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I don't think the town is stuck in the 50s but it seems that every year during the annual Clovis Music Festival a few UK folks make Clovis, New Mexico their new home. The Festival is a celebration of 1950's rock and roll like that recorded at Clovis' Norman Petty Studios by Buddy Holly, Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, Roy Orbison, Bobby Vee, Waylon Jennings and others. With radio, TV, the internet and a very mobile society, no town can actually get stuck in time as much as many may like to.
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HPR is right. One of the pleasures of my life was attending the 50th anniversary of Buddy Holly's birth in 1987, on September 7th IIRC. I lived in the Denver area then, took a couple friends with me. The president of the Buddy Holly Fan Club organized a car show downtown, sock hop, and the auction was set up at the Clovis shopping mall where Maria, buddy's wife, provided lots of signed photos, promo records, etc. There were a lot of dealers set up in the next room over selling 50's and 60's music. It was a blast!
The best part was the oldies concert at the Clovis theater, several acts played, and Bobby Vee headlined it. Played for over two hours with his hits and the last 40 minutes was a great medley of Buddy's hits. After the show Vee came out in the crowd to meet the fans, sign autographs, one of the nicest people I've ever met.
I almost went down there a couple years ago when I spent a couple days in Tucumcari, N.M. for the annual Route 66 festival. Who showed up to sing? How about Wanda Jackson? Had a great time! Tucumcari was like a lot of towns on Route 66 that really suffered when in interstate was finished around 1980 or so. I lived down there for several months in late '82/early '83, worked on a CO2 pipeline job. Gave a thought about buying a place there but didn't-been thinking about it again. Go through 66 through downtown and look at a lot of the old motels that are still going strong, such as the Blue Swallow Motel with all the neon lights. And the Big Sombrero Motel with that huge sombrero on top of the roof. Pure 50's! Sadly lots of places have been boarded up but the town is still hanging in there. There's a guitar club that plays twice a month at one of the community centers, pretty darn good musicians too!
HPR is right. One of the pleasures of my life was attending the 50th anniversary of Buddy Holly's birth in 1987, on September 7th IIRC. I lived in the Denver area then, took a couple friends with me. The president of the Buddy Holly Fan Club organized a car show downtown, sock hop, and the auction was set up at the Clovis shopping mall where Maria, buddy's wife, provided lots of signed photos, promo records, etc. There were a lot of dealers set up in the next room over selling 50's and 60's music. It was a blast!
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Hey HH. Thanks for the rep after which I came back over her to read through the many pages that have been posted since my last visit, then I saw your reply. Whew! This thread has turned into a BIG one! Lots of folks looking for some peace of mind I suppose?
Clovis to me has always been a neat little town I suppose since it was where the military brought me as wide-eyed and naive youngun' many many years ago. I may have told you my family once lived at Clovis while I was in school at Portales? I actually knew the two people who died as a result of the March 2007 tornado over there. The elderly lady (Blevins) had been my next door neighbor years before. The man who died as a result of his injuries (Cravey) was a fellow I had worked with at the Santa Fe RR while I was attending school at Portales. My family and I left Clovis in 1980.
I know little about Tucumcari, NM except we used to go through the area every summer on our way to fish and waterski at Ute Lake at Logan, NM. I would have loved to see Wanda Jackson. As a teen, she was my favorite rockabilly star. I had one of her early albums in HS.
And yes, there is a little left of the old Route 66 scheme around Tucumcari. However, having arrived in NM in the mid 1960s, I remember well the time when there was no I-40.
BTW, I think I remember when Bobby Vee came over to Clovis but it wasn't one of the times we attended the Music Festival. I've still not gotten through the Norman Petty Studio but still plan to some day. I think there is now a rock & roll museum in downtown Clovis that presents a lot of Holly's history as well as that of the NorVaJak recording studio out on 7th Street.
If you ever get down to Lubbock, look me up for a cup of coffee or lunch maybe? At Lubbock, there is the Buddy Holly Center with a museum and gift shop as well as the Walk of Fame memorial. Out in front of the Center they have the actual restored home of Jerry Allison, Holly's drummer. Then of course there is the graveside of Buddy Holly where, if you are so inclined as I have been in the past , you may leave a guitar pick to "keep the music alive."
My aunt lives in a little town called Tiffin OH. It's stuck in time. I hadn't been there in 30 yrs and remembered my way around as almost nothing had changed. It's the kind of town that still has a weekly car show, town festivals etc.
I would consider moving there if I were ready for that kind of life change.
I think SF is great. I feel very fortunate to have been able to live there briefly.
Well I have lived here all of my life and in SF bay area.
How long did you live in in SF?, which part? and what years?
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