My return to Lubbock was incredibly fun and eventful. First off, let me say that Connie Gibbons and the staff of the Buddy Holly Center did a tremendous job of gathering a most impressive array of guests. Kudos to Texas Tech for hosting many of the events as well.

There was so much going on at any one time that you literally had to sometimes miss things just by virtue of not being able to be in two places at the same time. For those unable to be there, here are a few of my favorite highlights.

The Songwriters Expo

Featuring Marshall Crenshaw, Joe Ely, Delbert McClinton, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Jo Carol Pierce and Terry Allen. Great discussions on the craft of songwriting and in particular what it meant to have come from Lubbock, TX and how Buddy Holly influenced them all. Best of all, each guest did an unplugged song at the end that was fantastic. Bravo!

Reminiscing with Family

Larry and Travis Holly, Sherry Holly and Maria Elena Holly. Enjoying poignant first hand accounts of the Buddy they knew. Great anecdotal stories shared that I'd never heard before or read anywhere. It was a nice and intimate gathering at the Buddy Holly Center. 4 stars and a box of Kleenex!

The Music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets

Wow! Jerry, Joe B., Sonny, and Tommy Allsup all gathered at Texas Tech to speak about their experiences. Could have listened for hours. Nicely moderated by William Bush. Sonny, Tommy and Jerry should have their own talk shows as they were hilarious. Joe B. was an excellent straight man to them all -- great deadpan deliveries! Two thumbs up! Way up!

The Flatlanders Concert

Great show by Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and an unbelievably talented accordion player whose name escapes me.

And last but not least . . .

. . . my performance with Dr. Bruno and the Prophets of Rock at the special Texas Tech luncheon presentation to Maria Elena Holly, where four musical scholarships were created in the name of Buddy Holly and presented by Texas Tech president, David Schmidly.

I had a fun time a singin' and a twangin' and also brought up special guests Jack Neal (co-wrote "Modern Don Juan" and also of "Buddy and Jack," the first person to perform live on the air with Buddy), Sherry Holley (Buddy's niece), and Marshall Crenshaw ("Someday, Someway"), who did Buddy's "I'm Looking for Someone to Love," while I sang back up. Great fun!

After the singing I proudly donated $1,000.00 from our WDP tours to the Buddy Holly Center for their musical outreach programs for children.

Oh, and I almost forgot the rendition of "Peggy Sue" I did with the Texas Tech Marching Band in front of 49,000 people at halftime! It's supposed to have set a Guinness Book record, but confirmation is still pending. It certainly was interesting! Best part, I think, was that the marching band was formed and shaped like a giant pair of Buddy glasses! Thanks to Margaret Lutherer for the coordination efforts.

Finally, if all this was not enough fun, there were many late night impromptu jams in our hotel's hospitality suite. I jammed with Tommy Allsup and also George Tomsco of the Fireballs, and darned if I didn't miss all of the Flatlanders up there singing the night away. Maybe it had something to do with the 3:00 a.m. start time! Even better yet was an afternoon spent jamming with Larry and Travis Holley at Larry's house! Thanks to Wanda Corn for planning that. I will cherish it forever.

This was a 65th B-day celebration of Buddy of the highest order. I can't begin to say how much the Buddy Holly Center and Texas Tech created a week to remember. Perhaps Larry Holley said it best: "Buddy would wonder what on earth all this fuss about him was for."

I think we all know.

Make sure to get to Lubbock near the end of August and beginning of September to attend this event. As of now, it is planned to be an annual event with different guests every year and promises to be quite fun. Check out www.buddyhollycenter.org for more info.

Your Buddy,

John