After delivering many rock and roll hits, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash at the tender age of 22. But his catalogue mid-fifties jukebox music never died and will shortly be relived in Zachary Stevenson’s Tribute to Buddy Holly.
Complete with Holly’s signature black horn-rimmed glasses, slick grooves and electric moves, Stevenson recaptures the essence of the Texas native at the Arden Theatre on Sunday, October 8.
Holly sang numerous hits during the mid-50s and was one of the first singer-songwriters inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. As his popularity peaked, his music was played on virtually every radio station in North America. Several of the catchier numbers – That’ll Be the Day, Peggy Sue, Maybe Baby and Oh Boy are still tapped for movies and commercial soundtracks.
Stevenson lists many admirable qualities about Holly’s music. But “honesty” anchors the contributions.
“You could feel the energy, the emotion of it. It feels less contrived. When I think of Buddy Holly and his band The Crickets, and the songs they wrote, there was an excitement about making it. It was less about image and commercial appeal and more about music,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson, who grew up on Vancouver Island on a five-acre apple orchard with parents and siblings, lived a life considered nostalgic today.
“I feel I was born in the wrong era. In high school I was drawn to the music of the sixties – The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones.”
In Holly, Stevenson sees a kindred spirit.
He “was a good old southern boy who went to church. In some ways he enjoyed a typical middle-class life. But he was also a really determined individual. When he saw something he liked, he pushed for it. He was a leader, an outlier.”
“For those who have memories of Buddy Holly’s music, I hope I can bring levity. For those who are less familiar with his music, I hope they will appreciate his music. It’s unpretentious and genuine.”
Tribute to Buddy Holly, backed by The Rockin’ Royals Band, starts at 2 p.m. at St. Albert Place. Tickets are $59 and are available online at tickets.stalbert.ca.
