Tommy Allsup
| Tommy Allsup | |
|---|---|
Allsup in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tommy Douglas Allsup |
| Born |
November 24, 1931 Owasso, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | January 11, 2017 (aged 85) Springfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock and roll, country, western swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1949–2017 |
| Labels | Liberty |
| Associated acts | Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings |
Tommy Douglas Allsup (November 24, 1931 – January 11, 2017) was an American rockabilly and swing musician.
Allsup was born near Owasso, Oklahoma in 1931 and was an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. Allsup had a son, Austin, who is also a musician.
Allsup worked with entertainers such as Buddy Holly and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. Allsup was touring with Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson when he lost a fateful coin toss with Valens for a seat on the plane that crashed, killing Valens, Holly, Richardson, and the pilot on February 3, 1959. Allsup moved to Los Angeles, played with local bands, and did session work, including a songwriting credit for The Ventures', "Guitar Twist". (aka "Driving Guitars")
He returned to Odessa, Texas, where he worked with Ronnie Smith, Roy Orbison, and producer Willie Nelson. In 1968, he moved to Nashville, where he did session work and produced Bob Wills', 24 Great Hits by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. In the mid-1970s Tommy served as the producer for a pair of Asleep at the Wheel albums.
In 1979, he started a club, "Tommy's Heads Up Saloon", in Dallas. The club was named for Allsup's coin toss with Valens 20 years beforehand.
The last surviving member of Buddy Holly's "touring" Crickets for the 1959 Winter Dance Party, Tommy Allsup died on January 11, 2017, at 85 years old in a hospital in Springfield, Missouri after complications from hernia surgery.
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