JERRY ALLISON GIVES A RUNDOWN ON HOW HE CREATED PEGGY SUE

PEGGY SUE was pretty much the first rock song I ever listened to, thanks in no part to my mum who was a huge BUDDY HOLLY fan when she was a teenager and because there was a vinyl greatest hits of the great Texan in my parents house from when I was born. Well I take that back, I think I would have heard THAT'LL BE THE DAY before PEGGY SUE but because I was only 4 years old my memory might be a bit sketchy.


The late 70`s was a confusing time (laugh). JERRY ALLISON talks with a deep American twang, almost like he comes from Alabama and not Texas, and he was a very underrated drummer.


His rather peculiar and eccentric method of playing the drums on PEGGY SUE, where he opted for the tom-tom brass band beat in place of R&B 4/4, would have to rate as one of the greatest punts that struck the jackpot in the history of rock drumming.


Holly's producer NORMAN PETTY thought Allison was half mad trying the tom-tom approach, but it ended up working a charm and made PEGGY SUE one of the most unique sounding pieces of rock'n'roll ever recorded.


As brief as this You Tube footage is, it's still priceless to see a much older and balding Jerry Allison give a quick demo of playing the song in the modern era (on a much bigger drum kit) and footage of Holly and the Crickets playing PEGGY SUE live on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW back in the 1950's.