That'll be the day Buddy Holly is revived in Diss
It is more than 50 years since 'the day the music died' but for one night only the legend that was Buddy Holly is back in Diss.
The Corn Hall is being transformed into the venue of Holly's last performance before his death in a snow-bound aeroplane in 1959.
While Don McLean's classic pop song said the music had died, for Holly fans it lives on loud and strong. No more so than in the guise of Ray Vaughn and the north Suffolk-based Rave On tribute band.
Ian Cook plays Vaughn, backed by Shaun Warboys as Teddy Reddy and James Leggett as Bo Duddley. The Raveonettes - Peggy Sue, Cindy Lou and Maria Elena - are played by the band's other halves.
The trio got together after meeting on Spotlight Theatre Group's set of the musical Buddy and now play once a month on average across Norfolk and Suffolk.
Holly died 51 years ago this week, aged just 21. Despite a short recording career he wrote a vast catalogue of classic songs and proved the inspiration behind many groups from the 1960s to the present with his innovative, adventurous style.
Mr Cook, 47, lives near Halesworth and is a part-time lecturer at an Ipswich College as well as running his own recording studio.
"I regard myself as a musician and have played in bands since I was 13," he said.
"I played for years and years but took up amateur dramatics about four years ago and thought that would be the end of my band days.
"Then we did the Buddy musical and it was a perfect mix. The three of us met for the first time then and at the end of the show it seemed crazy to waste the opportunity so decided to do something with it after all that time and practice."
Mr Cook admitted he had become something of a Holly nerd.
"I did a lot of reading up about him for the part. Not that there was a lot to learn really. He came to public attention in '57 and by '59 he was dead.
"Our show pushes 40 songs and many people in the audience at the end say they knew the words to them all."
The show runs in chronological order and tells Holly's life story between songs.
"Halfway through the second half we re-enact the Winter Dance Party and the audience all dance along.
"The majority of our audience are in their 60s and 70s and the first time we played they all suddenly got up. I thought they were leaving but they were all going to the back to jive.
"They really love it but this is what they were used to as youngsters. They don't have anywhere they can go now to have a dance and listen to good music."
"One part of the story we tell is that nine months after he played Ipswich, three babies were left on the steps of the Gaumont and shipped back to Lubbock. It always raises a laugh when we say we were those three babies, the illegitimate sons of Buddy Holly!"
Mr Cook has long been a Holly fan and said: "One of the first songs I learned to play was Peggy Sue.Like a lot of his stuff it was a simple three-chord song.
"When I was 13, a friend of my father gave me a box of old records and nearly all of them were Buddy Holly. I wish I'd kept them!"
Mr Cook says he is not trying to impersonate the rock legend, merely paying a tribute to him as Ray Vaughn.
He recalled: "We played a concert at The Cut in Halesworth on the 50th anniversary of his death last year. It started snowing as we went on stage which was a bit unnerving."
But that was not as worrying as when they were asked to do a gig near Sunderland.
Mr Cook said: "When I said we wouldn't be able to arrange transport to get that far, they suggested flying.
Buddy Holly, flying? I don't think so. That could be taking the tribute too far!"
The band has recorded a CD trying to recreate the authentic Buddy Holly sound and these are for sale at their shows.
Rave On play Diss Corn Hall on Saturday, February 27, 7.30pm. Tiered tickets have sold out but stalls seats are available for 10 or 12.50 from Doreen Collins, 01379 642018.
WebWatch: www.myspace.com/raveontribute
Email to a friend
Print this page Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Local pages
Looking for a...
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Diss
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
