BUDDY HOLLY LIVES - The Buddy Holly Fan Pages By Hans

All fans of Buddy Holly are old and grey.

That's what a lot of people think.

I know a lot of young fans and would like to introduce to you

a young actress from the UK, SIOBHAN DALY, a real Buddy nut.

Landläufig ist man der Meinung, alle Buddy Fans sind alt und grau. Ich kenne eine Menge junge Fans und möchte hier eine junge Schauspielerin aus Großbritannien vorstellen, die Buddy Holly sehr verehrt. Ihr Name ist SIOBHAN DALY.


	Siobhan Daly


	THAT'LL BE THE DAY

I can remember the first time I ever played a Buddy Holly record. I was a

child, way back in the 1980s, and I had raided my parents' vinyl collection

to find music to play on my brand new, first ever record player. A song

called 'That'll Be The Day' caught my eye and off I went to my room to

play this new treasure. I can remember sitting there and listening to music

like I had never heard before. What were these amazing rhythms? What was

this music that made me want to joyfully dance? Who was this man singing

in such a unique style? Why had I never heard this before or anything like

it? What gems had my parents been hiding from me?! In a world of 80s

techno sounds, the shock of hearing the brilliant harmonies and that pure

musical passion still sticks with me and thus began a life enriched by

the music of Buddy Holly.

I am a young British actress with a passion for Buddy Holly. I confess.

I love Buddy and his music. I can quite happily listen to the same songs

and albums over and over again, back to back, singing at the top of my

voice. My friends are not so keen but I am an evangelist and I love telling

people about Buddy, why he's amazing, why they should start listening

with new ears to his music as soon as possible.

	John Lennon

I love challenging people with Buddy trivia. Where did the Beatles get the

inspiration for their name? What was the first song John Lennon learnt on

the guitar (via his mother's banjo)? Who wrote the Rolling Stones' first top

three hit? Who is the song 'American Pie' about (you'd be surprised how

many people don't know)? Who pioneered and popularised double

tracking, electric guitars, echo chambers, new musical techniques?

Who, who, who!


	Siobhan Daly

And seeing as I'm in a confessional mood, I don't mind telling my fellow fans

that I recently searched throughout London looking for a pair of glasses like

Buddy's. I studied photos. I set off on my journey. The nearest I could find -

and I was adamant about the front rivets - were RayBan Wayfarers. The

opticians tried to sell me Chanel, but I said absolutely not. I knew what I

was looking for. I had the opticians take out the sunglasses and put in

optical glass. They're great. I love the statement - I wear glasses and I'm

proud of it. My little sister wears glasses too. At first she was self-conscious,

but when she saw her sister wearing huge Buddy style frames she has

decided to be loud and proud also. While at her opticians, she was proudly

telling the staff about her big sister who wears Buddy Holly glasses and that

her favourite song is 'Everyday'. I know this as she often makes me sing it

to her. I feel so thrilled that a new generation is finding out about this

amazing man but also taking courage from him, even still.


	Buddy Holly Glasses

As a creative person, I can't tell you how much admiration and respect I

have for Buddy. Real creativity takes bravery, it takes people of strong

conviction to stand up and make a difference. Buddy did this and he was

so young. He didn't listen to the small minded, negative people. He

followed his heart and changed everything. It amazes me when I look at

modern performers to see how people are afraid to be different, but all

major creative changes come this way, and Buddy was doing it over fifty

years ago! I wish I could have experienced the impact of his music

firsthand in the 50s. What a shock it must have been! I often think of

Buddy before I perform or go for auditions. Sometimes I'm asked to play

the guitar at auditions and I always sing Buddy. It's part of my evangelism

and part of my inspiration. I've always got those roles.


	Actress Siobhan Daly

I love the joy and excitement in Buddy's music. It's so fresh, it's so raw

and heartfelt. You can help but be drawn to that. If ever I'm feeling low,

I flick on a Buddy album. I'll be fine by the end of 'Rave On!', guaranteed!

I find it impossible to find a favourite track when I love so many. If I was

pushed, I might choose 'Moondreams', but there are just so many. Listening

to a Buddy album is like listening to a compilation of all my favourite music

in one place! Track after track is perfect aural delight. 'Everyday', 'It's

Raining in My Heart', 'Girl on My Mind', 'Peggy Sue Got Married', 'True Love

Ways', 'Oh Boy!' and there's more and more!

Even when Buddy didn't write the song, I always prefer his delivery. There's

just something about him that always makes me smile. He sings about things

we've all experienced - love, loss, romantic confusion, romantic anticipation!

- and always with a lightness of touch that you can't walk away from

without feeling better for.


	© B.Francis Buddy Holly smiling

Like all of us, I wish he was still here. I wish we could have seen how things

had turned out. I wish we could have seen what artists he would have

produced, what new sounds he would have engineered. My heart aches for

his widowed bride, his family, his fans past, present and future, for his

promise and staggering potential. I still can't believe how much he had

accomplished by the age of 22.

He did more in those years than some people do in a lifetime. I'm grateful

that we have what we have. I'm thankful that he produced as much as he

did by February 1959. But I'm still sad. I was quite upset around the 50th

anniversary and I spoke to my mother - another fan - about it, who said

you know Buddy was one of the good guys, that's why it can be so hard

for us to accept what happened. He was making a positive difference in

this world with his music. In a society where so many people bring misery,

Buddy delighted in bringing us joy and excitement. My grandmother

distinctly remembers where she was the day she heard all those years

ago. She said she cried uncontrollably and she still cries when she hears

his music. Isn't that amazing, that four generations of people from one

family are still impacted by one man who chose to be true to himself,

still singing his songs, still dancing. Perhaps this is the biggest legacy

and testament to a life well lived.


	Siobhan Daly in the studio

	And that's what I love about Buddy. When you've been touched by his music, you understand. You have a common brotherhood around the world. People who love pure, sincere joy and fun. Who laugh, dance and cry. When I get to heaven, I hope Buddy is one of the first people I meet as I want to say thank you. Thank you for giving us so much. The world was a better place for it.

Many thanks to Siobhan for her fine report, written with heart and soul.

Vielen Dank an Siobhan für ihren mit viel Herzblut geschriebenen Bericht.