financial arrangements that Buddy Holly and The Crickets had with Norman Petty.

Buddy's early days in Lubbock, Texas, his struggles to succeed in the music industry, his breakthrough and brief career at the top, and his last days on the infamous Winter Dance Party Tour are accurately recounted. Two chapters at the end of the book provide insight on Buddy Holly's influence on his peers and the future development of rock'n'roll music (The Making of A Legend, and Buddy Holly Lives-The Holly Renaissance). The book also provides helpful appendicies detailing Buddy's recording sessions and the personnel that participated in each of them (Buddy Holly & The Crickets Session File), recordings and releases (Alphabetical List of Buddy Holly and The Crickets Recordings and Initial Releases), a complete discography including many illustrations of singles and album covers, an account of how his various records did on US, UK, and Australian record sales charts (Buddy Holly and The Crickets Chart File), and a chronological summary of the many tours on which he performed (Buddy Holly & The Crickets Tour Dates) including dates, venues, and other acts.

The book has a complete, well-organized index and contains many of the best available photographs documenting the life and career of Buddy Holly, his sidemen, and other associates in the music industry. Reading this book will give you the most informed acquaintance of this great performer that is possible without having actually known him. Buddy's allure is very nicely summed up in Cadence, the last chapter of John Glodrosen's book. "Buddy Holly was not a giant, or a god - but he was sort of a hero. Though a star, he still sounded and looked like a friend. He was one with his listeners, with one important difference: he could successfully express through his music the feelings that those listeners could not express for themselves. And since he was unusual only in his ambition, perseverance and muscial talents, his concerns were shared by his audience. When he sang his song, his audience could claim that it was their song too."

John Goldrosen's book is one of the two best resources that you can get pertaining to Buddy Holly. The other is a DVD presentation of a documentary done by Paul McCartney in 1986 for the BBC - The Real Buddy Holly Story (see separate review).

I found this biography to be the most accurate and interesting of any other on this amazing music pioneer. We all should educate ourselves on one of the most influential people that shaped rock and roll, and music as we know it now, Buddy Holly.

I bought this after reading it from the local library. I checked it out on a whim, just after listening to some of Buddy Holly's music. I really enjoyed it. There's no rumors (as there are in most biographies) or any of that stuff. It's just a straight story about the things Buddy tried to do to get his music out, and it's really too bad his life was cut short way too soon. He was a bright star but I can only imagine how he would've been had he survived.

BUDDY HOLLY WAS THE GREATEST ROCK STAR TO HAVE EVER PERFORMED.TOO BAD HIS LIFE ENDED WHEN HE WAS SO YOUNG.I HAVE BEEN A BUDDY HOLLY FAN SINCE 1971 AND HIS SONGS ARE TIMELESS.HE HAS INFLUENCED COUNTLESS OTHER PERFORMERS.THE ROLLING STONES FIRST EVER HIT,NOT FADE AWAY, WAS A SONG WRITTEN BY THE LATE,THE GREAT BUDDY HOLLY.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Texas Poker Wisdom

This is certainly one of the better histories, however you do not get it about Lubbock being a rock 'n roll heaven for Buddy to develop in.

I just finished a ton of research on Buddy Holly, whom I knew. He had a radio show, performances, and tons of recording right here in Lubbock. I just wrote an article, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Joe Ely and the Cotton Club, available at www.virtualubbock.com

Some of his recordings were done at the radio stations that allowed Buddy and his pals the run of the joint. Lubbock really supported Buddy! Elvis did too!

Johnny Hughes

this is a great book of mr holly' such a shame buddy didnt get to live out the rest of his life, and still be here with us fans makeing many many more great songs. thats how i see it. this is an awsome a book a must have, a must buy. so if you dodnt have any holly' books and you are looking for one this is a great book of his life music and everything in between. there are other good books too. but this you must add to your collection.