Maybe Baby

Album: The Buddy Holly Story (1958)
Charted: 4 17
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Songfacts®:

  • This was recorded Sept, 1957 at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Background vocals were added later at Petty Studios in Clovis, NM.
  • Charles Hardin and Norman Petty wrote this. Hardin is Buddy Holly (real name Charles Hardin Holley) and Petty was his producer and manager. Holly's first 2 singles flopped, but he had a string of hits after he started working with Petty. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    David - Lubbock, TX, for above 2
  • This was credited to The Crickets, who were Holly's band. Holly had a deal with Decca Records where some songs were released under his name and others credited to the band.
  • Decca is a name the company made up. It was chosen because it was easy to say and pronounced the same way in any language.
  • The album The Buddy Holly Story is a compilation of his songs that was released a few weeks after he died in a plane crash.

Comments: 12

  • Jennifur Sun from RamonaFrank and Don, not speaking evil of the dead but have heard and read that he was the reason Buddy had to go on that tour he never returned from.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 14th 1958, Buddy Holly and the Crickets perform at the Granada Theater in Woolwich, London, England*...
    At the time "Maybe Baby" {at #21} , "Peggy Sue" {at #78} , and "Oh Boy!" {at #100} were all on Billboard's Top 100 chart back in the U.S.A.
    The theater had a seating capacity of 2,434; and sitting in one of those seats was a fourteen-year old lad from Dartford, Kent named Mick Jagger...
    * The twenty-five play dates at two sets a night tour began on March 1st, 1958 and would be the only time Buddy & the boys would appear in the United Kingdom.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 25th 1958, "Maybe Baby" by the Crickets (Buddy Holly) entered Billboard's Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #17 and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100...
    Twenty years later in 1978 it was covered by Susie Allanson; her version reached #7 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart...
    R.I.P. Mr. Holley (1936 - 1959).
  • Jeff from Scottsdale, AzWell, while it may be true that Petty took a fair amount of credit, a lot of it was due him. Putting aside any arguments as to whether Buddy would have been discovered by someone else, the recordings he made with Buddy are the ones that DID make Buddy famous. The background vocals, extra instrumentation, & full sound of the band are due to Petty (& in no small part his wife who played many instruments). For sure Buddy was a genius, but in the early stages he needed polishing, and that was what Petty did. Listen to the demos that are out there & you can hear what went into the final releases. All done in a little studio. Petty was a collaborater, & thus deserves a significant amount of the credit claimed.
  • John from Wirral, United KingdomWell in David Petty conned the band for his own ego trip John Wirral UK
  • Ted from Phoenix, AzThis is actually one of my favorite Buddy Holly songs. With is soulful lead vocals and nice harmonies, this ranks in my book as one of Buddy Holly's best.
  • Mike from Hueytown , AlAh... the great Buddy Holly...left us way too soon
  • Don from Joplin, MoI knew Norman Petty when I worked in the Pro Sound business. He was a decent man, and without him, I doubt that the world would have known Charles "Buddy" Holly.
  • Paul from Syracuse, NyAfter reading up on the Holly/Petty relationship, it appear that Norman Petty was to Buddy Holly as tom Parker was to Elvis, a leech.
  • David from Merseyside, Englandnorman petty did not write anything. he just convinced buddy and the other members of the band to give him credit.
  • Tony from Devon, EnglandSix months earlier than this airbase recording, the Crickets recorded a totally different version that wasn't released in the UK until 1966. Even then, it was heavily overdubbed, virtually obscuring Niki Sullivan's harmony vocals.
  • Frank from Westminster, ScNorman Petty was a seasoned professional musician and recording engineer who owned and operated his own studio in Clovis, New Mexico. It was the closest studio to Buddy Holly's hometown of Lubbock, Texas. He had moderate success with his group, "The Norman Petty Trio". He provided Holly with studio time and taught him his early lessons in studio recording. However, it was not long before Holly outgrew his need for Petty's guidance and near-total control, and struck out on his own. Petty's name went on the copyrights of some of Holly's songs, but his contribution to the songs themselves was little or none. It was just a way for him to make money. Petty was definitely NOT a rocker!
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