The Story Behind “Oh, Boy!” by The Crickets and How the Band Created an Alter Ego

For such a short career, Buddy Holly made an impact on rock ‘n’ roll like few others. From May 1957 until his death in February 1959, he hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 eight times. Holly’s first big break came when he and his bandmates went to Nashville to record for Decca Records. The songs generated little excitement on the radio, and Holly returned to Lubbock, Texas, to regroup. As the lineup solidified with drummer Jerry Allison, bassist Joe B. Mauldin, and guitarist Nicki Sullivan, they began making the drive to Clovis, New Mexico, to record with Norman Petty. It was at these sessions the band recorded “That’ll Be the Day,” a song Decca had previously released. Norman Petty devised a plan to release the song under a different name to avoid legal action.

They were inspired by other groups named after birds and began concentrating on insects. The Beetles was considered before they landed on The Crickets, unaware of the Bronx R&B group on Jay-Dee Records with the same name. As The Crickets were having success, Petty secured another record deal for Holly. This allowed twice the amount of releases. While “That’ll Be the Day” by The Crickets was moving up the charts, “Peggy Sue” by Buddy Holly also competed for the top spot. The Crickets and Buddy Holly hit the Top 40 four times each in those 19 months. When it was time for a Crickets follow-up, Holly turned to a song written by someone else. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Oh, Boy!” by The Crickets.

All my love, all of my kissin’
You don’t know what you’ve been a-missin’
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you’re with me
Oh boy (oh boy)
The world can see that you were meant for me

Sonny West and Bill Tilghman

In February 1957, Sonny West and Bill Tilghman wrote a song called “All My Love,” which West recorded at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Only a few copies were pressed, as West was not under contract with a record label. Petty played the song for Holly with the intention of releasing it under the name The Crickets. In 2019, West told the BBC, “I had a decision to make whether to say I want to do it myself, and I said, ‘No, I want Buddy to do it.’ It can’t hurt anything, and if it didn’t work, I could go back and do it myself someday.”

All my life, I’ve been a-waitin’
Tonight, there’ll be no hesitatin’
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you’re with me
Oh boy (oh boy)
The world can see that you were meant for me

Title Change

When Holly and The Crickets recorded his version of the song, some of the lyrics and the title were changed. The song was now called “Oh, Boy!” West continued, “I said, All my love, all my kissing, you’re gonna see what you’ve been missing.’ And with Buddy’s verse, All my love, all my kissing, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. I have no idea. Maybe it has more punch that way.”

Stars appear, and the shadows are fallin’
You can hear my heart a-callin’
A little bit of lovin’ makes everything a-right
And now I’m gonna see my baby tonight

A Third Songwriter

When Brunswick Records released “Oh, Boy!” on October 27, 1957, three names were listed as songwriters: Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, and Norman Petty; this was not the only time the producer’s name suddenly appeared as a co-writer. In 2002, West told Dick Stewart of the Journal of Southwest Music, “I was all right with giving him publishing rights, but he had no reason to take writer’s credits. All of his apologists will say that he gave his time and allowed for artists to practice in his studio, etc. That was not so in my case. I paid him for every session, demo or otherwise.”

All my love, all of my kissin’
You don’t know what you’ve been a-missin’
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you’re with me
Oh boy (oh boy)
The world can see that you were meant for me

The Picks

Before “Oh, Boy!” was released, Petty felt it needed some reinforcement. A local trio called The Picks was brought in to overdub vocal accompaniment. Brothers John and Bill Pickering and baritone Bob Lapham had been singing in the area and had known Norman Petty since the 1940s. Petty asked them to add their voices to other recordings that would be released under the name of The Crickets, including “Maybe Baby,” “It’s Too Late,” “Tell Me How,” “Rock Me My Baby,” “Send Me Some Lovin’,” “An Empty Cup,” “Last Night,” and “You’ve Got Love.” These songs made up the bulk of The “Chirping” Crickets, which was released on November 27, 1957.

Dumb ditty dumb dumb oh boy
dumb ditty dumb dumb oh boy

The Cough

Norman Petty was so happy with the enthusiasm of the take he decided to use it even though there was an audible cough at one minute and 22 seconds. The B-side of “Oh, Boy!” was “Not Fade Away,” which also reached the Top 10. It was later covered by The Rolling Stones and released as their first American single. It included Norman Petty as a co-writer with Holly, and the validity of that has also been questioned through the years.

All my love, all of my kissin’
You don’t know what you’ve been a-missin’
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you’re with me
Oh boy (oh boy)
The world can see that you were meant for me

“Rave On”

In 1958, Buddy Holly released another song written by West and Tilghman called “Rave On.” Yet again, Petty’s name also shows up as a co-writer. The song peaked at No. 37 in America but had a much more successful run in the UK, where it peaked at No. 5.

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