Hellooo Baby! You Know What I Like!

Liner Note Author: Johnette Duff.
Illustrators: Hans Peter Zdrenka; Diethold Leu; R.A. Andreas; Horst Zimmermann; Claes Olofsson; Bo Berglind; Alan Clark ; Randy Steele.
Photographers: Hans Peter Zdrenka; Diethold Leu; R.A. Andreas; Horst Zimmermann; Claes Olofsson; Bo Berglind; Alan Clark ; Randy Steele.
The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr., "Jape" to his family and friends) died in the same Iowa plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly (Jape had actually won a seat on the plane from Holly's then-bass player Waylon Jennings in a game of craps) and Ritchie Valens on February 3, 1959. Generally remembered as a one-hit wonder for his classic recording of "Chantilly Lace," Jape was anything but a one-hit wonder, as this fine 31-track career sampler from Bear Family Records clearly shows. For one thing, Jape, a former radio DJ, was serious about being a musician, and he could play guitar, sing with versatility, and was one hell of a songwriter -- he wrote every song presented here, including enduring classics like "Chantilly Lace," "White Lightning," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Running Bear," and the lovely "Strange Kisses." He loved novelty songs, and studied them with a close eye to detail -- he also, in an odd side note, came up with the "when you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer" tag line for the then-popular Schlitz Beer ads. He wasn't a one-hit wonder, and he wasn't that big, either, standing less than six feet tall and never weighing more than 200 pounds (he wore padded suits to fit the Big Bopper image). This set will be revelatory for a lot of listeners who only know "Chantilly Lace." ~ Steve Leggett