Sunday, February 14, 2016

DECCA STUDIOS NEW YORK CITY

BUDDY HOLLY 
RECORDED HERE

In October 1958, Holly had a recording session at Decca’s Pythian Temple studios with Dick Jacobs, Coral-Brunswick’s new head of A&R. Holly had arranged for orchestral strings to accompany him during the session and two of the songs he recorded, a Paul Anka-penned number, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” and a song inspired by his new wife, “True Love Ways” became hits. For many years, it was believed that these recordings were his last.  



BREVOORT APARTMENTS 11 FIFTH AVENUE





Before his untimely death at age 22, Holly had split with the Crickets and moved to New York City to be closer to the New York music scene. He and his new bride, Maria Elena, moved into the Brevoort apartments at 11 Fifth Avenue. What was then a brand-new apartment building had recently replaced the famous Brevoort Hotel, which had at one time been among the city’s finest hostelries. (Among other famous events, the Brevoort Hotel was the place where Charles Lindbergh received the $25,000 Orteig Prize for his solo flight across the Atlantic; Orteig was the hotel’s owner.)
From print and online sources, it seems unclear if Buddy Holly lived in Apartment 4H or Apartment 3B. (Holly fans--feel free to chime in below in the comments section.) Whichever apartment it was, he set up a home tape recorder and in December 1958 made his final recordings, among them Crying, Waiting, Hoping and Peggy Sue Got Married. Posthumously released with overdubs and studio trickery, the original tapes have circulated for decades among collectors. They were recently included on the definitive Holly rarities set, Down the Line.