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This is my fourth visit to the show, the first being over two decades ago. In 1975 Jon Landau proclaimed Bruce Springsteen as the future of rock n roll. In 1958 Buddy Holly was the progenitor of the genre. Buddy himself played Birmingham Town hall in 1959.

As a musical theatre production, the statistics underscore the hyperbole for a show which celebrates the songs of an artist whose recording career lasted barely two years, but whose music endures. A jukebox musical, the two halves mainly comprise his rise to fame and studio work in the first half, and an extended concert sequence in the second. Total performances to 2024: 22,124

Number of people up and dancing at the end…
22,979,566

Buddy – the original ‘jukebox’ musical – has enjoyed phenomenal success, playing a record-breaking 4,900 performances over 614 weeks on tour in the UK and Ireland, as well as 5,822 performances over 728 weeks in London’s West End.

The backstory is fascinating.Buddy’s mum said “Charles Hardin was just too long a name for such a little boy”, so nicknamed him ‘Buddy’

Buddy Holly’s first instrument was the piano

Hank Williams was Buddy Holly’s earliest musical influence

The oldest known recording of Buddy is from about 1949, singing ‘My Two Timin’ Woman’ at around the age of 13, before his voice broke!

Buddy and his best friend Bob Montgomery opened for Elvis Presley in February 1955, at the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Buddy borrowing Presley’s guitar for the show

Buddy’s professional music career lasted just over three years, but he left behind almost 200 recordings made during that span

The original Crickets were Buddy Holly (lead guitar and vocals), Jerry Allison (drums), Niki Sullivan (rhythm guitar), and Joe Mauldin (bass) – their first hit was ‘That’ll Be The Day’

Buddy and the Crickets wrote most of their own material, which was unique at the time. Before Buddy, pop music performance and song-writing were mostly separate endeavours, where composers wrote songs and performers recorded and played them in concert

Buddy and the Crickets played on Ed Sullivan’s popular variety show twice, but refused to appear a third time due to a previous disagreement with Sullivan about what they could play

Buddy used a loan from his brother Larry to buy a $600 Fender Stratocaster, which he would use on his records and in concerts

Buddy recorded seven songs that Elvis Presley also recorded, including ‘Ready Teddy’, ‘Rip It Up’ and ‘Bo Diddley’

Buddy and the Crickets toured Hawaii, Australia and England in early 1958 – the tour of England in March was compered by Des O’Connor

Paul McCartney watched Buddy at home in Liverpool on TV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium to find out exactly which chords he used

The Crickets appeared on the 100th show of Sunday Night at the London Palladium – Bob Hope was top of the bill

Paul McCartney once said: “If it weren’t for the Crickets, there wouldn’t be any Beatles”

The ‘Chirping’ Crickets was the only group LP with Buddy to be issued in his lifetime. The iconic cover photo was somewhat hurriedly taken on a theatre roof in Brooklyn, before a concert

Buddy played his last concert at the Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2nd, 1959, along with fellow rock & roll stars Ritchie Valens and J.P. ‘the Big Bopper’ Richardson

Legendary country superstar Waylon Jennings had his first record produced by Buddy Holly

According to the song credits on ‘Not Fade Away’ and ‘Baby I Don’t Care’ Jerry Allison’s instrument was the ‘cardboard box’! On ‘Everyday’ he is credited with ‘knee slapping’!

One of Buddy’s most famous hits, ‘Peggy Sue’, was originally called ‘Cindy Lou’, but he changed it at the request of Jerry Allison, who wanted the song to be named after his girlfriend

Buddy proposed to Maria Elena Santiago on their first date – they were married just weeks later on August 15th, 1958, in a private ceremony in the Holley’s house in Lubbock

The Quarrymen (later to become The Beatles) covered ‘That’ll Be The Day’ in their first recording. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe (the Beatles’ original bass guitarist) were all huge Buddy Holly fans, and came up with the name The Beatles in homage to Buddy’s band the Crickets

Buddy’s ‘Not Fade Away’ was covered by the Rolling Stones in 1964, and became the band’s first top 10 hit in Britain, reaching number three

Two major films have been made about Buddy Holly; Gary Busey received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Buddy in The Buddy Holly Story in 1979, then in 1987 lifelong fan Paul McCartney narrated The Real Buddy Holly Story documentary

Don McLean’s 1971 classic ‘American Pie’ is all about the fateful plane crash which claimed the lives of Buddy, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson. In the third verse McLean sings, “I can’t remember if I cried, when I read about his widowed bride.” The bride was Maria Elena Holly (née Santiago)

Waylon Jennings gave the Big Bopper his seat on the plane, while Ritchie Valens beat Tommy Allsup in a coin toss for a seat – Ritchie called heads and won

On 1st July 1976 Paul McCartney purchased the rights to Buddy Holly’s entire song catalogue

In 1980 the citizens of Lubbock, Texas, Buddy’s home town, unveiled a heroic bronze statue of their most famous son

Rolling Stone magazine ranked Buddy 13th in its list of ‘100 Greatest Artists of All-Time’ in 2011 — not bad considering Buddy died at the age of just 22!

The musical Buddy has run in London’s West End for many years. Opening in October 1989, it has played at the Victoria Palace, Strand (now Novello), and Duchess Theatres.

A J Jenks takes the eponymous role in this performance ,Angular and enthusiastic, Jenks is credible and lively, . In all Joseph has ten supporting musicians and singers, including a three piece brass section, a luxury which Buddy Holly never had, providing a full, sumptuous and authentic sound.

The plot, such as it is , joins the dots between the musical numbers, but does not shirk the casual misogyny and more pernicious racism which was abroad at the time. The Hippodrome is a magnificent theatre and provides a fitting showcase for a talented cast who gave this matinee performance their all

Amongst numerous satisfying cameos, Marta Miranda shone as Maria Elena who shimmies and strolls in a gorgeous cream pleated skirt as Buddy’s girlfriend then sports a stunning black evening gown as auxiliary saxophonist with the band. Miguel Angel is Ritchie Valens and choreographer. Unsurprisingly he moves well. Josh Barton Bops as the big bopper with “Chantilly Lace”. Matt Salisbury Directs with vim and vigour.

The Hippodrome’s voluminous stage is well suited to a set which incorporates recording studios, concert halls, radio stations, and living space and provides a sense of occasion as the theatre stage becomes a concert stage.

There is no secret to this show’s success and longevity, the songs are very strong. A stripped down “Everyday” is the highlight of the first half, “Rave On” the raucous star of the second. Contemporary hits “Shout” , “ La Bamba” and “Johnny B Goode” flesh out the musical numbers offering variety, shade and musical context. Unfortunately the glorious “La Bamba” is squandered by a poor arrangement and sound mix. The iconic guitar chimes are lost, subsumed in a muddy bass and keyboard murk. Such a waste. I also found the ubiqitous use of the call ad respone ” I cant hear you” irritating.

A fine second performance at the Hippodrome it plays till saturday and then continues its nationwide tour.