Buddy Holly: A Biography - Ellis Amburn

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Buddy Holly: A Biography - Ellis Amburn

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Some dead celebrities pass beyond "legendary" status to become objects of downright cultish obsession. Buddy Holly, the skinny young Texan with horn-rims, is one such, and Amburn's biography will please true believers who tend to think Holly began the process by which the Beatles and their ilk transformed rock from kids' music into art. Amburn finds deep significance in the minutiae of Holly's life and career, and his prose bogs down periodically as Holly's old associates chew past events to dust. Yet from all this sedulous examination and reexamination, tidbits not aired in other sources emerge; for instance, Little Richard's assessment of Holly's genitalia, which may reveal more about Richard than Holly, contributes to Holly's "legend" just as the Plaster Casters' immortalization of Jimi Hendrix did to his. Occasionally, the book seems diffuse; subjects are minutely examined, then abruptly dropped. Still, this comprehensive look at one of the most influential early rockers deserves its place in most pop-music collections, all the more so because of its impeccable references, detailed bibliography, and discography. Mike Tribby

From Library Journal
Since Holly's death, countless films and books have perpetuated his memory and evolved into myth. Dispelling the myths and concentrating on Holly's importance to the history of rock'n'roll, Amburn's work?which he describes as "the last book in my trilogy…on the Texas roots of rock & roll" (following Dark Star, LJ 5/1/90, about Roy Orbison, and Pearl, Warner, 1992, about Janis Joplin)?stands out as the definitive biography. Holly's music is important, and Amburn's serious and thorough research solidifies this position while offering a comprehensive view of the singer's life. Unfortunately, this very seriousness and thoroughness at times impedes the pace of the book; a detailed record-by-record, concert-by-concert account of a life does not make for an exciting read. Amburn's long passages of sociohistorical filler give Holly's place in rock history the status it deserves but also add to the tedium. Still, when Amburn concentrates on Holly's personal life, then the book picks up, and the dramatic day-by-day account of Holly's last days works, perhaps because the reader knows the ultimate outcome.