I am starting something new, it will be a short take on cover songs with more frequent posts. Beginning with Buddy Holly songs, moving to Billie Holiday and finishing the year with Holiday and Christmas songs. While Canada held Thanksgiving Day on October 10, Americans will celebrate on November 24. So with this upcoming official start to the Season, along with my recent post on Buddy, and please pardon the pun, but the Holly/Holiday was just too much to resist!

Buddy in his short career released 36 original songs and 27 covers. Of those amazing originals, (for me this is going back some years now) I was surprised to learn that “Rave On” is not one of them. It was co-written and recorded by Sonny West, who was also managed and produced by Norman Petty. West released it in February of 1958, it did not chart. Buddy was the first to cover it and the first time he himself covered someone’s song. So later in 1958 he changed it up just a bit (for the better), leading to a #37 hit in the US and #5 in the UK. This would go on to be covered more than 80 times, mostly in the style of Buddy Holly.

Thanks for reading.

Holly Tree image by Nannette Turner