From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sat Jul 20, 2002  2:20 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Buddy Knox
 
BUDDY KNOX (By Johnny Vallis)

Born Buddy Wayne Knox, 20 July 1933, Happy, Texas
Died 14 February 1999, Port Orchard, Washington

Buddy Knox was born and raised on a small wheat farm near Happy,
Texas. Buddy taught himself to play guitar and harmonica after work.
By the time he had graduated from West Texas University with degrees
in Accounting and Psychology, he had formed his own band and had
become close friends with other music business newcomers, Roy Orbison,
Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. With $60.00 and his band, he recorded his
first million selling record, "Party Doll" (# 1 in 1957), which he had written
himself, and followed it up with two more million sellers that he had written,
"Hula Love" and Rock Your Baby To Sleep", then wrote another million seller
for his friend and partner, Jimmy Bowen, called "I'm Stickin' With You."

With 4 Gold Records hanging on his wall, Buddy Knox headed for
television and was invited to the Ed Sullivan Show twice, Dick Clark's
American Bandstand 8 times and the Steve Allen Show. He then filmed a
rock & roll movie called Jamboree with Fats Domino, Frankie Avalon, and
Chuck Berry.
After a stint in the U.S. Army tank corps, as an officer, he reformed his
band and went on the road doing concerts, clubs and dances to make up
for lost time. After the stay in the army, he recorded more hit songs both
for the country charts and the pop-rock charts such as: "Lovey Dovey",
"Ling Ting Tong", "Dear Abby", "Somebody Touched Me", "Gypsy Man",
"I Got You" plus 7 albums and was selected as the foremost exponent of
Rock-a-Billy music in the world by a survey of several trade magazines.

Buddy made his home in the USA Northwest. He successfully travelled
the world through the 1990's. On Feb 5, 1999 he was told that he had
terminal cancer and was given 3-6 months to live. Buddy passed away
Feb 14, 1999. The memory of a Texas gentleman and great rocker will live on..

(Copied from http://www.rockabillyhall.com.BuddyKnox.html)
Official website: http://www.buddyknox.com/
Tribute: http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BuddyKnoxTribute.html
Recommended listening:
Buddy Knox, Jimmy Bowen and the Rhythm Orchids, The Complete
Roulette Recordings (Sequel NED CD 278). 2 CD's, CD 1 is by Buddy
(30 tracks).
Buddy Knox, She's Gone : The Liberty Years (Connoisseur COLL 101).