About Tommy Allsup
Allsup worked with entertainers such as Buddy Holly, including playing lead guitar on “It’s So Easy!” and “Lonesome Tears”, as well as playing with Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. Allsup was touring with Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson when he serendipitously lost a fateful coin toss with Valens for a seat on the plane that crashed, killing Valens, Holly, Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson on February 3, 1959. Investigators initially thought that Allsup had died in the crash because he had given Holly his wallet so that Holly could use Allsup’s ID to claim a mailed letter on his behalf. Allsup moved to Los Angeles, played with local bands, and did session work, including songwriting credits for The Ventures “Bluer Than Blue”, “Guitar Twist”, and “Opus Twist”. Allsup is known to be playing the lead guitar for these tunes on The Ventures albums The Colorful Ventures and Twist With The Ventures. Allsup played guitar on Bobby Vee recording sessions, including playing lead guitar on the album Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets. In 1964, he played guitar on the Buddy Holly tribute album The Buddy Holly Songbook produced by Norman Petty.