From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun Aug 11, 2002  2:29 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : David Box
 
DAVID BOX

Born Harold David Box, 11 August 1943, Sulphur Springs, Texas
Died 23 October 1964, near Houston, Texas

Singer / guitarist / songwriter.
If the name David Box doesn't ring a bell, you are forgiven. The vocal talents
of this Texan were only ever featured on five 45-rpm records during the course
of his lifetime. He died tragically at 21 years of age, never achieving the
recognition he deserved. He music is best described as Buddy Holly Meets
Roy Orbison.
In 1945, the Box family moved to Lubbock, where David would live for the
rest of his life. He displayed a keen interest in music from an early age and
was a founder-member of the Rhythm Teens, later the Ravens, a group styled
on the Crickets. The group cut some demos in 1958 at Mitchell Studio in
Lubbock. On his 17th birthday David recorded "Peggy Sue Got Married" and
"Don't Cha Know" as lead vocalist with the Crickets.
In 1961 David signed with Ted Groebl's Joed label in Big Spring, TX, first only
as a songwriter. David's first solo professional recording session was on April
5, 1962, in Nashville. He recorded two songs by the trio Roy Orbison / Joe
Melson / Ray Rush : "I've Had My Moments" and "If You Can't Say Something
Nice", with top session musicians. David thought that his big break had come.
Reality was something else. Joed eventually leased the recordings to a small
California label, Candix. Apart from a mention in Billboard, the recordings
received no further promotion, excellent as they were. Three releases on Joed,
in 1962-64, also suffered from ineffective promotion (though two of these were
released in the UK, on London American).
In the summer of 1964 David left college and had more time for touring.
He worked with local band Buddy and the Kings : Buddy Groves vocal/guitar,
Carl Banks bass and Bill Daniels on drums. Daniels was a qualified pilot and
the quartet hired a Cesna Skyhawk 172 to take them to a gig in Harris County
on 23 October 1964. The plane crashed nose first and overturned on the return
flight. There were no survivers.
After the sad news broke in Lubbock the Box's first visitors were Buddy
Holly's parents. Mr Holley hugged Harold Box and said simply "It's better
you should know this now; people will tell you that time heals the pain but
it doesn't".

Much more info at http://www.hotshotdigital.com/tribute/DavidBox.html
and in the 36-page booklet accompanying the CD "The David Box Story"
(Rollercoaster RCCD 3024, released 2002). 32 tracks, most of them previously
unissued.