Joe B. Mauldin obit

Crickets bass player Joe B. Mauldin, 74, dies

 

He was not on the list.

Joe B. Mauldin, bass player for rock and roll pioneers The Crickets, passed away Saturday morning in Nashville, his adopted hometown of more than 30 years, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 74 years old.

"Our dad was not only the bass player of The Crickets, he was the bass player of our family," said his daughter Jennifer Mauldin. "He kept our family's steady rhythm by 'locking-in' with our mother just as a good bass player locks in with his drummer. It's that foundation that comforts us all."

Joe Benson Mauldin, Jr. was born July 8, 1940 in Lubbock, Texas. He began playing bass in his early teens and was a member of The Four Teens before joining Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets, in 1957.

At just 16 years old, he was the baby of the group, but before he was old enough to graduate from high school, Mr. Mauldin would help change popular music forever. He is credited with co-writing "Last Night," "Well All Right" and "I'm Gonna Love You Too," gems that have endured for generations and influenced countless musicians around the world.

"What you cats in America don't realize is that this is probably the first global, international rock band of all time," said Keith Richards when The Crickets were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008. "These guys wrote them, sang them and recorded them, and it so impressed us in England. There would probably be no Beatles or Rolling Stones without them."

After Buddy Holly's death in 1959, The Crickets continued to record and perform, backing the Everly Brothers on an international tour and, in 1960, releasing their first of several post-Holly albums, "In Style with the Crickets."

From 1964-66, Mr. Mauldin served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. Upon his return, he worked as an engineer at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, where Phil Spector, Herb Alpert and many more recorded while also occasionally performing with Crickets drummer Jerry "J.I" Allison.

Over the past six decades, The Crickets' most devoted fans have been fellow musicians. Country star Waylon Jennings, who had played bass on Holly's final tour, tapped The Crickets as his opening act in the 1970s. Paul McCartney sang on and produced "T-Shirt," the title track of a 1988 Crickets album.

The band appeared on Nanci Griffith's "Blue Roses From the Moons" album and accompanied her on tour in the mid-1990s. In 2004, they released "The Crickets and Their Buddies," a collection of collaborations with admirers such as Griffith, Jennings (one of the final studio recordings before his death), Eric Clapton, Rodney Crowell and John Prine.

The Crickets — Mr. Mauldin, Allison, Sonny Curtis and the late Niki Sullivan — were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Holly was inducted in 1986.

Mr. Mauldin and his fellow Crickets are also featured on the West Texas Walk of Fame in Lubbock and the Music City Walk of Fame.

Mr. Mauldin leaves behind his beloved wife of 51 years, Jane, and daughters Jane Mauldin and Melody Stephenson. His funeral service will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the American Cancer Society in his name.

Mauldin's funeral service will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the American Cancer Society.