Joe B. Mauldin
Buddy Holly and The Crickets (top to bottom: Allison, Holly and Mauldin), 1958
Background information
Birth nameJoseph Benson Mauldin, Jr.
Born(1940-07-08)July 8, 1940
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
DiedFebruary 7, 2015(2015-02-07) (aged 74)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresRock and roll
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, audio engineer
Instrument(s)Double bass and Fender Precision Bass

Joseph Benson Mauldin, Jr. (July 8, 1940 – February 7, 2015)[1][2] was an American bassist, songwriter, and audio engineer who was best known as the bassist for the early rock and roll group the Crickets. Mauldin initially played a double (standup) bass, then switched to a Fender Precision Bass guitar. After several years with the Crickets, he became a recording engineer at Gold Star Studios, the Los Angeles studio which became the "hit factory" for Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, and other major 1960s rock performers.

Biography

Mauldin was born in Lubbock, Texas. When he was four, his parents divorced. During his time at Lubbock Junior High, he learned piano, trumpet and steel guitar.[3] He was one of the founding members of the Crickets, the others being Buddy Holly, drummer Jerry Allison, and guitarist Niki Sullivan. The first rock band he played in, starting in 1955, was a Lubbock group named the Four Teens. He appears to have recorded with this band (which included recording artist Terry Noland) in Dallas, prior to his recording with Buddy Holly in Clovis, New Mexico. After Holly's death in 1959, Mauldin played on and off as an original Cricket with J.I. Allison, Sonny Curtis, Glen D. Hardin, and occasionally Niki Sullivan.[4]

Mauldin was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame in Lubbock and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, as an original Cricket. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Crickets by a special committee which corrected the mistake of not including the Crickets with Buddy Holly when he was first inducted in 1986.

Mauldin died of cancer in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 7, 2015, aged 74.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Leahey, Andrew (February 10, 2015). "Joe B. Mauldin, Bassist for Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Dead at 74". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  2. ^ Thanki, Juli (February 7, 2015). "Crickets bass player Joe B. Mauldin, 74, dies". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  3. ^ Leigh, Spencer (May 7, 2015). "Joe Mauldin: Bass player and songwriter best known as one of the Crickets who wrote several songs with Buddy Holly". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  4. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Joe Mauldin Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Chawkins, Steve (February 10, 2015). "Joe B. Mauldin, bass player for Buddy Holly and Crickets, dies at 73". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Rafique, Sarah (February 7, 2015). "Crickets bassist Joe B. Mauldin remembered as 'gentle soul'". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

External links

The Crickets
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Class of 2012
Authority control databases
Categories