BUDDY
HOLLY
and Lubbock
Today
Today the legend that is Buddy Holly is
alive and developing in his home town of Lubbock Texas. After many
years of what looked like neglect his fellow Texans now recognise his
important contribution to the development of pop music. When you read
the books on Buddy and they talk about Lubbock you may get the
impression that it is a bit of a "one horse town" with nothing much
going for it. This is far from the truth. In recent years Lubbock has
been flourishing and has seen major expansion. With Texas Tech.
University which is located in the town doing great things on the
sports field Lubbock is well worth a visit. Give yourself around
three days to take everything in. The music scene is especially
vibrant and some of the places to eat are first class.
The town has named a plaza after him on the main street, Avenue Q.
His larger than life statue stands looking out into the street in
front of the Convention Centre. Around the podium are the inductees
into the Lubbock Hall of Fame. All the local musicians are appearing
there, The Crickets, Roy Orbison, Joe Ely and many
more.
If you are visiting Lubbock your visit may
well start here. Two of the local hotels, the La Quinta and the
Holiday Inn are on either side of Buddy Holly Plaza. Select your room
right and you can look out over the statue. Right across the road is
6 th Street. Here at 1911 Buddy was born on September 7th, 1936.
Today there is only an empty plot where the house once stood. In 1978
the city council had condemned the house as unsafe and it was
scheduled for demolition. Before that could happen the house was
jacked up and trucked away, or so the legend goes. No one is
admitting to knowing where the house is today although rumours say it
outside the city limits of Lubbock in a barn.
Further down the road on the same left hand side at 2215 is the
house where Jerry Allison lived and where "That'll Be The Day" was
written. Today the house is identified by the marker outside and the
fact that it is one of the
smartest in the street. To
this day it is owned by J.I. Allison, now a rancher near Nashville,
Tennessee.
Turing right back onto Avenue Q the next
place of significant interest is to turn right on 19th Street and on
the right is Lubbock High School which Buddy attended along with the
other Crickets. Further down Avenue Q is 34th street. This is a main
intersection in the town. Go right and at 1606 is the house where
Buddy married Maria Elena Santiago in August 1958. Further up the
street is the Tabernacle Baptist Church where Buddy and his family
worshipped and where his funeral service was held. Turning back
towards Avenue Q along 34th Street keep on going until you come to
the rail yards. This is a good way out of town. In front of you is an
overpass, the Loop 289. Just before you go under the overpass is a
small sign on the right that says "Lubbock Cemetery". Almost
immediately is another small sign on the right that says "MLK Blvd"
pointing left. Turn here and then left again onto Loop 289. At the
bottom of the overpass turn right at the sign for the cemetery and
enter through the gates. You can park up inside the gates. Walk along
the path that bears off to the right. Half way along on the left by a
single tree right next to the pathway you will find the grave. It is
very easy to walk right past it. Next to Buddy now are both of his
parents.
Other places worth a visit are
firstly the local Convention & Tourism Bureau just off Avenue Q
where you can ask for a copy of the "Buddy Holly Historical Tour"
guide. As with just about everybody in Lubbock you will find the
people here very friendly and helpful. Another place to visit is the
Depot District. You can reach this off Loop 289 heading towards
Amarillo or by going north on Avenue Q. Here is Buddy Holly Avenue
and the home of some of the best night life in Lubbock. In this area
is the newly opened Buddy Holly Center. With many unique items from
his life and musical career it is well worth a visit. Remember it is
closed on Mondays.
When you are in Lubbock don't expect to find
lots of places selling Holly souvenirs. They just don't exist. If you
want to make any purchases check in the local record shops and ask
them where you can buy the books, photos and T-shirts etc. that are
available. The Buddy Holly Center also has some excellent
gifts.
Take a trip to Lubbock you will enjoy the experience. The weather
is usually very good and the people very
welcoming.