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Articles - Diaries > Events of 2020


Jan 1, 2020 - Happy New Year!! To all the music fans of the 50s. Every month of the year are a lot of mentions of the Buddy Holly music on which The Picks did the backup vocals.

Feb 3, 2020 - Feb 3, 1959 - Buddy Holly, Waylon, Ritchie and pilot killed in plane crash after performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Feb 4, 2020 -  Bob Lapham was born February 4, 1935. 

Feb 27, 2020 - Pickering's daughter Paula's birthday.

Feb 28, 2020 - John Pickering died February 28, 2011. 

Mar 2020 - Pickering family birthdays - Terry, Lisa, and remembering John.

            In March the Corvid-19 virus shut down many things in the world. Most music venues were closed. Many artist performed on the Internet.

Apr 2020 - Pickering family birthdays - Vicky ,Rylie and Rayena.   Virus continued in April.

Apr 4, 2020 - Bob Lapham died April 4, 2018. 

May 2020 - Virus continued in May. Happy Anniversary to Paula and Terry. Great granddaughter of Vicky and John, Emily, was 6 months old.

Jun - 2020 - Virus continued in June.

Jul - 2020 - Virus continued in July. 

               On TV shows played around July 4th celebrations, Vicky saw a video of the Temptations. One of their original members wrote "Statue of a Fool". John Pickering recorded it and that was his favorite song to perform.

                On the 40th Capitol Celebration, John Fogarty performed his song "Proud Mary". John and Bill of the Pickering Brothers recorded the song in Nashville in 1969. John, Vicky and son John met Fogarty at an Austin City Limits Show recording.

Jul 10,2020 - Pickering Grandson Garrett's birthday.

Jul 7, 2020 - A member of Buddy Holly and The Cricket’s 3rd backup vocal trio, The Roses, died in Houston of the virus, after a long illness of other problems. Ray B. Rush, 83, of Houston. He had stayed in John and Vicky's home some during the early 2000's. He was from Devers, TX and will be buried there near his parents with a memorial service at a later date. He was never married and had no children. Their trio recorded 4 songs with Buddy in Clovis in 1958.  Most of the 50's musicians from Lubbock are gone now. John interviewed him in 2005 when he was in their home. Ray, Rest in peace, Rise in glory.

                Bob Pickering, adopted son of Bill Pickering, suffered 2 TIA strokes recently followed by spinal stenosis surgery.

Aug 1. 2020 - Virus continued in August.

            August is full of memories for The Picks and families.

            Vicky and John married 8-23-1957 between the recording of backup vocals of "Oh Boy" and "Maybe Baby" for "The Chirping Crickets" LP.

            Buddy Holly married Maria Elena on 8-15-1958.

           John sang for Vicky's cousin's wedding  in Farwell, TX 8-31-1958.

            John, Elvis, and Buddy Knox all served in the U.S. Army at Ft. Hood, Texas in August of 1958. John visited Elvis' barracks when Elvis was in Memphis with his mother who was ill. Gladys Presley died 8-14-1958. Elvis died 8-16-1977. Pickering's had passed through Memphis in July, 1977 returning from a vacation to Washington, D.C.

             Pickering's moved to Houston from Corpus Christi, TX in 1968. John and brother Bill reunited and began recording in country music in Nashville and Houston for several years.

            Norman Petty died 8-15-1984. Bill Pickering and mother, Beth attended the funeral of longtime friend and business associate, Norman.

            Pickering's daughter, Paula, graduated from North TX State in 1984 (now U of NT.).

            The Pickering family all went on a cruise to celebrate Vicky and John's 50th wedding anniversary in August of 2007. 

Aug 15, 2020 - Buddy Holly was mentioned by George Noory on Coast to Coast AM radio show when talking to Kevin Randle. They were discussing UFO's and George said, "I know Lubbock is famous for Buddy Holly, but it is also known for the Lubbock Lights.:Kevin them talked about the Lubbock Lights.

Aug 15, 2020 - Daughter Paula and husband heard "Oh Boy" on KERA PBS DVD commercial.

Aug 23, 2020 - Vicky went to the cemetery to John's grave on the 63rd anniversary of their wedding day, 1957 in Lubbock. He has been gone the past 10 anniversaries.

The Covid-19 Virus continued throughout the 2020 year.