Buddy Holly with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: True Love Ways: https://UMe.lnk.to/TrueLoveWays
February 3, 2019 is the 60th anniversary of Buddy Holly’s tragic plane crash death at the age of 22. That day became known as “The Day the Music Died,” famously referenced in Don McLean’s song, “American Pie.” Holly is survived by his wife Maria Elena, to whom he had been married for less than a year.
True Love Ways (the name of the song written for Buddy’s wife, Maria Elena) features Buddy Holly’s distinctive original vocals and guitar playing, set to exquisite arrangements newly recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Angel Studios. The album is produced by Nick Patrick, the man behind successful orchestral albums for Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, and The Carpenters.
The album is a poignant realization of a dream Holly first explored just four months before his tragic death. On October 21, 1958, Holly embarked on a musical adventure he would have continued, had he had the chance. He entered the Decca Studios in New York for a three-and-a-half-hour recording session with an 18-piece orchestra, fronted by Dick Jacobs, known for bringing strings to rock & roll. They recorded four tracks: “True Love Ways,” “Raining In My Heart,” “Moondreams,” and “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” all of which are soaked in strings, clearly demonstrating a new direction for Holly’s music.
Holly’s widow, Maria Elena, explains that her husband thought then that the rock & roll era had peaked: “Buddy felt orchestral music in a popular vein was where the future lay, so he wanted to write, record, explore and innovate that style. So what better combination than the Royal Philharmonic and Buddy’s music. It’s just beautiful.”
Maria Elena also recalls Buddy telling her he learned to play the violin as a child and later, he had fantasized about writing film scores.
True Love Ways’ orchestral arrangements invigorate, rather than overwhelm, Holly’s originating rock & roll style, preserving the energy of the songs he recorded with The Crickets. “Everyday” shines anew, with playful pizzicato strings and percussion alighting around Holly’s original vocals. “Peggy Sue,” whose namesake recently died at age 78, is carried along by percussion reminiscent of a cowboy movie score, with a cinematic string climax. The new orchestral versions of “That’ll Be The Day” and “Oh Boy” are warm and exciting turns for the beloved classics. “Heartbeat,” the last song Holly released, retains its rockabilly guitar, while the new arrangement’s strings serve to lift the spirits even higher.
“This is what Buddy would’ve wanted done.” – Larry Holley, Buddy Holly’s brother
