Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly’s Drummer and Co-Writer of ‘Peggy Sue,’ Dies at 82
2008 memoir, “Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?” Gerron said she was “so embarrassed, I could have died,” when she first heard the song live. A message shared to the Buddy Holly Facebook page on Monday read, “Our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Jerry ‘JI’ Allison, drummer in The Crickets, one of Buddy’s very closest friends, and the inspiration to drummers for decades since, who passed away today at the age of 82.”The note continued, “JI was a musician ahead of his time, and undoubtedly his energy, ideas and exceptional skill contributed to both The Crickets, and rock n’ roll itself, becoming such a success. Buddy is often heralded as the original singer-songwriter, but JI, too, wrote and inspired so many of the songs that would go on to be eternal classics.