📢 TOP STORY: Born in 1931, the Music Legend Who Produced for Willie Nelson and Avoided Buddy Holly’s Deadly Plane by Pure Luck ⚡ML

On this day (November 24) in 1931, Tommy Allsup was born near Owasso, Oklahoma. As a guitarist, Allsup worked with Buddy Holly, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, and several others. Late in life, he worked as a producer for Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, and more. However, if he had won a coin toss in February 1959, Allsup would have been on the plane that killed Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens when it went down.

Allsup grew up in a musical family. He formed a Western swing band in high school. After graduation, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he joined Johnnie Lee Wills and All His Boys. Not long after that, he moved to Lawton, where he fronted the house band at the Southern Club.

Tommy Allsup and the Crickets

According to the Oklahoma State Historical Society, a friend asked Tommy Allsup to travel with him to Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Petty needed a session guitarist, and Allsup was perfect for the role. His work with Petty helped connect Allsup with Buddy Holly and the Crickets. He was the first to play a guitar solo on one of Holly’s recordings. Then, in the summer of 1958, he hit the road with the band.

Eventually, the Crickets went their separate ways. As a result, Holly formed a new band with Allsup, Waylon Jennings, and Carl Bunch. This new lineup was together on the Winter Dance Party tour in 1959. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, in February, Holly chartered a plane to fly a few members of the tour to the next stop. Ritchie Valens had never been on a plane before. So, he and Allsup tossed a coin to see who would take a seat on the plane. Allsup lost. Hours later, the plane went down, killing everyone on board. Allsup led the Crickets through the tour’s final shows.

Tommy Allsup continued his work in the music industry. He took a full-time position as a session guitarist and began working as a producer. Working with Liberty Records, he produced Willie Nelson’s early albums. Additionally, he produced albums for Tex Williams, Mickey Gilley, Gene Watson, Bob Wills, and Asleep at the Wheel.

Along with his solo work, Tommy Allsup played on more than 6,500 recordings.