A fine mix of interesting stuff. There is great detail on Buddy and Elvis's meetings in Lubbock, Texas – just as I hoped – (and yes, the text of the Elvis letter is shown where he claimed he did not meet Buddy!) with a great contribution from Jerry Allison. It was fascinating to read of Elvis's SIX (yes 6!!) trips to Lubbock in 1955 and 1956.
The book is interspersed with musical interludes, comparing Buddy and Elvis songs recorded around similar times or in similar styles – a great idea this, Alan, and a new approach to the music. Alan points out his special thanks to another friend and member John Ingman, particularly on the chapter on 1955.
All this... and some new photos! Particularly interesting to me were the Crickets at work at the Clovis studio December 1957 cutting 'Little Baby' with session pianist and co-producer C.W. Kendall Jr., a photo in the garden of the studio at Clovis with the Big Beats, and a photo of Elvis Presley with Sonny Curtis and Don Guess, with the rear view of Buddy and J.I. at the Fairpark Coliseum in Lubbock 10th April 1955!! On the Elvis front, I really like the photo with Scotty and Bill, in action on the Louisiana Hayride in 1954.
At the end of the book, Alan reviews with an astrologer, Christine Leveridge, the birth charts of both singers with some surprising and fascinating results. Whatever you believe, we have all experienced some feelings of spiritual connection with someone or something – and why shouldn't there be something in astrology? I loved Alan's reference to Buddy recording most of his output at Clovis "just a few miles from Roswell, New Mexico, which is inextricably linked in most people's minds to the subject of alien life forms. Coincidentally, it was also nearby that Elvis reportedly saw the figure of Christ in the clouds when travelling cross-country, a defining moment for him, movingly described by Larry Geller in his book 'If I Can Dream'."
In brief, I can only summarise by saying: yes, this book is another "must have" from Alan Mann. Enjoy!
Trevor Lailey, Down The Line (September 2002)
The reproduced memorabilia is tremendous. I love the ad for an early Presley appearance offering "Fun! Music! Jokes!" That is one Presley show I would love to have seen.
Spencer Leigh, Goldmine (November 2002)
What else can be said about Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly that hasn't been said a thousand times before? Well, here's one angle that no one has thought of until now – the premise being that the two 50s rock'n'roll icons' lives were linked in many more ways than just vocation. The most fascinating aspect of Linked Lives is in the large amount of peripheral detail that emerges from the basic theme.
Talking about Buddy's 'Midnight Shift' – a song recorded at his first Nashville ses¬sions in January 1956 – the author brings to our attention that 'Annie' in the song was a prostitute, which was why US Decca didn't release it as a single. He also connects 'Midnight Shift' – which Holly didn't write – with the fashionable 'Annie' genre of records such as the Midnighters' 'Annie Had A Baby'.
And did you know that Elvis' ver¬sion of 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' is a direct copy of Al Jolson's origi¬nal 1926 recording, or that the song was also a hit for a certain Vaughn Deleath in 1927? Then you have the female 'answer' records that Presley's record spawned – 'Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight' and so on; and to interconnect this subject with Elvis and Buddy, it is noted that the latter 'answered' his own record 'Peggy Sue' with 'Peggy Sue Got Married'. All of this so-called trivia will keep you turning the pages.
Bob Solly, Record Collector (December 2002)
It's a brave soul who embarks upon a written work approximating two of the foremost icons of rock n roll. Bearing in mind there are bound to be Elvis fans who don't have time for Buddy Holly and vice versa, the very delicacy of the issue is prone to one-sidedness before you know where you are. Viewed from a more benevolent view¬point, however, the author's soul-bonding strategy is cer¬tainly an original one. He intimates within the text that his qualifications to handle a tome of this nature are based on enthusiasm more than anything else. This is a worthwhile gesture because more often than not an eager analysis delivered by a knowledgeable devotee such as Alan, can hold the attention span more than the calculated prose of a seasoned writer... Little known facts emerge such as Buddy teaching Elvis the lyrics to The Drifters' 'Money Honey' backstage at the Cotton Club in Lubbock, and Elvis offering to furnish Buddy with an introduction to the management of 'The Louisiana Hayride'.
Not surprisingly it is Elvis who grabs the lion's share of the attention throughout. It's a sobering thought that whereas The King chalked up twenty-three years in the business, Buddy Holly was only in the spotlight for just over twenty-three months. The final passage -'Linked Destinies' - is delicate to say the least, dealing as it does with astral navigation and natal charts. Worthy that this may be, the mystery of tangential galaxies is hardly an area that will sit comfortably with the average reader. On the plus side, the photo galleries are astutely compiled, with one or two shots coming straight out of the never-before-seen department. Two thumbs up also for the glossary of biogs that form the conclusion: they are well-written and up-to-the-minute in their content.
Alan has managed to home in on a great many thought-provoking parallels. So much so that I was inspired to add a little more fuel to his fire by commenting that each artist not only played a blonde Gibson J-200 acoustic, they strummed their instruments in a remarkably similar manner. One of the most tiresome barbs hitched to the newly-emerged Elvis Presley used to be the claim that he was hampered by his "limited guitar ability". Not so: Elvis' untutored wrist action knitted together the basic support of Scotty and Bill to maximum effect. This wasn't lost on the young Buddy Holly and those celebrated solos that ultimately rang out from his fretboard were very much derived from Elvis' rhythmic approach.
There may well be additional areas of duplicity that could extend the book's thread even further, but for now 'Linked Lives' succeeds in amassing enough comparative evidence to make for a decent coffee table read.
Trevor Cajiao, Elvis – The Man & His Music (December 2002)
I rarely have the inclination to read a whole book at one sitting. However, that's exactly what I did with this excellent book about two of the biggest names in rock'n'roll history, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. To be quite honest, I had not intended to go through the whole book in one go, but I became so absorbed in it that that's the way things worked out. And that's not a bad recommendation for any book!
I rarely have the inclination to read a whole book at one sitting and even when I have the inclination, I rarely achieve the goal! However, that's exactly what I did with this excellent book about two of the biggest names in Rock and Roll history, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. To be quite honest, I had not intended to go through the whole book in one go, but I became so absorbed in it that that's the way things worked out. And that's not a bad recommendation for any book!
Now I have to admit that, as well as being an Elvis fan, I have been a fan of Buddy Holly since I first heard his voice coming from a 78 rpm way back in the fifties, when I lived in Wales – "Everyday," I believe it was, but the collection was soon to grow and both Buddy and Elvis became childhood heroes that have remained with me throughout my life.
"Elvis & Buddy -- Linked Lives" does not shine because of the quality of the writing, rather, it is clear that author Alan Mann is a true fan of rockn'roll and of both Elvis and Buddy. His enthusiasm and knowledge are apparent throughout the book. In addition, the illustrations are well chosen and there are several that I'm sure I have not seen before, including at least two of Elvis.
The aim of the book, as suggested by its title, is to show that some form of destiny led to Elvis and Buddy meeting on a number of occasions in 1955 and 1956. As the book points out, Elvis seemed to have forgotten these meetings in a letter purported to have been written by him at the time of Buddy Holly's death. Either the letter was a fake, or Elvis was mistaken, which seems more likely, especially after reading this book: sufficient evidence that the two really did meet on more than one occasion is provided. Indeed, their meetings seem to have been more than just a casual passing-by back-stage at the several concerts they both played at in Lubbock, Texas, and it is even suggested that Buddy taught Elvis the words of "Money Honey" – a claim backed up by none other than Jerry Allison, who, as a member of Holly's group, was there at the time!
The book further provides decent potted biographies of both men, without reverting to any extensive rehashing of what has already been written in numerous other publications, but pointing out similarities in their backgrounds and influences, including Elvis's clear influence on Holly. I could have done without the dip into numerology and astrology (including natal charts) which occupies a few pages towards the end of the book, but to each his own and I am sure that some readers will find the data fascinating.
"Elvis & Buddy" rounds off with a glossary of personalities associated with the two singers – excellent stuff, providing useful and accurate information.
Some two thousand Elvis-related titles have been published, while a mere handful of books exist about Buddy Holly – I have eight and that seems to be about it! "Elvis & Buddy -- Linked Lives" is a useful addition to both sides of the library, offering more information about Holly and providing an interesting link between Elvis and a man whose life ended too soon. The content is good and the price is right. If you're a rock'n'roll fan, you can't be without this book!
David Neale, Elvis In Print (January 2003)
Another fascinating read from Alan Mann... I found it absorbing, although I'm no great Elvis fan. I was most impressed with the detailed coverage of the times when the two met up in Lubbock. Superb quality book with great photos.
Holly International (January 2003)
Well written and interesting.
Crickets File (March 2003)
When Buddy Holly died, those of us who remember the event may recall the dearth of information that existed about the artist. We all wanted to know so much but, in February 1959, we sensed that the opportunity had been lost. Since then, we have been proved gloriously wrong with books, photographs and recordings coming into the public arena at regular intervals.
With Elvis Presley, the story was different. He was with us a lot longer and, inevitably, there was always a torrent of material available.
From that standpoint, it is difficult to imagine new information or, indeed, a new angle on the lives of these two giants – until now. In Linked Lives, Alan Mann tackles the potential connections between the singers' lives.
A substantial proportion of the book is, for the sake of new fans, dedicated to the careers of both artists. Those familiar with the history will find little that is new, but they are well compensated by the accounts of meetings between the two. Elvis played in Holly's hometown of Lubbock no fewer than five times and, as Mann records, "Holly was right there, learning, taking it all in."
Despite Elvis later being unsure as to whether he and Holly actually met, docu¬mentary evidence, including photographs, proves they did. History would go on to show the profound influence that Elvis exerted on the fledgling Holly, who said, "Without Elvis, none of us could have made it." Each of the 10 chapters is interspersed with a "musical interlude", offering a musical link between the artists.
I lost the plot somewhere in the final chapter, Linked Lives? Linked Destinies?, which is accredited to both Alan and an astrologer named Christine Leveridge... I thought they were just two good ol' boys having a whale of a time which we were all privileged to be a part of.
Alan Mann writes with conversational ease and is obviously a real fan of Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. There are interesting photos: Elvis waving at a young Sonny Curtis with Jerry Allison and Buddy watching the band, Elvis and Buddy Knox during army days and, oh yes, a shot of the Holly family with eight-year-old Buddy prominent, his right trouser leg rolled up. Before anyone mentions the Masonic order... just don't go there!
In his closing paragraph, Man hopes that he has established a link between the two lives, to a greater or lesser extent, and that those who remain unconvinced at least found the discussion stimulating. That's reasonable enough for any of us to take on board.
Steve Derby, Country Music People (July 2003)
