Rave On

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In the annals of rock and roll, singer and songwriter Buddy Holly remains an elusive legend. He died in a plane crash in 1959, at the age of 22, becoming one of the first rock stars to perish in a tragic, now romanticized, end. Though Holly inspired a Hollywood biopic in the late 1970s, in the prologue to this biography British writer Norman (Shout!) laments the general lack of knowledge about this influential Texas-born musician. Norman's attempt at setting the Holly story straight is a well-researched volume in which Holly comes across as a talented, fun-loving guy who carried the torch for a high-school sweetheart with strong religious convictions; who blindly signed over much of his future income to Norman Perry, his smarmy producer and manager; and who endured grueling concert tours of the U.S. and Britain. The text doubles as a solid history of the early days of rock, and it particularly sparkles when Norman recounts, from personal experience, the British perspective on American music of the 1950s. Despite the author's skill, however, Holly appears to have been too wholesome a character, with too attenuated a life, to keep the text consistently absorbing. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Buddy Holly is arguably the most influential figure in rock 'n' roll. His string of hits with the Crickets remains fresh after 40 years, and his bespectacled, nerdy appearance proved that you didn't need to be good-looking to rock. But his most lasting legacy was the effect his 1958 tour had on a generation of British musicians, who would recycle what they heard into a phenomenon that would change the entertainment industry and the world. Holly's tragically brief life has been chronicled in words, film, and song, but Norman (Elton John, LJ 2/1/92) does an excellent job of separating the man from the legend. All good legends need a villain, and manager/producer Norman Petty more than fits the bill. His withholding royalties and appropriate songwriting credits led to the financial woes that forced Holly on the "Winter Dance Party" tour that resulted in his death. Recommended for all public libraries.Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Fed., Curwensville, Pa.