Jerry Allison

Jerry Ivan Allison (August 31, 1939 – August 22, 2022) was an American musician. He was best known as the drummer and only constant member of the Crickets and co-writer of their hits "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue", recorded with Buddy Holly. He had a solo chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, "Real Wild Child", which was issued in 1958 under the name Ivan. Allison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

Allison's first professional recording was "Who's Gonna Be the Next One Honey", released as a 45-rpm disc (now very rare) by a local group, Hal Goodson and the Raiders. It was also performed at the Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, about six months before "Peggy Sue" was recorded. In their early days at the Lubbock Youth Center, in Lubbock, Texas, Allison's drumming was the sole accompaniment to Buddy Holly's vocals and guitar, allowing Holly to perform some of his best guitar work.

Over time, Allison's rhythm backup ranged from slapping his hands on his knees or clapping his hands to a modal plainness of cymbal drumming. Songs released under Holly's name, were softer in tone and filled with innocence and longing. On these, Allison played only tom-toms, in keeping with the sound of the vocals. His work on the Crickets' recordings gave the records much of their distinctiveness and has influenced subsequent generations of rock and roll drummers.

Allison did not sing on the Crickets' records made with Holly—despite the misleading crediting of the band as "vocal group with instrumental accompaniment"—but in 1958 he released the single "Real Wild Child" (having heard Johnny O'Keefe play the original during the Crickets' brief visit to Australia that year), which he recorded under the pseudonym Ivan, with Holly playing guitar and singing backing vocals. It was a minor chart entry in 1958 and the first studio recording of the song, which became a rock standard. Allison also sang on a few later releases by the Crickets, both singles and album tracks.

Allison also worked as a session musician. For example, he played on the studio recording of the Everly Brothers' "(Till) I Kissed You" in 1959.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.