American rockabilly and swing musician
Tommy Allsup
|
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Allsup in 2009
|
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Birth name
| Thomas Douglas Allsup
|
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Born
| (
1931-11-24
)
November 24, 1931
Owasso, Oklahoma
, U.S.
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Died
| January 11, 2017
(2017-01-11)
(aged 85)
Springfield, Missouri
, U.S.
|
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Genres
| Rock and roll
,
western swing
,
country
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Occupations
| Musician, producer
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Instrument(s)
| Guitar
|
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Years active
| 1949?2016
|
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Labels
| Liberty
|
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Formerly of
| Buddy Holly
,
Waylon Jennings
|
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Musical artist
Thomas Douglas Allsup
(November 24, 1931 ? January 11, 2017) was an American
rockabilly
and
swing
musician.
[1]
[2]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Allsup was born near Owasso, Oklahoma, in 1931,
[3]
and was an enrolled member of the
Cherokee Nation
. Allsup had a son, Austin, who is also a musician and competed as a contestant on the 11th season of
The Voice
.
[4]
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
Allsup worked with entertainers such as
Buddy Holly
, including playing lead guitar on "
It's So Easy!
" and "Lonesome Tears",
[4]
as well as playing with
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
. Allsup was touring with Holly,
Ritchie Valens
, and
J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson
when he serendipitously lost a fateful coin toss with Valens for a seat on the
plane that crashed
, killing Valens, Holly, Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson on February 3, 1959. Investigators initially thought that Allsup had died in the crash because he had given Holly his wallet so that Holly could use Allsup's ID to claim a mailed letter on his behalf.
[6]
Allsup moved to Los Angeles, played with local bands, and did session work, including songwriting credits for
The Ventures
"Bluer Than Blue", "Guitar Twist", and "Opus Twist". Allsup is known to be playing the lead guitar for these tunes on The Ventures albums
The Colorful Ventures
and
Twist With The Ventures
.
[7]
Allsup played guitar on
Bobby Vee
recording sessions, including playing lead guitar on the album
Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets
.
He returned to
Odessa, Texas
, where he worked with Ronnie Smith,
Roy Orbison
, and producer
Willie Nelson
.
[5]
He was also producer on the futuristic, prophetic trans-Atlantic and Australasian hit "
In the Year 2525
" by one-hit-wonders
Zager & Evans
. Later in 1968, he moved to Nashville, where he did session work and produced
Bob Wills
'
24 Great Hits by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
. In the mid-1970s Allsup served as the producer for a pair of
Asleep at the Wheel
albums.
[3]
In 1979, he started a club named Tommy's Heads Up Saloon in
Fort Worth
.
[8]
The club was named for Allsup's coin toss with Valens 20 years beforehand.
[9]
The last surviving member of Buddy Holly's "touring" Crickets for the 1959 Winter Dance Party, Tommy Allsup died on January 11, 2017, at 85 years old in a hospital in
Springfield, Missouri
, after complications from hernia surgery.
[1]
[10]
[11]
See also
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Friend: Allsup, guitarist who toured with Holly, used life after coin flip 'for good' | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal"
. Lubbock Online. February 3, 1959
. Retrieved
January 12,
2017
.
- ^
"We are sadden by the news that Tommy... - Buddy Holly Center"
.
Facebook
. Archived from
the original
on February 26, 2022
. Retrieved
January 12,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Tommy Allsup, guitarist who backed Buddy Holly, Kenny Rogers and others, dies at 85"
.
Washingtonpost.com
. Retrieved
January 13,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Jammin' in the new year ? big concerts hit Waco this weekend"
.
Wacotrib.com
. January 12, 2017.
- ^
a
b
"Rockabilly, country music guitar great Tommy Allsup dies at age 85"
.
Chron.com
. January 12, 2017.
- ^
Ward, Ed
(2016).
The History of Rock & Roll, volume one, 1920?1963
. New York: Flatiron Books. pp. 202?204.
ISBN
978-1-250-07116-3
.
- ^
Del Halterman (2009).
Walk-Don't Run ? The Story of the Ventures
. Lulu.com.
ISBN
978-0-557-04051-3
.
- ^
"Tommy Allsup"
.
Westtexasguitar.weebly.com
. Retrieved
March 13,
2019
.
- ^
Larry Lehmer (2004).
The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens
. Music Sales Group.
ISBN
978-0-8256-7287-3
.
- ^
"Guitarist Who Won Music's Most Famous Coin Flip Is Dead"
.
Newser.com
. January 13, 2017.
- ^
"Rockabilly, country music guitarist great Tommy Allsup Dies at 85"
.
Houston Chronicle
. Retrieved
January 12,
2017
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Studio albums
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Compilation albums
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EPs
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Singles
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Crickets solo records
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Related articles
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International
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National
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Artists
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