HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-09-09, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010. PAGE 23.
The legendary tale of 1950s rock
and roll pioneer Buddy Holly has
been captured on film in the Oscar-
nominated The Buddy Holly Story
starring Gary Busey, it’s been
dramatized on Broadway, and even
inspired the lyrics to the classic Don
McLean song “American Pie”. Now
Blyth residents will get their own
opportunity to experience the music
and stories of Buddy Holly in an
exciting touring show coming to the
Blyth Memorial Hall on Sunday,
Oct. 3 at 3 p.m.
Buddy Holly: The Legend
celebrates the music and life of the
incredible performer in a live
theatrical tribute starring Keith
“Buddy” Martin in the title role.
This professionally scripted show
mixes narration, live musical
performances, humorous dialogue
alongside vintage wardrobe and
instrumentation to authentically
capture the Buddy Holly era.
Songs performed in the show
feature all the top Buddy hits
including That’ll Be the Day, a tune
which was inspired by a quote in the
John Wayne film The Searchers;
Peggy Sue which was named after a
band member’s girlfriend, and the
Bo Diddley inspired Not Fade Away,
later recorded by the Rolling Stones.
“This show will not only appeal to
Buddy Holly fans but to people who
want to learn about the history of
popular music” notes show producer
Bill Culp. “There’s no doubt that
Buddy Holly was a key transitional
link between the early 50s rock and
roll of Elvis and Carl Perkins and the
British Invasion of 1964 lead by The
Beatles, whose very name was
derivative of Buddy’s band The
Crickets”. Culp is best-known to
Blyth music fans for his previous
work with Kenny & Dolly: Together
Again, and Johnny Cash: The
Ultimate Tribute which both had
very successful appearances at the
local venue last year.
The star of Buddy Holly: The
Legend is Canada’s own Keith
Martin, who takes pride in capturing
the spirit of the music great. “It’s an
honour to play this role each and
every night I perform. While we all
know that Buddy’s life had a tragic
ending in a plane crash, his music
has stood the test of time and it’s an
amazing story to tell.”
Tickets for the show are only $20
and can be purchased at the Festival
box office or charged by phoning 1-
877-862-5984 (toll free) or 519-523-
9300. For more information visit
www.blythfestival.com
Continued from page 22
Trottier, an incredibly hockey player
from Saskatchewan. He read the
monologue in Bayfield last year.
“I read Mr. Trottier in Bayfield last
year,” he said. “He was an amazing
hockey player. He was drafted
[when he was] 17 years old from
Swift Current, and won four Stanley
Cups with the Islanders and two
with the Pittsburgh Penguins.”
The monologue for Blyth will be
about Bill Gomserall, a cowboy poet
from Moose Jaw.
Gomserall lived from March 19,
1906 to March 18, 2007, according
to Johns – dying one day before his
101st birthday.
When Johns first met Gomserall,
he was reciting poetry at the Royal
Saskatchewan Museum, and was
treated as a treasure from the time he
lived in.
“He lived through the recent
history of the west,” John said. “He
lived to see himself turned into a
museum piece. School children
paraded past him and he was
exhibited.”
Johns said that Gomersall had a
phenomenal memory, and that he
was able to recite The Face in the
Barroom Floor, a 100–line poem,
from memory.
Johns hopes that by doing this
play he will show a practice that has
been experiencing a revival in
Saskatchewan thanks to people like
Gomersall.
“Ken Mitchell [an accomplished
writer, director, and the head of the
English Department at Regina
University] found Gomersall and
made a movie about him,” Johns
said. “It started a revival of cowboy
poetry.”
Cowboy poetry is signified by the
vocal tradition that predates it, and
the dress that the reciters wear.
“What they discovered in
[Gomersall] is like a meteor buried
in the earth,” Johns said. “He is
living proof of life around Moosejaw
in the early days of the west.”
Buddy Holly show comes to Blyth in October
Johns to debut new
material at ‘Homegrown’
Entertainment Leisure&
Love from your
family
Happy 55th
Wedding
Anniversary
Bill and Joan
Rodger
September 10
Canada’s National
Teen Challenge Choir
live in concert
Ex-addicts share their powerful testimonies
“A Choir Like You’ve Never Heard Before!”
Sunday, September 12
10:00 am
Blyth Christian Reformed Church
80th Birthday
Celebration!
The family of
Jean Nethery
invites you to an
Open House
Sunday, September 19
from 3:00-5:00 pm
Anglican Church
Parish Hall, Blyth
Please join us for cake
and a visit.
No gifts please. If you wish,
donations to the food bank welcome.
Jim Walsh
“With Love and
Respect and our
Best Wishes
for a Happy 90th
Birthday”
on September 14
Family
Dearest
Buddy Holly is coming to Blyth in the form of Keith “Buddy”
Martin in “Buddy Holly The Legend” which will be shown at
Memorial Hall on October 3. (Photo submitted)