The Last man still singing… A booming voice bounced off the Corvettes cruising along Sunset Boulevard beckoning a young Jerry Naylor to cross the street. “We want YOU to be the new lead singer of The Crickets …?” was the question, following the sudden death of Buddy Holly.

Jerry nearly swallowed his heart. To step into the shoes of what was the biggest and first Rock and Roll band in the world filled Naylor with fear. His fear was short lived and well misplaced. The fans knew and anticipated the difficult role that Jerry had landed and over the years they learned to love his respect and passion with the same generosity they had shown from the beginning.

Naylor hailed from a small town in Texas where his Foster Dad ran the local radio station. He was witness to the launch of many a career, including Elvis, Roy Orbison and of course Buddy Holly. Over time he would meet and befriend those who are now called The Rockabilly Legends, never knowing that one day he would be the honorary custodian of a Foundation celebrating their legacy.

Jerry’s life has followed a wonderfully colourful path. A Grammy nominee himself, a co-founder of one of the biggest country and western labels in the world and aside from music he was recruited by the CIA as a special envoy checking out potential hostile threats abroad. He worked for two terms in the Reagan administration at the White House, and he survived what was a dreadful and near fatal car crash.

Today he sees the launching in the UK a branch of The Rockabilly Legends Foundation.

The Foundation awards scholarships to talented but impoverished students so that they may be able to pursue their chosen career via University or college. The awards have thus far been confined to the USA – Texas University having established The Rockabilly Legends as part of their curriculum.

In the UK the Foundation will have direct links to Paul McCartney’s LIPA foundation and the official launch will be held at The Hard Rock Café in London in June this Summer.

To celebrate the UK launch Jerry is releasing a brand new record celebrating the 50th anniversary of the his time as the lead singer of the Crickets.. There are 19 newly recorded tracks and the first single “I Still Love You Peggy Sue “ will be released on June 24th on the Palawan Production’s label. The tracks are new takes on the old great classics as well as some brand new tracks such as the new single which incidentally bought a tear to the eye of the legendary Peggy Sue…