Peggy Sue

Throbbing paradiddles by innovative drummer Jerry Allison propelling it onward like a skyrocket, "Peggy Sue" stands as one of Buddy Holly's crowning achievements during a tragically truncated career. Holly's hiccupping vocals were seldom more charming; his crashing guitar solo was a rousing barrage of savage Tex-Mex chords, Allison's drumming brought a new dimension to rock & roll timekeeping, and the song's chord sequence was just distinctive enough to stand tall during a year that was absolutely filled to bursting with seminal rock & roll platters. No wonder it catapulted up to number three on Billboard's pop charts in late 1957/early 1958. The classic collaboration between Holly and Allison had originally been envisioned by Holly as "Cindy Lou," but Allison suggested the switch to honor his girlfriend and future wife, Peggy Sue. Producer Norman Petty also is listed as one of the song's writers (Remembering Buddy, John Goldrosen and John Beecher's fine Holly biography, credits Petty with brainstorming the memorable chord change under the "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty Peggy Sue" line); the track was cut at the close of June 1957, during three fruitful days of sessions at Petty's Clovis, NM, studios with only Allison and bassist Joe B. Mauldin abetting Holly's singular guitar work. Instead of issuing it on the Brunswick logo under the moniker of the Crickets as his smash "That'll Be the Day" had been, "Peggy Sue" hit the shelves under Holly's own name on another Decca subsidiary, Coral Records. When "Oh, Boy!" came out only a month after "Peggy Sue" as by the Crickets, Holly was riding sky-high with three Top Ten smashes in barely more than three months.