Buffalo, NY Buddy Holly Tribute Band The Holly Days Releases “That’ll Be the Day”

Western New York Buddy Holly tribute band, The Holly Days, released their first single, “That’ll Be the Day,” on May 27, 2019, the 62nd anniversary of the original single’s release.

The Holly Days is a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets formed by Buffalo natives and longtime band mates Tom Mullen, Gregg Deinhart and Dan Komanski. The three musicians have played together in numerous bands, including Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Relative Four, The Incidentals and The Skeptics. When Mullen asked Komanski and Deinhart to play on his latest solo effort, Unfamiliar Ground, an impromptu jam session became a labor of love to recreate the magic of their myopic idol.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Mullen. “Just like Buddy and drummer Jerry Allison, Dan and I have been playing together since high school, so we have that connection in addition to our love for the man!”

“Buddy Holly has always been an influence on The Skeptics’ music and the opportunity to record this tribute made so much sense to us,” observed Komanski.

“Without the incredible influence of Buddy Holly, rock and roll would have looked a lot different from the 1960s through today,” added Deinhart.

The single was recorded at Loft Studio in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and produced by Jim Sommer. Steve Macdonald of Sommer’s band, Cock Robin, provided background vocals, along with Mullen.

“We wanted to do something very faithful to the original but still fresh and new,” said Mullen. “Our arrangement is based on listening to both the original single and the live performance by the Crickets on the Ed Sullivan Show. There are elements of both in our version.”

A sound sample and links to download the single from iTunes, Amazon and other download platforms can be found here.

The Holly Days will release a second single on Buddy Holly’s birthday, September 7. More information can be found at skepticsongs.com.