BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY BACKSTAGE GUIDE 7 Buddy Holly and the Crickets performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1957 Why do you think the music of Buddy Holly has withstood the test of time? It's the hardest kind of music to write - simple. Like folk music. Not to say it's trite, but rather, its perfect simplicity is what makes it powerful and profound. He struck a chord that resonated with so many people because his songs had something deep to say about the human condition, in a way nobody had said it before. They spoke to what it is to be young. In love. Brokenhearted. Ecstatic. Plus, they're catchy as hell, with a good beat you can tap your feet to. Do you have a favorite Buddy Holly song? I keep coming back to “Everyday”. It's one of those songs that feels like it has always existed, like there was never a time before it was a song. It's strange to me to remember that a really young guy made it up in the late '50s. Plus, it was a good song to sing while my wife Dara and I awaited the impending arrival of our first child. What will you be working on after Buddy? I'm music directing Pinkalicious at the Marriott Theatre, and my musical Something in the Game about Knute Rockne is being produced at Northwestern University this summer. I'll be performing a one-man Paul McCartney show (speaking of genius pop composers) on October 24th. And this winter I'll be back at American Blues for another season of It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!