Thanks for the great info, Wes. I really would like to
attend this event some year. Until then, I enjoy
reading about it!

Would you mind taking this same post to
www.buddyhollyonline.com? Go to that site and click on
the message board link, about 7th down from the top.
There are a lot of people on there who would love to
read your report of the symposium.

Cheryl


--- Wes <pogoer@...> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> Apologies for this rather long post but since some
> have expressed interest...
>
> I recently joined this group, and since I live in
> Austin, Texas I took advantage
> of cheap airfares to attend the festival n Lubbock
> from August 28 through 31. It
> was well worth my time from beginning to end. In
> form, it's something like a
> wedding ceremony followed by a reception, at least
> in the way that a
> celebration follows serious business! The Buddy
> Holly Center is not a huge
> building, but the space is used well and
> interestingly. There's a gallery with a
> permanent exhibition on Buddy's life (guitars,
> clothing, childhood toys, his
> personal record collection, even his Cub Scout
> uniform), a small theater
> continuously showing a short documentary on his life
> (along with a few Big
> Bopper videos!), two galleries for temporary
> exhibitions, and a gift shop.
> There's also a courtyard, where Butch Hancock (who
> also has a photo exhibit
> on view) performed on Thursday evening.
>
> The action then moved to the International Cultural
> Center on the Texas Tech
> campus, where a songwriters' panel featured Taj
> Mahal (who was late getting
> in because of travel delays), Stacey Earle, Mark
> Stuart, Trish Murphy, Kevin
> ("son of Bob") Montgomery and Robert Reynolds. The
> artists talked
> fascinatingly about their craft and played one
> number apiece.
>
> Friday was the major day for the panels, where
> "Buddy Holly: Lyrics, Music,
> and Cultural Memory" was followed by one on the
> local legend C.B. "Stubb"
> Stubblefield, whose barbecue joint was the focus of
> the Lubbock music scene
> in the '70s and early '80s (Stubb later moved to
> Austin and sold the restaurant;
> he died in 1995). The panel was put together by
> Sharon Ely (wife of Joe) and
> featured Joe, Butch Hancock, Terry Allen (who
> created a large statue of Stubb
> that graces the site of the former barbecue) and his
> wife, actress Jo Harvey
> Allen. A luncheon next door featured performances by
> Holly imitator John
> Mueller (who was out of 'uniform' but still good)
> along with Taj Mahal (a very
> cool guy who also gave the keynote speech), Kevin
> Montgomery, Reynolds,
> and some others. Maria Elena and Buddy's brothers
> Larry and Travis
> attended.
>
> The afternoon panel featured Maria Elena, Carolyn
> Hester (a folksinger who
> had known Buddy in the Village in the '50s; Buddy
> also produced some tracks
> for her which remain unreleased), and Tommy Allsup
> and Carl Bunch (who
> played with Buddy on the Winter Dance Party tour).
> They talked about
> Buddy's days in New York and the notorious
> conditions on the last tour
> (Bunch, who had been hospitalized for frostbite
> before the Clear Lake date,
> mentioned that some on the bus had set newspapers on
> fire to keep warm,
> opening the windows to let the smoke out). I was
> amazed that the auditorium
> was less than half-full for this amazing panel.
>
> Saturday there was a panel at a downtown club on
> 'the business of music'
> (which I skipped) and a tour of the BHC gallery with
> Bill Griggs (Lubbock's
> number-one Holly fan and historian). Griggs also
> moderated a panel on '60s
> West Texas music, with the likes of Tommy X Hancock,
> and George Tomsco
> of the Fireballs. In the late afternoon there was
> another courtyard concert with
> Willis Alan Ramsey and Beth Wood, which I skipped.
>
> On Sunday there was a free concert on the Center
> grounds, on two stages:
> the courtyard (softer, more folk-like music) and the
> parking lot (rock). The
> highlights for me were Ponty Bone (Texas zydeco) and
> the Texana Dames,
> and, in the courtyard, Kevin Montgomery and the
> Roadtrippers; Montgomery
> did a lovely version of "Wishin'," which his dad and
> Buddy sang back in the
> day. And of course, who could forget Maria Elena
> getting up on stage during
> the set by Patricia Vonne (a Texan of Mexican
> heritage who sings in English
> and Spanish), playing castanets and dancing!
>
> I was surprised that the seminar and festival wasn't
> better attended; I heard
> that the reason it had to be held the weekend before
> Buddy's birthday, and
> not this weekend (Sept. 6-7), was that the National
> Cowboy Symposium had
> dibs on the stage! (I heard this from the owner of
> the eccentric and wonderful
> Hi-D-Ho diner, which is well worth a visit if you
> visit.) However, there were
> quite a few Brits who made it to Lubbock, as well as
> people from Spain,
> Canada, and all over the US...
>
> Lubbock is a friendly place where everybody seems to
> know each other, and
> the same goes for everyone attending the festival.
> The only thing I regret is
> missing out on the Saturday night jam at Moose
> Magoo's bar (because I didn't
> hear about it until after the fact -- aargh!).
> Montgomery, Reynolds and Al
> Perkins jammed with Joe Ely, Mueller, Allsup and
> Bunch for three hours
> (reports Montgomery himself on his website). You've
> gotta check the local
> paper for listings...
>
> By the way -- happy 67th, Buddy, wherever you are...
>
> Wes


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