| Subject: Thank you, J.I. Allison |
Author:
Randy Steele
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Date Posted: Mon August 22, 2022 23:09:42
I received a call in the early hours of Monday morning to learn that my dear friend Jerry Ivan Allison, best known as the drummer of Buddy Holly & The Crickets, cowriter of rock and roll standards such as Not Fade Away, Peggy Sue, and That’ll Be The Day and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame, died Sunday late evening at the age of 82.
At this time, I have heard no details on a public service but I will let everyone know if I do hear anything.
I had known for some time that death was close but like most people, I still wasn’t really ready or prepared when it actually arrived. When it comes to your heroes, how can you be? as far as I know, Jerry Allison didn't wear a cape, but he was definitely a hero to me.
Talking to him was like talking with a living museum of American rock and roll. He knew, played, or spent time around all of the early pioneers of rock and roll. Hell, he was one of them.
After the call came and went this morning, I laid back down in bed and tried to go back to sleep, maybe in hopes that it wasn’t really true but to no avail. I spent the day attempting to process my thoughts and feelings about my friendship with Jerry Allison and decided tonight to write a letter to him…and I share it with you here…
Dear J.I.,
It’s hard to believe that you’re now gone. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to come up with the right words to properly convey exactly what you meant to me and to my life. I know you knew that I loved you. I told you that much and you said it back to me. I can’t say goodbye, not yet anyway. I want to say something, but these damn tears keep getting in my way. So I will simply speak directly from my heart.
I am so thankful to have known you. When it comes to you, there really is so much to be thankful for…
Thank you for making a decision to play the drums. That decision alone would take you on the journey of a lifetime, around the globe, and bring so much joy to me and millions of other people. Thank you for the decision to go to the “picture show” in May of 1956 with Buddy Holly to see John Wayne’s “The Searchers”. That decision would also prove to be a life changing event.
You once shared with me that a little while later, when Buddy Holly was sitting on the side of your bed and said, “Hey, let’s write a song”, you, in your words, “stuck my neck out like a prairie dog” and replied, “That’ll Be The Day!”, quoting John Wayne from the aforementioned movie, and Buddy said, “That’s the title!” It was a moment that all of the stars in the West Texas sky were beginning to align and history was about to be made.
Thank you for deciding to leave Texas Tech University to join musical forces on the road with Buddy Holly, Joe B. Mauldin, and Niki Sullivan, thereby giving the world a lesson in what rock & roll was supposed to sound like.
Thank you for telling the world, “my love is bigger than a Cadillac, I try to show it and you drive me back.” Thank you for telling us about Peggy Sue and for showing us that drums could be played with sticks, or on a cardboard box, or with your bare hands slapping on your knees. Thank you for all of the music that you wrote and played.
Thank you for finding the courage and the strength to carry on with The Crickets after “that’ll be the day came much too soon for Buddy.” That decision allowed fans like me to see the world famous Crickets perform in person and for just a moment, allow our minds to step back in time to celebrate and remember the magic created by four good ole boys from West Texas.
The fact is, Buddy Holly LIVES because all of you did carry on.
Thank you for inviting me to be your guest at your hall of fame inductions. Thank you for allowing me to spend time in your home and your world. They were thrills of a lifetime. Thank for the special “introductions” you gave when you introduced me and Phil Everly to one another. Thank you for introducing me to Don Everly. The Everly Brothers were heroes of mine too. It is amazing to think that Jay “Big Bopper Jr.” Richardson, Don Everly, and you all left this world and headed to heaven on August 21st. I hope they were there to greet you.
Most of all, thank you J.I. Allison for being my dear friend to me. You have been everything that I ever hoped you would be in so many ways. Like millions of other fans, for the rest of my days, I make a promise to you that I will do everything in my power to continue to promote and protect the legacy and music of Buddy Holly and The Crickets.
For those of us who call ourselves believers, we know that when “That’ll Be The Day” came on Sunday, a reunion of Buddy Holly and The Crickets, over 63 years in the making, finally took place. What a time of rejoicing it must have been.
Please say hello and give our very best to Buddy, Joe B., Niki, Don, Phil, and all the others who captured our hearts all those years ago.
I love you dearly and will miss you even more. May the music you played and the history you made forever RAVE ON.
Rest In Peace,
Randy Steele
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