''In Style With the Crickets'' is a

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

album by

the Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

. Although it was the band's first release following the departure and subsequent death of their front man, Buddy Holly, it still contains many of the band's most memorable songs and many tracks have also been featured on numerous compilations over the years. Originally released as an LP record on December 4, 1960, the album remained out of print for some time until it was re-released on CD in 1993, with bonus tracks not featured on the original album.

Background

This album is notably the Crickets' first album after the departure of frontman Buddy Holly in October 1958. The Crickets had previously recorded as the backing band on Holly's debut solo album, '' Buddy Holly'' released in February 1958. Recording of a formal follow-up to Crickets' acclaimed debut, ''

The "Chirping" Crickets ''The "Chirping" Crickets'' is the debut album from the American rock and roll band the Crickets, led by Buddy Holly. It was the group's only album released during Holly's lifetime. In 2012, it was ranked number 420 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

'' began in 1958 which led to the Crickets putting out a single on Brunswick records, " Love's Made a Fool of You" b/w/ " Someone, Someone". To replace Holly, a new vocalist,

Earl Sinks Henry Earl Sinks (January 1, 1940 – May 13, 2017), known professionally as Earl Sinks, was an American singer-songwriter and actor, known by many pseudonyms. He led a prolific musical and acting career from the 1950s to the 1990s before reti ...

was brought in due to his similar singing style. On guitar, Holly's close friend and former bandmate

Sonny Curtis Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include " Wa ...

joined, who also became a primary songwriter for the band. After a disagreement with the band, Sinks left before the record was released.

Release and legacy

The album includes covers of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu", "

Great Balls of Fire "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie '' Jamboree''. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 rec ...

" and " Ting-A-Ling. The album also includes many songs that would go on to be hits for other artists: "

More Than I Can Say "More Than I Can Say" is a song written by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, both former members of Buddy Holly's band the Crickets. They recorded it in 1959 soon after Holly's death and released it in 1960. Their original version hit No. 42 on B ...

", made famous by

Bobby Vee Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to ''Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty-ei ...

and

Leo Sayer Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...

; and “Someone, Someone”, made famous by

Brian Poole & The Tremeloes The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with "Do You Love Me". After Poole's depart ...

The Bobby Fuller Four The Bobby Fuller Four (sometimes stylized as Bobby Fuller 4) was a popular mid-1960s American rock & roll band started by Bobby Fuller. First formed in 1962 in Fuller's hometown of El Paso, Texas, the group went on to produce some of its most m ...

were significantly influenced by this album, having some of their greatest hits come directly from this album: "

I Fought the Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' lis ...

" and " Love's Made a Fool of You". The band also covered "Baby My Heart", which was released after the band broke up.

Terry Manning Terry Manning is an American photographer, composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, audio engineer, and visual artist. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he has worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams, ...

and the Wild Ones recorded a cover of "Just This Once" and

Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designe ...

released a cover of " Love's Made a Fool of You". The most popular songs from the album itself are "Love's Made a Fool of You", "When You Ask About Love", "More Than I Can Say", and "Baby My Heart". While not popular in the U.S., they received significant airplay in the U.K. "I Fought the Law" became a popular song in the Crickets' repertoire for years to come. The 1993 CD re-release includes outtakes from the Crickets' studio sessions surrounding the recording of the album. Included is "Someone, Someone", the B-side to the single "Love's Made a Fool of You", featured on the album. The songs off the single "Don't Cha Know" featuring vocalist

David Box David Box (August 11, 1943 – October 23, 1964) was an American rock musician in the early 1960s. Box was influenced by fellow Texan Buddy Holly, and even took his place as singer of his group, The Crickets, for a short time after Holly's deat ...

are also featured in these bonus tracks. The B-side, "Peggy Sue Got Married", is a cover of Buddy Holly's acoustic demo, which was never formally recorded by the band during his lifetime. The Crickets' recording features an instrumental similar to the original "

Peggy Sue "Peggy Sue" is a rock and roll song written by Jerry Allison and Norman Petty, and recorded and released as a single by Buddy Holly on September 20, 1957. The Crickets are not mentioned on label of the single (Coral 9-61885), but band members Joe ...

", and is noted for Box's vocals being very similar to Holly's. Further reissues of the album were put out under various titles and labels, many composed of alternate takes of songs appearing on the album.

Track listing

Personnel

Although the front of the album sleeve only shows pictures of Joe Mauldin, Jerry Allison, and Sonny Curtis the line-up was as follows: ;The Crickets *

– lead vocals (2–6, 8–13, 15–17) *

–

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

(1–13, 15–17), lead vocals (1, 7) * Joe B. Mauldin –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

* J.I. Allison – drums (all but 14), rhythm guitar (14) ;Additional personnel *

– lead guitar (14, 18), lead vocals (14, 18) *

Dudley Brooks Dudley Brooks (December 22, 1913 – July 17, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. Biography Brooks was born on December 22, 1913, in Los Angeles, California.

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

(1, 2, 3, 7, 17) * Ernie Hall – drums (14) * The Roses –

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

(12, 13) *

Tommy Allsup Thomas Douglas Allsup (November 24, 1931 – January 11, 2017) was an American rockabilly and swing musician. Personal life Allsup was born near Owasso, Oklahoma in 1931, and was an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. Allsup had a son, ...

– rhythm guitar (1–5, 7–10) * Vi Petty – piano (13)

Charts

Album

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1960 albums The Crickets albums Coral Records albums Albums produced by Norman Petty