Not Fade Away : Rolling Stone

Written by: Holly, Norman Petty
Produced by: Petty
Released: Oct. '57 on Brunswick
Charts: 20 weeks
Top spot: No. 10

Recorded in Clovis, New Mexico, in May 1957, "Not Fade Away" originally appeared as the B side to Holly's hit "Oh, Boy!" The Crickets were no strangers to the Bo Diddley beat -- they had already covered Diddley's "Bo Diddley" -- but with "Not Fade Away" they made the rhythm their own, thanks to drummer Jerry Allison, who pounded out the beat on a cardboard box. Allison, Holly's best friend, also claims to have written most of the lyrics, though his name never appeared in the songwriting credits. In 1964, "Not Fade Away" became the first song the Rolling Stones ever released in the U.S.

Appears on: Greatest Hits (MCA)

Next: Little Red Corvette

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