Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Crickets Drummer Jerry Allison Dies
Sometimes when you ponder upon a life lived, you can’t help but marvel at all the events seen, the accomplishments achieved, and the history experienced by someone’s eyes and ears. Such is the case for Jerry Ivan Allison, known as JI by many close friends, family, and band mates. From being there at the very formation of rock and roll, to escaping the fateful “Day The Music Died,” to later working with country music legends, he was much more than a fly on the wall for a host of historic events, he kept the beat behind them.
Known best as the drummer for The Crickets who minded the rhythm for Buddy Holly with bass player Joe B. Mauldin, JI Allison was born in Hillsboro, Texas on August 31, 1939, but would make an international name for himself hanging around Lubbock. At first, they were known simply by “The Crickets” band name, and they created the template for future rock bands by writing much of their own material as opposed to working with dedicated songwriters, and naming themselves after an insect. It’s no coincidence that when The Beatles came along with their mop tops a few years later, they modeled themselves after these boys from Texas.
Along with playing drums in the Crickets, JI Allison also co-wrote numerous songs for the outfit, including the original hit from the band “That’ll Be The Day” from 1957, and later the immortal “Peggy Sue.” Drumming in rock and roll was still a formative art at that time, and when Allison chose to only play toms on “Peggy Sue,” and to only use lap pats with his palms on “Everyday,” it made for a wickedly innovative approach compared to the snare-and-crash formula of the day, and it would resonate across popular music.
In 1958, the three piece transitioned from The Crickets, to Buddy Holly, with The Crickets as Holly’s backing band. JI Allison was still right in the mix though, and the band soon became one of the hottest things in rock and roll. Of course, it was all short-lived. Buddy Holly died in a plane crash on February 3rd, 1959 in Clear Lake, Iowa on the way to a gig with The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and the pilot Roger Peterson all perishing as well. Buddy Holly was only 22.
At the time though, The Crickets were officially taking a hiatus from the Buddy Holly entourage, with a guitar player named Tommy Allsup, and little-known guy named from Littlefield, Texas named Waylon Jennings replacing The Crickets members. Luckily for Waylon and Tommy, they’d taken the bus to the gig and avoided the plane crash, and would later work closely with JI Allison and The Crickets.
Allison kept The Crickets going in one incarnation or another all the way up to 2016 before officially retiring. The band became a proving ground for musicians, including the world-renown guitarist Albert Lee. The Crickets released nearly a dozen records all the way into the 2000s, helping to keep the memory of Buddy Holly and the heart of rock and roll alive. But JI also worked as a session and touring musician, and regularly veered into the country music world.
JI Allison played behind The Everly Brothers, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Nanci Griffith, Eddie Cochran, and others. The Crickets also backed up Eric Clapton, and Paul McCartney from the rock world. In 2012, Jerry “JI” Allison and the original Crickets officially became members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame beside Buddy Holly.
JI Allison was also part of one of the most legendary stories in country music history. In May of 1958, Buddy Holly and his original Crickets flew into Dallas’s Love Field airport on a connecting flight back to Lubbock after a big tour. Instead of flying to Lubbock, they all decided to purchase motorcycles, and drive back home. Buddy Holly purchased an Ariel Cyclone motorcycle. Buddy Holly’s father had kept the motorcycle until 1970, when he sold it to someone in Austin, TX.
Then in 1979 for Waylon’s 42nd birthday, The Crickets Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin tracked down the motorcycle, bought it back, and had it hand delivered to north Texas where Waylon found it sitting there in the middle of his hotel room after walking off stage that night.
“What else could I do? I swung my leg over it, stomped on the kickstarter, and it burst into roaring life. First kick. It was midnight, and it sounded twice as loud bouncing off the walls of that hotel room. I knew Buddy wouldn’t mind,” Waylon Jennings recalled.
Jerry “JI” Allison was there to see it, along with many other legendary moments.
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On Monday, August 22nd, the official Buddy Holly page on Facebook announced, “Our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Jerry ‘JI’ Allison, drummer in The Crickets, one of Buddy’s very closest friends, and the inspiration to drummers for decades since, who passed away today. JI was a musician ahead of his time, and undoubtedly his energy, ideas and exceptional skill contributed to both The Crickets, and rock n’ roll itself, becoming such a success. Buddy is often heralded as the original singer-songwriter, but JI, too, wrote and inspired so many of the songs that would go on to be eternal classics. For today, we think about his family and friends and wish JI to rest in peace.”
Jerry Allison was 82.
August 22, 2022 @ 7:01 pm
What a life! When I think about those old films of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, I always think of Jerry bobbing his head along with the beat. Requiescat in pace, JI.
August 22, 2022 @ 7:38 pm
Great write up. Another one gone but a life well lived. Rest in Peace but bang those drums in heaven.
August 22, 2022 @ 8:37 pm
What a strange coincidence, I just learned about Jerry Allison about half an hour ago. I was reading a book called Rockabilly: A 40 Year Journey. According to the book, the song he co-wrote with Buddy Holly took two versions to really get it down:
“The version of That’ll Be the Day recorded for Decca seven months prior was good, but lacked the punch it needed. When you listen to the two of them back to back you can really hear the chemistry between Buddy and Jerry. And that drumming on that song and all future ones to come out of the Clovis studio really helped immensely to create the Buddy Holly rockabilly sound.”
It’s not surprising that he ended up playing with Waylon Jennings, because (as I also just learned) Buddy Holly was a huge influence on Waylon, taking him out on tour before his death:
“Buddy had met Waylon in Texas when Waylon was a disc jockey. Waylon has stated to me and many others that Buddy was the first one in his life to make him believe in himself as an artist and believe that he could achieve anything he wanted in life.”
August 22, 2022 @ 8:52 pm
Nice write up trigger. Man was part of music history
August 22, 2022 @ 10:24 pm
Thank you for this
August 23, 2022 @ 4:23 am
The Buddy Holly Museum in Lubbock has J I’srestores childhood hme right next to the museum, it was moved to the location and renovated to the original time period. Tours are given as well.
My daughter also lived in an apartment complex while attending Texas Tech and I found out that her unit was right on the spot where Buddy was born and lived the first 4 years of his life, on now what is named Mac Davis Lane.
RIP Jerry, You are a legend!
August 23, 2022 @ 8:47 am
I take it, it was just the sound and not the motorcycle itself bouncing off the walls of Waylon’s north Texas hotel room. lol.
August 24, 2022 @ 7:02 am
I hadn’t thought of Jerry Allison for years,probably because I believed he’d already passed,but I remember hearing about him a lot when I was younger. Does anyone know what Jerry did after the Crickets, and if he remained in music ? RIP,Jerry !!!!
August 24, 2022 @ 5:58 pm
This article says he did stay in music, leading The Crickets and doing session work
August 24, 2022 @ 9:42 am
Sonny Curtis is still alive and Jerry Lee Lewis, buts that’s about all the mid 50s rockers now.
August 24, 2022 @ 12:01 pm
Your ongoing contribution to American music may be underrated in the haze of what passes as music today, but one day another generation will write their story with clear eyes having read and examined the roots of our musical history.
With a nod and wink to Buddy, JI, Waylon, Sonny Curtis and a boat load of others from the COOL generation (James Dean et al), we can thank the good Lord for being born when we were. Adios!
August 24, 2022 @ 1:58 pm
Waylon talked about J.I. in a Guitar Player magazine article and he said he felt J.I. played “colors” around the music and that there was a lot of feeling in what he played. Not bad for a high school marching band drummer, huh?
August 25, 2022 @ 8:32 am
great country greats
August 25, 2022 @ 8:34 am
He Believed in Christ & is drumming & humming for us all
August 25, 2022 @ 2:41 pm
R.I.P.
August 27, 2022 @ 1:44 am
Rest in peace love to all his family keep rocking in heaven will miss your beatx
August 27, 2022 @ 9:15 am
A very fitting tribute to a talented musician who played an important role in the development of pop music. His influence on many of the big names who came later such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones was significant.
August 27, 2022 @ 11:44 am
My friend Bob Pickett a DJ from Austin TX does a podcast called Tales From the Broken Spoke. He interviewed a collector of Buddy Holly memorabilia who has items in the museum. He was also integral in getting The Crickets inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. He said it was always Buddy Holly and The Crickets not just Buddy. He talked about JI. And also Joe B who also became a studio engineer who worked with The Beach Boys amongst many others. It’s a 2 parter. The man also has Buddy’s travel kit found in the wreckage, a check written to Waylon that helped pay his way to the tour, etc. Love the motorcycle story. I have only been outside the museum but I’ve seen the Norman Petty collection in Clovis and have been to the Petty Studio.
August 28, 2022 @ 9:24 am
RIP, JI.