The "Chirping" Crickets

The "Chirping" Crickets is the debut album from the American rock and roll band the Crickets, led by Buddy Holly. It was the group's only album released during Holly's lifetime. In 2012, it was ranked number 420 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It also appears in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

The "Chirping" Crickets
Studio album by the Crickets
Released	November 27, 1957
Recorded	July 17 – September 28, 1957
Genre	Rock and roll rockabilly
Length	26:02
Label	Brunswick
Producer	Norman Petty
The Crickets chronology
The "Chirping" Crickets (1957) Buddy Holly (1958)
Alternative Cover
Australian cover
Reissue Cover
Buddy Holly and the Crickets (Coral, 1962)
Singles from The "Chirping" Crickets
"That'll Be the Day" Released: July 1957 "Oh, Boy!" Released: 27 October 1957 "Maybe Baby" Released: January 1958

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The Rolling Stone Record Guide
Encyclopedia of Popular Music

The LP was released in the US in 1957, and in the UK in 1958. It was re-released by Coral in 1962 as Buddy Holly and the Crickets. After being out of print for many years, it was reissued as a remastered CD in 2004 with bonus tracks.

In July 2019 the album was the subject for the BBC Four documentary Classic Albums: The Crickets: The 'Chirping' Crickets.

In July 2023, the album was reissued by Rollercoaster Records in England as The Alternative "Chirping" Crickets, a CD containing remixed Mono, Stereo plus the twelve tracks, in stereo but without the backing vocals that the Crickets felt were intrusive and inappropriate. Positive reviews followed.

Track listing

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Oh, Boy!"	Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, Norman Petty	2:08
2.	"Not Fade Away"	Buddy Holly, Petty	2:23
3.	"You've Got Love"	Roy Orbison, Johnny Wilson, Petty	2:08
4.	"Maybe Baby"	Holly, Petty	2:03
5.	"It's Too Late"	Chuck Willis	2:24
6.	"Tell Me How"	Holly, Petty, Jerry Allison	2:01

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"That'll Be the Day" (May 27, 1957 Brunswick version)	Holly, Allison, Petty	2:16
8.	"I'm Looking for Someone to Love"	Holly, Petty	1:59
9.	"An Empty Cup (And a Broken Date)"	Orbison, Petty	2:15
10.	"Send Me Some Lovin'"	John Marascalco, Leo Price	2:37
11.	"Last Night"	Joe B. Mauldin, Petty	1:56
12.	"Rock Me My Baby"	Shorty Long, Susan Heather	1:52

Personnel

Buddy Holly and the Crickets

• Buddy Holly – lead vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar on “It’s Too Late”, backing vocals on “Not Fade Away”
• Jerry Allison – drums; cardboard box percussion and backing vocals on “Not Fade Away”
• Joe B. Mauldin – double bass (except “That’ll Be the Day” and “I’m Looking for Someone to Love”), backing vocals on “Not Fade Away”
• Niki Sullivan – rhythm guitar (except on ”Oh, Boy!”, “Not Fade Away”, “It’s Too Late”, and “An Empty Cup (And A Broken Date”); backing vocals on “Not Fade Away”, “That’ll Be the Day”, and “I’m Looking for Someone to Love”

Additional personnel

• Larry Welborn – double bass on “That’ll Be the Day” and “I’m Looking for Someone to Love”
• The Picks (Bill Pickering, John Pickering and Bob Lapham) – backing vocals, except on “Not Fade Away”, “That’ll Be the Day”, and “I’m Looking for Someone to Love”
• Ramona and Gary Tollett – backing vocals on “That’ll Be the Day” and “I’m Looking for Someone to Love”

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1958	UK Albums Chart	5

Singles

Year	Single	Position
		Billboard Hot 100	R&B Singles	UK Singles Chart
1957	"That'll Be the Day"	1	2	1
1958	"Oh Boy"	10	13	3

External links

• The "Chirping" Crickets at Discogs (list of releases)