Iconic band revists their biggest songs with guest performances by Eric Clapton, Rodney Crowell, Phil & Jason Everly, Nanci Griffith, Waylon Jennings, Tonio K, Peter Case, Albert Lee, Graham Nash, Vince Neil, John Prine, Johnny Rivers, J.D. Souther and Bobby Vee

Announced in Fairfax, Virginia on May 7, Time Life will release “The Crickets and Their Buddies” to all major digital platforms today, a collection of hits recorded by the band’s original members (with the exception of Buddy Holly) and a lineup of all-star guest vocalists and musicians. Eric Clapton, Rodney Crowell, Phil & Jason Everly, Nanci Griffith, Waylon Jennings (one of his last studio recordings), Tonio K., Peter Case, Albert Lee, Graham Nash, Vince Neil, John Prine, Johnny Rivers, J.D. Souther, and Bobby Vee step in to perform iconic songs including “That’ll Be the Day,” “Rave On,” “Not Fade Away,” “I Fought the Law,” “Someone, Someone” and “The Real Buddy Holly Story.” Originally released in 2004 (and produced by Grammy®-award-winner Greg Ladanyi), this marks the first time the tracks have ever been available for streaming.

“We had the time of our lives while recording this album with all of our ‘buddies,’” says Jerry Allison, original drummer and co-writer for The Crickets. “Every artist brought something really special to these songs while still staying true to the original lyrics and the music. We love that Time Life will make it possible for people to listen to them anywhere they want to.”

“’The Crickets and Their Buddies’ is a testament to the incredible legacy of the band,” says Mike Jason, Senior Vice President, Live Entertainment at Time Life. “It’s both rare and remarkable that artists from across so many genres embrace songs from a single band like they do on this album.”

In a career that has spanned nearly five decades and millions of records, The Crickets are unquestionably The American Rock and Roll band. Since the group’s founding in 1957 they have influenced virtually every major rock performer in the United States and abroad – from Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles (whose name was even Crickets-inspired). Their hits “That’ll Be The day,” “Peggy Sue,” “Oh Boy,” “Not Fade Away,” “Maybe Baby,” “It’s So Easy,” “I Fought The Law“ and “More Than I Can Say” are bona fide rock classics and considered primary lessons in how rock music should be written, played and enjoyed. As Paul McCartney once put it, “If it wasn’t for the Crickets, there wouldn’t be any Beatles.”
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