I Answer Your Rock Questions III

Q: I like to hear how groups come up with their names. One I'd like to hear about this time is Buddy Holly's group, the Crickets. Why that particular name?

A: In 1956 Buddy was under contract as a solo act for Decca Records, recording songs as “Buddy Holly & The Three Tunes.” In 1957 he made some personnel changes and formed another, unnamed band. Decca's two subsidiary labels, Coral and Brunswick, both wanted Holly material to record. So, due to complicated contractual arrangements, Buddy released solo hits (PEGGY SUE, RAVE ON) on Coral Records and group hits (THAT'LL BE THE DAY, OH BOY!, MAYBE BABY) on Brunswick. But to do so, he needed a group name. Many groups of the day were naming themselves after birds: The Orioles, The Flamingos, The Falcons, The Robins, The Penguins, etc., so Buddy went in a different direction: bugs. Before deciding on “The Crickets,” one name they bounced around was “The Grasshoppers” and another that they are rumored to have considered was...........“The Beetles.”