This week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE saw two popular West Michigan musicians pay homage in-studio to Buddy Holly as well as the premiere of songs by emerging Grand Rapids acts. (Podcast, videos)
Paying Homage: Delilah DeWylde and Jack Leaver, showing off his commemorative Buddy Holly ring, play a tribute show Friday night. (Photo/Local Spins)
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS, PODCAST
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
When Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens died tragically in a plane crash 58 years ago today, their music, fortunately, didn’t die with them.
Instead, that pioneering rock ‘n’ roll has lived on in various forms and in countless bands, some of whom continue to pay homage to these icons who achieved so much in such a short time.
Buddy Holly
In West Michigan, Delilah DeWylde and Jack Leaver are among them, which is why they’ve organized Friday night’s “Tribute to Buddy Holly and the Winter Dance Party” at Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill with DeWylde, Diff & Dudley and DangerVille performing.
“We started doing tributes officially five years ago and they’ve gotten bigger every year,” said DeWylde, a popular regional rockabilly and honky-tonk star. “I really appreciate his music. He was probably one of the first people to record his own songs, which I think is impressive. He’s influenced certainly many, many people. … I just really like singing his songs.”
“I’m just in awe of him,” added Leaver, a Grand Haven-based solo artist who’s also part of the vintage country band Diff & Dudley. Indeed, Leaver has met all of the original Crickets who performed with Holly and he even took part in the 40th anniversary tour of the Winter Dance Party that starred Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens in 1958. (As a memento from that 1999 tribute tour, Leaver still wears a commemorative Buddy Holly ring.)
On Friday morning, DeWylde and Leaver performed pared-down renditions of two Buddy Holly songs, “That’ll Be the Day” and “Everyday,” in Studio X at WYCE-FM (88.1 FM) as part of this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE. Listen to the full podcast here and watch videos of their performances below.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE with Delilah DeWylde and Jack Leaver
The event begins at 8 p.m. with a record hop spinning old vinyl, followed by sets from Delilah DeWylde, Diff & Dudley and DangerVille. Tickets are $8. Get details online here.
The 125th edition of Local Spins on WYCE also featured the premiere of new songs by Grand Rapids acts Miss Atomic, Antighost and The Great Indoors, along with local and regional music from The Concussions, The B-Sides, Laith Al-Saadi, Kari Lynch, The Legal Immigrants and Turbo Pup.
VIDEO: Delilah DeWylde & Jack Leaver, “That’ll Be The Day” (Local Spins on WYCE)
VIDEO: Jack Leaver & Delilah DeWylde, “Everyday” (Local Spins on WYCE)
Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC
