Died On This Date (January 11, 2017) Tommy Allsup / Rockabilly & Western Swing Great
themusicsover Tommy Allsup
November 24, 1931 – January 11, 2017
Tommy Allsup was an influential rockabilly and western swing guitarist, but he was also one of the luckiest people in all of popular music. While on tour with Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson in February of 1959 – he was in Holly’s band – Allsup was on the “losing” end of the infamous coin toss that gave his seat up to Valens who was killed with the others when the plane crashed. After Holly’s death, Allsup went to work for Liberty Records where he produced records by Willie Nelson and Tex Williams, among others. Although he was most famous for his playing on Holly’s records, Allsup also recorded with the likes of Bob Wills, The Ventures, Kenny Rogers, The Everly Brothers, and Roy Orbison. Tommy Allsup was 85 when he died on January 11, 2017. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.
Buddy Greco was a popular jazz and traditional pop singer and pianist who first found fame during the 1960s. Born in Philadelphia, Greco began learning to play the piano at the age of four. Within just a few years, he was singing on local radio, and began performing on stage during his teen years. At just 16, Greco was hired by 
Debbie Reynolds was an internationally revered star of stage, film and television. She did however, make a mark on popular music as well. Born in El Paso, Texas, Reynolds moved with her family to Burbank, California as a child. By the early ’50s, she was under contract with Warner Bros. for whom she starred in several musicals. Her first hit record came in 1951 – “Aba Daba Honeymoon,” from the film, Two Weeks With Love. The record reached #3 on the Billboard pop charts. In 1957, Reynolds scored her biggest hit, “Tammy,” from Tammy and the Bachelor. It spent five weeks atop the pop charts and was the biggest-selling record by any female that year. It earned Reynolds her first gold record. In 1959, she signed to Dot Records in 1959 and continued to release hit records for the next couple of years. On December 28, 2016, Reynolds, was rushed to a hospital after a 911 caller reported that she was having trouble breathing. Debbie Reynolds passed away later that day of what initial reports were calling a stroke. She was 84. Her daughter, actress and author Carrie Fisher, passed away the day before at the age of 60.
