He was a popular performer at high school assemblies and of course his Buddy and Bob show on KDAV radio. We’d spoken a few times, but we didn’t share any classes. I did share classes with his girlfriend at that time, Echo McGuire. When high school was over Buddy and I became closer. He played at the roller rink weekly and I went down with my girlfriend – we danced, I talked to Buddy and we became good friends over that period of time. Jerry Allison was at Hutchinson Junior High School in the marching band. That was when Buddy started to put the Crickets together. At that time, he didn’t have a drummer.

I was interested in recording, and I had a small recorder called a Magnecord PT6. It was a semi-professional thing, and a couple of microphones. I had known of Norman Petty Studio because there had been two big hits that came out of there, ‘Party Doll’ by Buddy Knox, and Jimmy Boyne’s ‘I’m Sticking With You’. Buddy knew that I had some semi-professional recording equipment and suggested we record some songs at his home. They were the ‘Garage Tapes’.

I asked him one time about if he knew about Norman Petty, and he said, ‘Yeah, I know about his studio.’ I asked if he’d thought about going over there, and he said he’d think about it and make contact. A month or two went past and he told me, ‘We’re going to Clovis to record. Do you want to come along?’ I had a new Dodge, so Larry Welborn loaded his stand-up bass in the back and Niki put his guitars in, and we went to Clovis. Buddy and Jerry were already there and had set up when we arrived. That was 25 February 1957, the day that music began, and the day that they recorded ‘That’ll Be The Day’. I was there most of the night but I had to be back in Lubbock to be at my job, so I left about five in the morning. They worked all night. I just watched what was going on. I was getting an education because he was a professional at that time, and I hadn’t been around a real studio prior to that.

When Buddy passed, Niki called me. He was working for a floral delivery company service at the time and had heard it on the radio. It was hard to believe what happened.