For up to the minute news and fun follow us on twitter at: twitter.com/officialWDP December 2011 Hi-D-Ho Folks, I have no idea where 2011 has gone but it has dissapeared like a dust bunny under my couch. I know it existed but I can't tell you what happened to it. Some memorable 2011 highlights included performing with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops at the Verizon Center in Philadelphia, going to Singapore, raising over $20,000 for the Rockford Library foundation and over $15,000 for the Kankakee Valley Theatre Association, getting an invite from Sir Paul McCartney's company to attend Buddy's Hollywood walk of fame induction and I'm sure many other things I'm forgetting at the moment. Anyway, lot's to be thankful for and indeed grateful to you our fans for that ever loving support. From now till December 25th please enjoy a free mp3 download of our special WDP styled arrangement of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" available at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/winterdanceparty This last month of 2011 brings some final fun to the end of the year. Our sister show, "Buddy, Roy and Elvis" will be appearing in..(drum roll please)...Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the beautiful Genting Resort on December 10th! I can't imagine any of you knowing anyone there but if you do tell 'em we're coming to rock and roll and we have no idea what to eat. Also, don't forget Minnesotans that we'll be doing two shows on NYE at the Prairie's Edge Casino and Resort in Granite Falls, MN. Details on our schedule page at winterdanceparty.com. It's not cold yet in Minnesota, right? January 7th 2012 kicks off with a show for the "South Dakota Corn Growers Association." I'm not lying. They are a lively bunch I've heard tell. Then come January 13th and 14th it's back to warmth and home cooking when we play two nights at the Norris Center for the Performing Arts in Rolling Hills Estates in Southern California. For all of our So Cal fans and friends, this is your chance to see us locally. Don't miss it! Our official 2012 tour kicks off at the infamous Willowbrook Ballroom in Chicagoloand on January 20th. This show gets sold out faster every year so don't wait too long for tickets. Lots of Wisconsin dates follow, South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, State Theatre in Eau Claire and of course the mighty Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay and Hartford, WI as well. Our tour wraps up at the Surf Ballroom where we're proud to be on the same bill as the legendary Chuck Berry. Should be loads of fun. Think this is sold out already but not positive. As always, check our schedule page to get details on tickets. 2012 brings another symphony show for us, April 28th at the beautiful Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. If you're anywhere near this area I highly encourage taking advantage of this opportunity to hear our show with a full 75 piece orchestra behind us. We're doing two shows that day and I think one is sold out already believe it or not so don't wait too long. If you haven't "liked" us on facebook yet please do so when you get a moment, there's some fun stuff their too: www.facebook.com/winterdanceparty Mr. Twitter will tweet at me if I don't give you our Twitter link as well: www.twitter.com/officialWDP Well, that's enough jaw boning for now. Wishing you the very best holiday season and a wonderful new year. Your Buddy, John Fall 2011 Hi-D-Ho Folks, This past Sept 7th would have been Buddy's 75th birthday and it was nicely fitting on this day that he was inducted into the Hollywood walk of fame and now has his own star just steps away from the Capitol Records building on Vine st in Hollywood. It was long overdue of course. I got a nice invitation to the event and concert that followed that night. Read all about it on our WDP blog page. Coming up next is our return to Don Laughlin's Riverside Casino and Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. We're there Oct 4th thru the 9th, six shows! After that we're off to Illinois for a couple of fundraisers in Kankakee and Rockford. Details are on our calendar page. Come on out and support a good benefit. Our 2012 first few months is shaping up real good. We'll be in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, California, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, South Dakota, Nevada and Canada so far! I'm sure we'll be adding quite a few more so check our calendar page often. We've been receiving many emails asking when we are going to be in a particular city or venue. If you'd like to see us in your community take a moment to tell your local venue about us, it really works! Stay tuned for some new exciting announcements soon! We'll see ya' out there and by the way for a limited time while supplies last anyone who mentions they read our newsletter to us after the show gets a free download card of my latest album, "Retrospective." Your Buddy, John http://www.winterdanceparty.com http://facebook.com/winterdanceparty Late Summer 2011 Hi-D-Ho Folks, A little bit of cool snowflakes for you in this summer heat. Hope you're staying cool. Quite a few news items so let's get to it: Coming up first this Thursday August 11th I am scheduled to appear on the Dennis Miller radio show at approximately 9:34am central standard time. You can listen live at http: //www.dennismillerradio.com or you can break out your transistor radio and tune in. You can find the station that his show is carried on at http://www.dennismillerradio. com//stationfinder or even listen at your convenience later on the web site. Dennis's show is carried on the westwood one radio network and is carried by over 297 stations. For those that may not know he was an instrumental part of SNL and is very funny. I am appearing courtesy of Gary Moore's excellent book based on my song, "Hey, Buddy." Gary appeared on the show last week and apparently Dennis was interested in speaking with me as well. Checkout http://www.heybuddybook.com for more info. Up next, this Saturday August 13th at the Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs (near Chicago) I'll be sitting in and singing a few 50's songs along with a few originals of mine with Chicagoland's very own Rhythm Rockets for the ballroom's very special 90th anniversary celebrations. Lot's of activities, dancing, music throughout the day and evening plus a special dinner as well. In short, good times. For more info go to: http://www.willowbrookballroom.com It'll be fun to be in Chicago when it's not minus ten degrees! Sept 2nd thru the 5th we head to the city of Lost Wages, yes, Las Vegas, NV for a four show stint at the Southpoint Casino and Resort. This will be our second appearance there so if you missed us the first time come on out. We're already starting to post our winter schedule believe it or not so check our calendar page. frequently from here on out. September 7th on Buddy's birthday you'll find me at the Hollywood blvd star walk ceremony induction for Buddy Holly near the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. There will be lots of celebrities turning out for this as it's long overdue. Everyone's invited so bring a camera and witness the history. Check our blog tab for photos and commentary. Your Buddy, John Summer 2011 Hi-D-Ho Folks, Wow, we recently got to perform four shows with the Philly Pops and conducted by Peter Nero! It was a great experience and one we won't soon forget. It's not everyday we have a 70 piece prestigious orchestra behind us. Great fun and many audience members told us afterwards that it was one of their all time favorites. One patron cracked, "It's the first show I've seen here where a lot of people didn't fall asleep!" Hee, hee, we aim to please.. and rock and roll. Pictures and more details about this great time are on our blog page right here on this site. Check it out! We've got some fun shows coming up this summer so be sure to check our calendar page when you can. Don't miss our American Graffiti festival appearance once again at the State Theatre in Modesto, CA, on June 10th, home of our sound man Jamie "Peaches" Gelsimino. We'll also be returning to Las Vegas at the Southpoint Casino for 4 shows Sept 2 thru the 5th. Come on out and celebrate labor day weekend with us. We thank you for your support and we'll see ya on down the line. Your Buddy, John WINTER 2011 Hi-D-Ho Folks, 2011 is here. Can't believe another year has passed so quickly! We just got our bones warmed up from last year (via a nice trip to Hawaii) and are now headed back to the frozen midwest already? Brrrrrrrrrrr, frosty! Gary Moore's new book, "Hey, Buddy..In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My new Buddy John, and my Lost Decade of Music" is now available. The book tells of how he came to one of our WDP shows (dragged by his wife and mother in law) and then had an emotional connection with my song, "Hey, Buddy" and how it takes him on a journey to discover just how relevant Buddy still is in today's world. Lots of good interviews in it too. It's a great read and is available right now at http://www.andersonsbookshop.com It's national and official release occurs on January 20th. Gary will be appearing in person at our Riverside Ballroom, Green Bay, WI show and also at our Weill Center appearance in Sheboygan, WI. He'll be happy to autograph the book for ya. We're looking forward to returning to Chicagoland on January 21st at the beloved Willowbrook Ballroom and of course Green Bay on January 28th. Many other dates and cities for your listening pleasure in Jan/Feb and March including a first time appearance at the Southpoint Resort in Las Vegas on Feb 4th and 5th. Don't forget our big week long symphony presentation March 2 thru the 6th with the Philly Pops Orchestra and conducted by Peter Nero! Oh, Boy is that going to be fun. Be sure to check our schedule page on http://www.winterdanceparty.com for a city near you. Please drive safe in winter weather! We are very thankful that 2010 was one of our best years ever and that due to you we are able to do what we do. I know there are many who suffered thru a terrible economy in 2010 with jobs and homes lost. If you personally know of someone who had a really rough time this past year let me know and I'll see if we can't bring a little sunshine into their lives in some shape, form or manner. Wishing you and yours the very best 2011. Your Buddy, John FALL 2010 H-D-Ho Folks, Great Balls of Pumpkin! Fall and football is here. Plenty of WDP shows for you before the frost sets in. And if you're headed away from the cold come check us out for our exclusive entire week run Nov 23rd thru Nov 28th at Don Laughlin's Riverside Casino in Laughlin, NV. Details on our schedule page. We'll be thankful to see you. Always good to see familiar faces during a holiday. We're still finalizing our 2011 tour but the schedule page has many confirmed dates up already so take a gander when you can. We're very thrilled and greatly looking forward to our big week long symphony show with the Philadelphia Pops Orchestra in March and we'll be conducted by Peter Nero! If you live in a city we haven't performed in yet by all means let us know about a venue you think would fit and also give the venue a call and shout out for us. It works. That's about it for now. For all you tweeters be sure to sign up and visit us at twitter.com/officialWDP You'll get some random observational tweets, music giveaways and more. Thanks for your support and keep on spreading the word about us. SUMMER 2010 Hi-D-Ho Folks, We're finally getting off the road for a spell...er, well in May anyway. Next week we're at the Donald's Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City from April 16-18. They're calling the show "Rock and Roll will Never Die" but yeah, it's us. 4 shows to choose from. We've also got a nice summer schedule ahead for you including a first time casino appearance at Prairie's Edge in Granite Falls, MN and our symphony show with the Columbus, Ohio, Symphony on July 17th! Additionally, those of you that are always inquiring when we are coming to the east coast we have quite a few great shows coming up in August at some very cool venues: The Belleayre Mountain Resort in Highmount, NY on August 21, the Chautauqua Inst. in Jamestown, NY on Aug 26th and for Great Neck, NY residents only a free outdoor park show at Stepping Stone Park on Aug 29th. For all show details head to our schedule page. Gary W. Moore, the talented author of "Playing with the Enemy," is currently writing a book entitled, "Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My Buddy John and My Lost Decade of Music." He is looking for stories about how Buddy's music, life and death may have impacted you. He is also looking for your thoughts on how my work with the WDP, in tribute to Buddy, may also have impacted you. Do you have a story you would like to share for possible inclusion in his book? Do you have any thoughts on my song "Hey, Buddy?" Gary would love to hear from you. You can write him at: Gary@garywmoore.com Regardless of whether you want to contact him or not I highly recommend his book "Playing with the Enemy." It is to be made into a major motion picture and is a great true American story about his own father getting drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers at the ripe age of only 15 and then getting sidelined by a call from Uncle Sam to help serve in WW2. It's a great read. Check it out at http://www.playingwiththenemy.com That's about it for now. Thanks much as always for your tremendous support and turnout. Stay cool in the shade, lemonade's only 25 cents on my block! Your Buddy, John http://www.winterdanceparty.com DEC 2009 WDP NEWS Hi-D-Holiday Ho folks, Another year closing in and what a fun and memorable one it was indeed. The 50th anniversary of the Winter Dance Party was great of course but 2010 looks to be our busiest ever. Iowa features heavily in our upcoming Jan/Feb tour with 8 cities to choose from! The Gallagher Bluedorn in Cedar Falls, Iowa, a beautiful state of the art performing arts center seating over 1500 has already sold out our Feb 16th show but has recently added a second show on the 15th. Tommy Allsup will be joining us for the first time at the Willowbrook Ballroom in Chicago and also at the Laramar Ballroom in Ft. Dodge, IA. He’ll also be returning to our fave place, The Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, WI. Check our schedule for other possible appearances near you for more details. We have over 40 shows for you to attend this winter into spring. On the casino front, we’ll be back at Diamond Jo’s in frosty cold Dubuque and Northwood, Iowa in January while “the Donald” will host us once again at Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City this March . We’ll also be headed for our first time to Laughlin, Nevada at the famous Riverside Casino in March as well. Check our schedule page for details. My song “Hey, Buddy” has received some significant airplay in England courtesy of BBC’s rockin’ Geoff Barker, Go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7zl He did a fantastic radio documentary on the 50th and also recently did a program on the excellent CD, “Clovis Rocks,” a Rollercoasterrecords.com release that features a few tunes from the WDP on it (including “Hey, Buddy) along with many other great legends like the Crickets, Sonny West, Tommy Allsup and many more. “Hey, Buddy” is now (finally) available as a digital download (I know, vinyl still rules but the times are a’ changin’) at all your digital retailers like itunes.com or CDBaby.com and many more. This release is a new/old collection of sorts entitled, “John Mueller - Retrospective.” It has a few new songs never before released along with a demo as well for your listening pleasure. This collection will only be available as a digital download in the mp3 format. Cool thing is though you can download one tune only or as many as you’d like. We’ll be bringing our new “WDP Web Cam” with us on tour where you will be able to actually see and hear a few choice greetings from us and updates. We wish you all the merriest and good tidings in 2010 and thank you kindly for the tremendous support. We’ll see ya on the down the line. Your Buddy, John http://www.winterdanceparty.com SEPT 2009 WDP NEWS Hi-D-Ho Folks, I'll keep it short and sweet this time as a few new events are worth special mention. We successfully performed our first ever symphony show with the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan! Great fun and over 4300 in attendance at the first show. Read about it on our blog at: http://officialwinterdanceparty.blogspot.com/ We are returning to Clovis, NM on September 5th, 2009, just in time for Buddy's birthday and also to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Winter Dance Party. Tickets are available locally at Joe's Boot Shop on 2600 Mabry Drive or by phone at 1-800-838-3006 or online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/76869 Tickets will go fast for this one so make plans as soon as possible. A portion of proceeds after expenses will go to a Clovis area school music department. Fun, music, and brews after show at Chilis. What more could one ask for? :-) Sept 25th brings an opportunity for Southern California residents to see us at a performing arts center in Torrance, CA at the Armstrong Theatre. Details on schedule page. We will be doing our second ever symphony show in Albuquerque, NM on October 3rd. This will be an indoors show unlike Grand Rapids so I imagine the sound will be even more impressive and mosquitos not present! :-) "Moondreams" has grown on me like a moss and I can't stop singing it! This Buddy rarity we did in Grand Rapids was a real treat to unearth and we'll do it again in ABQ if only cause I can't get it out of my head! We'll see ya' on down the line! Your Buddy, John GREAT VIDEO, PHOTO and ARTICLE LINKS of the WINTER DANCE PARTY: http://data.desmoinesregister.com/holly/index.php http://partners.dubuque365. com/photofeatures/winterdanceparty/365_Image_Vault/Winter_Da nce_Party.html http://www.greenbaypressgazette. com/article/20090124/GPG0502/901240625&referrer=FRONTPAGE CAROUSEL http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=trww8n9. bszyfndl&x=0&y=d93r17&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email- _-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button http://www.pantagraph. com/articles/2009/02/05/freetime/music/doc4989c260af65966930409 6.txt http://www.bcrnews. com/articles/2009/02/10/news/doc49911db4b6c38243455358.txt http://www.globegazette. com/articles/2009/01/22/entertainment/local/doc49782953d2f5f7513 63597.txt http://www.greenbaypressgazette. com/article/20090122/GPG0502/901220325 http://www.greenbaypressgazette. com/article/20090122/GPG0502/901220326 MAY 2009 WDP NEWS Hi-D-Ho Folks, Well, Good Golly Miss Molly it's been awhile! The 50th anniversary tour had us all on the road for some two and half months straight so believe it or not I am just now catching up with items at home. There's a bunch of great links below to photos, articles and even video highlights from the tour with many thanks to the Des Moines Register, Green Bay Gazette, Globe Gazette, Dan Ferone, Bryce Parks and others. It pretty much sums it all up better than I could ever attempt to explain. Needless to say but the 50th anniversary was an emotionally charged event for us all and many thanks for all the sell out shows when it was beyond cold out. Highlights included Bob, Ritchie Valens brother's emotional greeting in front of many grateful fans at the Riverside ballroom in Green Bay, WI. A deafening roar greeted us all and we played three separate sets of music that night for three plus hours of raucous fun. Our Surf ballroom show was exciting as well with a special surprise appearance by Carl Bunch and Maria Elena joining us on stage. Jay Richardson wore his heart on his sleeve for a stirring rendition of his own penned "Big Bopper Memories" while I debuted the new "Hey, Buddy" song with new Ritchie and Bopper lyrics. Rockin' Ray per usual got the crowd going good. A great weekend of fun but darn cold. Virtually everyone I know got sick including yours truly who spent super bowl Sunday on a couch. News Dept: our very first and upcoming Symphony show with the Grand Rapids, MI symphony on July 16th and 17th! This will be the full Winter Dance Party show backed by a full orchestra! Many good seats are already sold out but I am told lawn seating is still available. This will be one of many new symphony shows this year so if you can't make this one, there are more to come. We have a new mailing address: 12115 Magnolia Blvd, Suite 37, Valley Village, CA 91607. This replaces the old 12439 Magnolia Blvd address so please send all correspondence and Chantilly Lace to this address! Don't miss two summer fun outdoor shows that are also free to attend! July 4th promises to be a humdinger at Hansen Dam in the sunny San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. This large outdoor event will have band contests, some very special guests and feature us at the end of the evening along with some fireworks! Currently, we are working on a special July 3rd symposium event at the Grammy museum in downtown L.A. that will include special guests Tommy Allsup and Maria Elena Holly! Details on this as they arrive soon. July 18th has us at Miller Outdoor park in Houston, TX. Expect 3000 to 4000 people so arrive early for closer seating. All of our summer fun dates are on our calendar page here: That's it for now. More soon. Remember that the Winter Dance Party show takes no responsibility for overheating anyone this summer! Your Buddy, John GREAT VIDEO, PHOTO and ARTICLE LINKS of the WINTER DANCE PARTY: http://data.desmoinesregister.com/holly/index.php http://partners.dubuque365. com/photofeatures/winterdanceparty/365_Image_Vault/Winter_Da nce_Party.html http://www.greenbaypressgazette. com/article/20090124/GPG0502/901240625&referrer=FRONTPAGE CAROUSEL http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=trww8n9. bszyfndl&x=0&y=d93r17&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email- _-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button http://www.pantagraph. com/articles/2009/02/05/freetime/music/doc4989c260af65966930409 6.txt http://www.bcrnews. com/articles/2009/02/10/news/doc49911db4b6c38243455358.txt http://www.globegazette. com/articles/2009/01/22/entertainment/local/doc49782953d2f5f7513 63597.txt http://www.greenbaypressgazette. com/article/20090122/GPG0502/901220325 http://www.greenbaypressgazette. com/article/20090122/GPG0502/901220326 DECEMBER 2008 WDP NEWS Hot off the press! Hi-D-Ho Folks! Happy New Year! After an incredibly busy December we are ready for the new year and all the excitement it brings. 2009 will be the 10th anniversary of our Winter Dance Party show and of course the 50th of the original. To think 10 years ago we embarked on a journey that took us to the original ballrooms on the original dates and exact routing, culminating at the Surf Ballroom on Feb 2, 1999 is quite a memory. To think 10 years later our wonderful fans have made us the number one tribute show to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper is quite amazing. Every year has greeted us with more bookings than before, more sold out shows and this coming January, February and March is no exception. In short, we thank our fans for the greatest support team anywhere. We're very proud that our fans have spread the word so well about our show that one venue we sold out recently said, "I didn't even have to advertise." Thank YOU! We look forward to this special 50th anniversary and have quite a few fun things in store including special guests, new Ritchie and Bopper verses to "Hey, Buddy," and a video highlight reel of our past 10 years. Our Official Winter Dance Party 50th Anniversary tour will for the first time ever bring the Valens family to the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin. On sheer excitement and crowd volume level alone the Riverside Ballroom has exceeded all other venues and we felt it was high time for the Valens family to see and experience first hand what Ritchie surely must have. Since it's the 50th anniversary it only makes it that much more special and will be a highly charged and emotional show for sure. I wouldn't wait for tickets for this one as it always sells out quickly. In addition to the Riverside on January 23rd we'll also be at these original 1959 ballrooms: JANUARY 21 Madrigrano Marina Shores (Formerly Eagles Club) Original 1959 Winter Dance Party Ballroom 302 58th Street Kenosha, WI Tickets avail locally at: Super Valu, 3401 80th Street, Kenosha JANUARY 30 The Surf Ballroom Original 1959 Winter Dance Party Ballroom 460 No. Shore Dr. Clear Lake, IA 641-357-6151 http://www.surfballroom.com JANUARY 31 The Laramar Ballroom Original 1959 Winter Dance Party Ballroom 710 1st Ave. North Ft. Dodge, IA Tickets avail locally at: Hy-Vee, 115 South 29th St, Ft. Dodge There are too many new bookings to mention all here but include Jan 18th at Sheffer Music Hall in Jackson, MI, Feb 8th at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, IL, Feb 13th at Diamond Jo's Casino in Dubuque, IA and Feb 14th at Diamond Jo's Casino in Northwood, IA and last but not least March 6th thru 8th at the Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City! Please visit our schedule page for complete show details and dates. There's quite a few to pick from! The Farmer's Almanac predicts a mean ol' winter this year and so far they're right! Drive safely kids and bring your mittens. Your Buddy, John OCTOBER 2008 WDP NEWS Hot off the Press! Hi-D-Ho Folks, It's getting close to winter time and y'all know what that means...break out those sweaters and get your engines started cause we'll be back in your neighborhood soon to rock the joint! 2009 will be our 10th anniversary of our show and of course the 50th of the original. We are very thankful to all the wonderful fans who have supported us all these years and made us the number one tribute show to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Every year has greeted us with more bookings than before, more sold out shows and this coming December, January, February and March is no exception. We'll reach new areas we've never before played in the U.S. and also have a tour of Canada. In short, we thank our fans again for the greatest support team anywhere. We're very proud that our fans have spread the word so well about our show that one venue we sold out recently said, "I didn't even have to advertise." Thank YOU! Springfield News Sun Article on us! Nice article done on the WDP. Our "Winter Dance Party®...Holiday Greetings to You" CD is getting reviewed by many publications and internet reviewers currently. Here's a few links to some just in: Wildy's World NeuFutur This CD makes for a fantastic Christmas gift and has some very unique interpretations of Christmas standards done in the inimitable Holly, Valens and Bopper stylings. Checkout the rockin' and swingin' tracks at our Bop N Shop Store It's also available at itunes.com, CDBaby.com and digstation.com We've got some good surprises coming up but I'm gonna keep 'em under wraps for now. More about these exciting developments soon...stay tuned! That's all for now. We'll see ya' on down the line. Your Buddy, John http://www.yourbuddyjohn.com http://www.winterdanceparty.com Sept 2008 WDP NEWS Hot off the Press! Hi-D-Ho Folks, A few announcements to holler about: Of course the Clovis Music Festival is coming up very soon! Here's the lineup: THURSDAY, Sept 4th Tommy Allsup & Kevin Montgomery Ray Anthony and the Vees - Ritchie Valens Tribute Show FRIDAY, Sept 5th The Chiffons, Chris Montez, Johnny Preston, & Bobby Vee SATURDAY, Sept 6th Buddy, Roy, & Elvis Tribute Show SPECIAL! SUNDAY, Sept 7th George & Stan of the Fireballs (will lead the Rockin' Gospel @ 10: 00 am) It's going to be a blast and we all hope you can make it. Additionally, I've just been asked to do a Buddy workshop on Sunday, September 7th (Buddy's B-day) at 2:00pm at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock! The cool thing about this is one could actually attend the great gospel morning show planned at the Norman Petty Studios in the morning and then drive to Lubbock to attend the workshop. I will be demonstrating where Buddy got his influences from, how he made them his own, and how he influenced others, culminating with a sing-a-long at the end. Don't miss the fun! Call the Buddy Holly Center for details and directions at (806) 775-3560. http://www.winterdanceparty.com is up and running!! I encourage everyone to check it out. Loaded with new pictures, a jukebox, and all of our WDP scheduled dates, it even has a blog where I'll be posting a few things from time to time. We're still tweaking a few things here and there but it's largely done. Slowly but surely changes will be coming soon to yourbuddyjohn.com as that site will now focus more on my original music and other projects. That's all for now. We'll see ya' on down the line. Your Buddy, John http://www.yourbuddyjohn.com http://www.winterdanceparty.com JUNE 2008 NEWSLETTER Hi-D-Ho Folks! Fantastic news: Mark your Calendars for June 27th as the Winter Dance Party® will be at the Surf Ballroom for it’s 60th anniversary celebrations!! We are thrilled and honored to be included for this fundraising event and to celebrate the Surf’s 60 years of service to the Clear Lake, Iowa, community. Come on out when it’s warm for a great rockin’ evening. We’ll be raffling off a WDP signed guitar for this event as well. Yep, still more fantastic news: Clovis music festival just announced their lineup which includes the WDP’s Rockin’ Ray Anthony, The Crickets, Bobby Vee, and our sister show, Buddy, Roy and Elvis! Last year was a fantastic event and this year looks to be the same. Don’t miss this great entertainment Sept 4th thru the 6th! http://www.clovismusicfestival.net for more info Our 2008 Winter Dance Party® tour was sold out at every venue and we thank you for the tremendous support. At the Valens event we saw Donna Ludwig (Ritchie’s “Donna”), Connie and Irma Valens (Ritchie’s sisters), Bob Valens (Ritchie’s brother), Mario Ramirez (Ritchie’s stepbrother) and others. Also, take note: There is a brand new green “Ritchie Valens guitar” that has been premiered It is put out by Harmony Guitar company and will be on sale commemorating Ritchie’s legacy very soon. Check out Ritchievalens.com for more news of this. Tommy Allsup joined us at four of our show dates and the Green Bay Riverside Ballroom night was something to behold indeed. It started with the mayor of Green Bay proclaiming January 25th as “Tommy Allsup Day” and he then gave Tommy the keys to the city of Green Bay. It was fantastic to have Tommy back at the Riverside Ballroom for the first time since 1959. Kudos to Green Bay’s own Mark Steuer, Janet Gollnick, Ken Tedford, and Jim Morrison for coordinating the mayoral ceremony and festivities. The Green Bay crowd roared magnificently when Tommy walked out on stage and played with us and also gave the Fireballs a great reception too. As always, Green Bay was the most lively audience anywhere. Photo link is below. We recently donated $1000 to Green Bay’s West High School music department bringing our total now in donations and funds raised for charity this past ten years to $150,000. Thank you all for your support and help with this. We’ve received a tremendous amount of emails already inquiring as to our 2009 appearances due to it being the 50th anniversary (and our 10th). We therefore have decided to post way in advance our booked dates on the calendar page and as far out as possible. Yes, we’ll be at the Surf too! There will be additional shows added from now until then as well so check back often. As you can see, it is a very busy schedule and will take us to new places previously unvisited. We will have quite a few special guests at some of these shows and will announce them all as soon as possible. I think that’s enough news for now, eh? Spring is here and summer awaits. We’ll see ya’ on down the line at the lemonade stand. Your Buddy, John |
