Oh boy, the beat goes on
The golden age of rock ’n’ roll will be celebrated in Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness as Buddy Holly and The Cricketers roll into town. Susan Welsh meets the man who brings Buddy to life – and gets audiences dancing in the aisles
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ALMOST 50 years ago, on a stormy, snowy night, Texan singer Buddy Holly boarded a plane along with pop stars Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Minutes later, the plane crashed and all three were killed.
Thankfully, their story and music did not die with them, but lived on for future generations to enjoy.
Nearly half a century later, their music still packs the sort of musical punch that can persuade audiences, young and old, to get up out of their seats and dance in the aisles, as anyone who has seen the show, Buddy Holly and The Cricketers, will testify.
For the past 16 years, this rollercoaster of a musical show, which visits Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness over the next few days, has been touring the world.
Antony Fletcher, who takes the role of Buddy on the Scottish leg of the current tour, hadn’t even been born when Buddy was around, but, by an odd quirk of fate, grew up listening to his music from a very early age.
“My dad was a big Buddy Holly fan and I grew up listening to his music,” said 30-year-old Antony.
“When I was nine, he taught me to play the guitar, and I think the first song I learned was Buddy’s Oh Boy! followed closely by Peggy Sue.
“People tell me I look like Buddy and I suppose I do because I’m quite tall and have a similar build, but let’s get one thing clear – in real life I don’t wear my hair in a big quiff or wear oversized glasses,” revealed a smiling Antony.
“That, along with Buddy’s Texan drawl, is kept strictly for the stage.”
When you are impersonating an icon, audiences can be very critical if you don’t get it exactly right.
“In an odd way, I am quite lucky to be playing Buddy. Although it seems like his music has been around for ever, he only enjoyed stardom for 18 months before he was killed,” said Antony.
“As a result, there is not a lot of film or video tape around of him appearing on stage, so the majority of people don’t really know what he walked and talked like.
“If I was impersonating someone like Paul McCartney, it would be very different because everyone knows what he sounds and looks like, but it’s different with Buddy as the only footage of him tends to be on grainy old film.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t go out of my way to recreate his look.
“By the time I’ve waxed my hair into a quiff, pulled on the dark suit and glasses and picked up my guitar, I look completely different and feel myself transforming into Buddy.”
Antony certainly sounds and looks the part and no matter where the show goes – America, Europe, the Middle East, Thailand or Scotland – it goes down a storm with fans and rocks theatres, clubs, open-air festivals and TV audiences alike.
Although it was 50 years ago that Buddy Holly visited Britain and took the country by storm, his music sounds as fresh as ever.
The slick, fast-paced show celebrates that golden anniversary, but it is much more than a straightforward tribute act as it combines music with improvised and scripted comedy, as well as featuring a few surprise guests from the rock ’n’ roll hall of fame.
All Buddy’s hits are there to be enjoyed, including Oh Boy!, That’ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Heartbeat, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore and Raining In My Heart, to name but a few.
For those looking for a night of nostalgia combined with great live music, it’s a hard act to beat, which is why we’ll probably still be enjoying Buddy Holly’s music 50 years from now.
Buddy Holly and The Cricketers are at Dundee Rep Theatre on Saturday (01382 223530/ www.dundeerep.co.uk), Aberdeen Arts Centre on Sunday (01224 641122/ www.boxoffice aberdeen.com) and Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, on Monday (01463 234 234/ www.eden-court.co.uk).
