Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, and radio station owner. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. With Vi Ann Petty—his wife and vocalist—he founded the Norman Petty Trio .
65-539: Petty was born in the small town of Clovis, New Mexico . He began playing piano at a young age. While in high school, he regularly performed on a 15-minute show on a local radio station. After his graduation in 1945, he was drafted into the United States Air Force. When he returned, he married his high-school sweetheart Violet Ann Brady on June 20, 1948. The couple lived briefly in Dallas, Texas, where Petty worked as
130-405: A fixed fee per recording rather than the hourly rate that was standard then and now, and did not take a fixed payment from mechanical royalties. To compensate for his risks and to recognize his contribution to creating the song, Petty was often listed as a cowriter of the songs he produced, and the songs were published by his music publishing company, Nor-Va-Jak Music. ... No doubt Petty took risks as
195-465: A high-profile event held annually mid April. The Clovis Civic Center hosts this and other entertainment events. The Special Events Center holds events such as rodeos, auctions, and concerts. The Clovis-Carver Public Library is located downtown and provides many services. Many resources are available to the public such as books, study and research material, DVDs, access to computers and much more. The library also holds many public functions that are free to
260-421: A household in the city was $ 28,878, and the median income for a family was $ 33,622. Males had a median income of $ 26,586 versus $ 20,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,561. About 17.2% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over. Clovis has a population of 39,860 since the year 2014 and since
325-727: A number of Canadian recording artists, including Wes Dakus and the Rebels, Barry Allen , Gainsborough Gallery, and the Happy Feeling, all of whom had chart success in their homeland. Norman also produced sessions in England for artists such as Brian Poole & The Tremeloes and Buddy Britten, and in Belgium for Roman Reed, Merino Costa, and The Pebbles , among others. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, recordings produced by Petty, in various musical styles, were issued by virtually every major record label in
390-694: A part-time engineer at a recording studio. Eventually, they moved back to their hometown of Clovis. Petty and his wife, Vi, founded the Norman Petty Trio , with guitarist Jack Vaughn. Due to the local success of their independent debut release of " Mood Indigo ", they landed a recording contract with RCA Records and sold half a million copies of the recording, and were voted Most Promising Instrumental Group of 1954 by Cashbox magazine. In 1957, their song "Almost Paradise" hit number 18, and Petty won his first BMI writers' award. The song had various cover versions released, with Roger Williams' version selling
455-584: A possibly more pragmatic response: "My first impression of him was of a person ultra-eager to succeed. He wore a T-shirt and Levis. Really he was unimpressive to look at but impressive to hear. In fact businessmen around here asked me why I was interested in a hillbilly like Holly, and I told them I thought Buddy was a diamond in the rough". Petty was asked by Holly to act as the band's "personal manager after " That'll Be The Day " started to break in July 1957", although he "signed no management contract with either Buddy or
520-518: A single (Decca D30434) on September 2, 1957, with "Rock Around with Ollie Vee" as the B-side. It was also the title track of the 1958 album That'll Be the Day . Despite Holly's newfound stardom, the single did not chart. Holly's contract with Decca prohibited him from re-recording any of the songs recorded in the 1956 Nashville sessions for five years, even if Decca never released them. To evade this restriction,
585-659: A widespread culture in the New World. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway system helped establish Clovis over one hundred years ago, which continues to be a major hub of operations for that railroad and its successor, BNSF Railway . Also notable is the Southwest Cheese Company, the largest cheddar cheese producer in North America. It is the principal city of the Clovis Micropolitan statistical area, which
650-671: Is 7 miles (11 km) west of the center of Clovis. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 23.792 square miles (61.62 km ), of which 23.625 square miles (61.19 km ) is land and 0.167 square miles (0.43 km ), or 0.73% is water from the several artificial ponds in Clovis' multiple public parks. The climate is relatively temperate with low humidity and high winds. Summers are warm with occasional extreme heat and winters are cool with frequent, extreme cold. Severe thunderstorms are often in
715-509: Is considered to be the world's most authentic vintage recording studio. Clovis, New Mexico Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico . The population was 38,567 at the 2020 census . Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado , in the eastern part of the state. A largely agricultural community, closely bordering Texas , it
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#1732858597836780-418: Is indistinguishable from the group of styles prevalent throughout most small towns and suburbs since the 1930s. The Hotel Clovis , a local landmark, opened on October 20, 1931. The hotel was designed by architect Robert Merrill, combining an Art Deco exterior with Southwestern Indian interior. The elegant ballroom hosted such names as Louis Armstrong , Glenn Miller , Tommy Dorsey , and Hank Williams , and
845-514: Is noted for its role in early rock music history and for nearby Cannon Air Force Base , current home to the 27th Special Operations Wing which is also known as "The Steadfast Line". A Paleo-Indian site was found near Clovis, where in 1929 a distinctive kind of stone spear-point was discovered. These points were called Clovis points , and the culture associated with them was named the Clovis culture . The Clovis people were early inhabitants who created
910-514: Is part of the larger Clovis-Portales CSA . The Eastern New Mexico region was home to the prehistoric Clovis culture , an anthropologically significant group of early Native Americans . Several remains have been found at the Blackwater Draw site (south of Clovis, near Portales ), which remains a historical and tourist site. Clovis began in 1906, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
975-641: The Belen Cutoff . This 235-mile (378 km) rail corridor is one of the most heavily trafficked routes in the western United States, often with more than 100 mostly intermodal freight trains arriving and leaving Clovis daily. The Southwestern Railroad , formerly the AT&;SF Pecos Valley branch line, connects to the BNSF here, shipping potash from mines near Carlsbad . Clovis is home to Cannon Air Force Base (the 27th Special Operations Wing), Burlington Northern Railroad,
1040-655: The Köppen Climate Classification system, Clovis has a semi-arid climate , abbreviated BSk on climate maps. As of the 2020 census , there were 38,567 people, 15,043 households, and 9,551 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,632.5 inhabitants per square mile (630.3/km ). There were 17,051 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 55.6% White , 6.9% African American , 1.3% Native American , 1.9% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 17.7% from some other races and 16.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.1% of
1105-598: The State Theater . Clovis is served by several public schools making up the Clovis Municipal Schools : For post-secondary education , there is one community college , Clovis Community College (CCC). Eastern New Mexico University is the nearest university , located 20 miles (32 km) south in Portales . Clovis is the namesake of stone-age spear points that were found locally in 1929. Clovis points are
1170-514: The Texas border. The city's geographic center is at an elevation of 4,281 feet (1,305 m) above sea level. U.S. Routes 60 , 70 , and 84 pass through the city. US 60 and 84 lead west 60 miles (97 km) to Fort Sumner , while US 70 leads southwest 19 miles (31 km) to Portales and 110 miles (180 km) to Roswell . The three highways lead east together to the state line at Texico, New Mexico , and Farwell, Texas . Cannon Air Force Base
1235-720: The UK Singles Chart in November 1957 and stayed in that position for three weeks. On December 20, 1969, a reissue of the single by Coral Records was awarded a "gold single" by the RIAA. On September 20, 1986, the song appeared on the UK Singles Chart at number 85 and left the chart a week later. Shipments figures based on certification alone. July 22, 1956, Bradley Studios , Nashville February 25, 1957, Norman Petty Recording Studio Linda Ronstadt recorded "That'll Be
1300-542: The Crickets played on several of them. The second recording of the song was made on February 25, 1957, seven months after the first, at the Norman Petty studios in Clovis, New Mexico , and issued by Brunswick on July 27, 1957. This version is on the debut album by the Crickets, The "Chirping" Crickets , issued on November 27, 1957. The recording was made with everyone performing and without additional overdubs. The B-side of
1365-462: The Crickets[,] who were therefore free to leave whenever they wished". "In addition to taking control of Holly's career and finances, he added his name to the songwriting credits — a dubious but not uncommon practice in those days". Other sources claim that this "was unusual for the 1950s, but today is quite common and even the standard practice in some genres." Petty "was an innovative producer who charged
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#17328585978361430-578: The Day" for her 1976 Grammy Award-winning platinum album Hasten Down the Wind , produced by Peter Asher and issued by Asylum Records . Her version reached number 11 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100 and number 27 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. In Canada, her version peaked at number 2 on the singles chart and was the 35th biggest hit of 1976. It also made
1495-642: The Fireballs , and "Wheels" by the String-A-Longs were recorded at Petty's studio in the 1960s. Due to the success with instrumental groups, Petty was a reputable producer for bands of that genre and his Clovis Studio was one of the top "go-to" studios for the guitar instrumental (surf) sound in the early 1960s. Notable musicians who visited during the 1960s were The Champs (featuring members Seals & Crofts and Glen Campbell ), JD Souther (& The Cinders), Johnny Duncan , and Eddie Reeves . Petty produced
1560-1002: The Petty estate and the Holly heirs a combined $ 251,325 in additional royalties". Petty purchased the Mesa Theater on Main Street in Clovis in 1960. In 1963, he launched the FM radio station KTQM starting as an easy-listening station, later switching to country-and-western music, and then in 1968 to top-40 rock. The country genre had local appeal, so he applied for a new station license and started KWKA 680 AM in 1971, airing country-and-western music. Petty ran both stations until 1979. The stations were sold by Curry County Broadcasting to Zia Broadcasting in 2010. Petty died in Lubbock, Texas , in August 1984, of leukemia . Later in 1984, he
1625-512: The Petty estate to display during studio tours. The original 7th Street Studio is available for tours by appointment only. The King of Clovis , a book about Petty by Frank Blanas, was published in 2014. Blanas argues that Petty's reputation as "arguably the No. 1 villain in the Buddy Holly story" has been exaggerated, and claims that he "drove royalty rates higher so everyone could share in the profits; it
1690-515: The Southwest Cheese Plant, Cummins-Natural Gas Engines, and many locally owned and operated businesses. This community also is surrounded by thousands of acres of farming, ranching, and dairy land. Agriculture is thus a mainstay of the local economy. Many high-school students participate in FFA ( Future Farmers of America ), where they learn about agriculture. Many local jobs depend on this sector of
1755-528: The United States and Canada, with numerous regional successes. Petty produced the majority of Buddy Holly 's studio recordings from 1956 through 1958 at his Clovis studio, with the remainder being recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York. According to Petty, he took an "immediate liking to Buddy from the very first moment" they met, although in an earlier interview with journalist Norman Mark, he had delivered
1820-514: The best. Despite the success of his own records, Petty began construction of his Clovis studio in late 1954. The new studio was state of the art, estimated to have cost around $ 100,000 (US$ 1,134,572 in 2023 dollars). "Throughout his life, Petty remained a member of the Central Baptist Church in Clovis, a religious man who advised all of his acts to carry a [B]ible with them on tour and forbade alcohol and cigarettes (and even swearing) within
1885-695: The characteristically fluted projectile points associated with the North American Clovis culture . These artifacts date to the Paleoindian period, approximately 13,500 years ago. Performances including music and drama often take place at Clovis Community College, Eastern New Mexico University, and the Lyceum Auditorium, as well as at the Special Events Center, located adjacent to the county fairgrounds. The Clovis Music Festival is, locally,
1950-569: The city originated. Norman Petty Studio in Clovis is where several different artists have recorded; one of the most famous is Buddy Holly. Plains Regional Medical Center is the primary hospital serving Clovis. It is part of the Presbyterian Healthcare Services based in Albuquerque . Southwest, Spanish Mission, or Adobe architectural styles are prevalent, being considered representative of New Mexico. Much of Clovis architecture
2015-539: The city was 71.3% White , 7.3% Black , 1.0% Native American , 1.6% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 15.0% from other races , and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 33.4% of the population. There were 12,458 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who
Norman Petty - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-408: The city, has increased the wide variety of people throughout the past several years. The population is spread throughout 22.9 square miles, which compared to other towns nearby, is rather large. The income for a household, as of 2015, was about $ 41,000 for the city of Clovis but for the state of New Mexico as a whole, it averaged around $ 45,382. Like most of east-central New Mexico and western Texas,
2145-569: The classes of 1945 and 1946, respectively) by the Clovis Municipal Schools Foundation and Alumni Association in April 2011. The awards are presented to Clovis High School graduates for achievement in their sphere of business; the recipients are chosen because their strength of character and citizenship, to serve as models for today's CHS students. The plaques were given to Vi's relative Nick Brady, who turned them over to Kenneth Broad of
2210-632: The composition. Many other versions have been recorded. It was the first song recorded (as a demonstration disc ) by the Quarrymen , a skiffle group from Liverpool that evolved into the Beatles . The 1957 recording was certified gold (for over a million US sales) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1969. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. It
2275-517: The day". This line of dialogue inspired the young musicians. The song was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes for Decca Records at Bradley Studios in Nashville, on July 22, 1956. Decca, displeased with Holly's previous two singles, did not issue recordings from this session. After the song was re-recorded by the Crickets in 1957 and became a hit, Decca released the original recording as
2340-469: The economy. According to City-Data.com, the 2016 cost of living index for Clovis was around 83.5, which is well below the national average. Clovis' location adjacent to Cannon Air Force Base , a special operations base, has had a large impact on the community. Clovis hosts a local organization, the Committee of Fifty, whose stated purpose is to lobby to keep Cannon AFB open; it subsequently helped coordinate
2405-540: The local economy by employing over 200 personnel. It is one of the largest plants of its type in the world, processing milk provided by the numerous local dairies in excess of 2.3 billion pounds of milk annually. In 1995, the Santa Fe was merged into the BNSF Railway , which operates a division point and large freight classification yard on its Southern Transcon at Clovis, with a dispatcher's office monitoring traffic over
2470-412: The meeting, "Elena did all the talking. She said, 'Buddy and I have decided that Buddy can do better — that you're not fit for Buddy's manager.' And I said, 'What's this — is it something I've done?' She said, 'It's what you haven't done — you haven't done near enough for him.'" Petty would recall the split rather more amicably, claiming that "When I asked Buddy if there was anything that I had done to cause
2535-411: The money has been widely shared by various authors, artists and, subsequently, the general public. The fact is, though, that many in the 1950s record business were mobsters, racketeers and money launderers. Most writers forget that there were key middle men between the retailer and Clovis. Norman, as a small independent music businessman, was often dealing with professional crooks with known mob ties[,] and
2600-546: The nearby train depot supplied the hotel with most of its business. The hotel closed shortly after the Santa Fe Railroad discontinued passenger train service to Clovis in 1971. The building is currently being renovated into affordable housing. As of January 2013, housing is being offered to the community on a first come-first served basis, with some apartments being available now, and others on an "as finished" basis. Downtown Clovis has three historic movie theaters, including
2665-431: The population. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 7.8% were under 5 years of age, and 12.6% were 65 and older. As of the 2000 census , there were 32,667 people, 12,458 households, and 8,596 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,458.9 people per square mile (563.3 people/km ). There were 14,269 housing units at an average density of 637.3 per square mile (246.1/km ). The racial makeup of
Norman Petty - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-447: The producer Norman Petty credited the Crickets as the artist on his re-recording of "That'll Be the Day" for Brunswick Records . Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca. Once the cat was out of the bag, Decca re-signed Holly to another of its subsidiaries, Coral Records , so he ended up with two recording contracts. Recordings with the Crickets were to be issued by Brunswick, and the recordings under Holly's name were to be on Coral, although
2795-428: The producer and deserved greater compensation for his efforts, but his percentage of performance royalties was greater than Holly's[,] and the question is whether this was more than Petty deserved. Those who would defend Petty's greater share would point to the fact that Holly and the Crickets did not produce any hits before they recorded with Petty in his ... studio." Larry Holly, Buddy's brother, acknowledged that "Norman
2860-672: The public. These functions can include author readings, summer reading programs for children and adults, and holiday programs. There is also a mobile program that delivers books to patrons who are homebound. The Friends of the Library organization holds biannual used book sales to help raise money for library programs. The town was home to the Norman Petty Recording Studio, founded by musician Norman Petty . Artists including Waylon Jennings , Charlie "Sugartime" Phillips , Bobby Fuller and Roy Orbison cut their earliest recordings at
2925-559: The record, "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" was recorded at the same session with the same backup singers. The Brunswick recording of "That'll Be the Day" is considered a classic of rock and roll. It was ranked number 39 on Rolling Stone ' s list of the " 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ". The Brunswick single was a number-one hit on Billboard magazine's Best Sellers in Stores chart in 1957. It went to number two on Billboard' s R&B singles chart . The song peaked at number 1 in
2990-509: The slowness with which record-companies, in particular, paid out artists' royalties." In 1958, after "Holly suffered disappointing sales for such tunes as " Rave On " and " It's So Easy! ", he grew resentful of Petty's control. The cash-strapped musician and his new wife, Maria Elena [Santiago], visited Petty at the studio to end their partnership, and seek his unpaid royalties." Santiago insisted that Holly get his "finances in order" before she would marry him, stating: "I don't want to sit around all
3055-519: The split – I think the question was answered by his wife that time. It wasn’t necessarily anything I had done, I had not done enough to exploit Buddy, the world did not know enough about Buddy Holly. I was not doing a competent job of promoting him as an artist. That to me was the basic reason. ... [A]s far as musically speaking goes, I don’t think there ever was a rift between Buddy and myself". The remaining Crickets, Joe B. Mauldin and Jerry Allison , chose to remain with Petty. After Holly's death, Petty
3120-585: The spring with rainstorms prevalent during summer evenings. Tornadoes are known to occur and Clovis is located on the southern edge of Tornado Alley. Several inches of snowfall frequently occur each winter, typically for several weeks in January–February, often resulting in minor flooding due to the non-existent runoff system. High winds are common due to the flat, open land and regularly gust well above 30 miles per hour (48 km/h; 13 m/s) and average 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 5 m/s). According to
3185-491: The studio complex." With the success of "Almost Paradise", the structure was completed in mid-1957. In his original 7th Street studio, aside from songs for his own musical group, he also produced singles (several which were hits) for West Texas musicians Roy Orbison , Buddy Knox , Waylon Jennings , Charlie "Sugartime" Phillips, Sonny West , Carolyn Hester , Johnny "Peanuts" Wilson, and Billy Walker . Sizeable hits such as " Sugar Shack ", " Bottle of Wine " by Jimmy Gilmer and
3250-537: The studio. The city served as the principal filming location for the 2016 movie Hell or High Water , which began shooting in May 2015. Three locations in the city were used as banks in the film; the local Suddenlink office at 1106 N Main Street (used in the opening scenes), the Western Bank branch at 901 Pile Street, and an unused, former bank at 2108 N Main Street. A local restaurant, Bill's Jumbo Burger at 2113 N Main Street,
3315-421: The successful campaign which resulted in the realignment of Cannon to its new special ops mission. Clovis Municipal Airport provides a base for general aviation and daily service by Key Lime Air to and from Denver International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport . In addition to the agricultural, military and railroading sectors, music has contributed to the economy of Clovis almost since
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#17328585978363380-400: The surrounding area plays host to significant agriculture and ranching activities, including peanut and cotton farming and cattle ranching used for both meat and dairy production. Several processing plants exist for these products; in 2004 construction began on the Southwest Cheese Company plant between Clovis and Portales. The plant commenced operations in late 2005 and provided a small boost to
3445-549: The time, waiting for handouts from Norman Petty." She "recounted that Petty told his young protege, "You know what, Buddy? I'm gonna say this to you. I'd rather see you dead than to give you the money now." According to Santiago, Petty "tried to break us up ... He told Buddy not to marry me because I was a whorish kind of woman, that I'd slept with all kinds of other men who'd come in to Peer-Southern. Buddy knew that wasn't true, of course. He got so mad, he wanted to leave Norman right there and then." According to Petty's recollection of
3510-419: The year 2000 the population increased by twenty-two percent. The number of males and females in the Clovis population are very close in numbers; there are approximately 20,451 males and 19,409 females. Almost 47% of the population in Clovis is white (non-Hispanic), 42% is Hispanic, 7% is African-American, 2% are two different races, and less than 2% is Asian. Cannon Air Force Base, which is located 10 miles west of
3575-424: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was 30.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were ages 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. The median income for
3640-415: Was a 'win or lose together' mentality that made hit records and, in theory, should have been successful for all involved. But Norman never foresaw an industry of record bootlegging, freebie promo abuse, plugging payola and slush funds. Royalties were consumed in the form of bourbon, danced away on the laps of DJs, pilfered through organized rackets, spent on gifts for executives ...". The idea "that Petty stole
3705-420: Was also used in the movie. That%27ll Be The Day " That'll Be the Day " is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison . It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets . The 1957 recording achieved widespread success. Holly's producer, Norman Petty , was credited as a co-writer, although he did not contribute to
3770-478: Was at their mercy in the same way as exploited artists." Petty's Nor-Va-Jak record label was revived in 2016 as "Nor-Va-Jak Music", with authorization from Norman Petty Studios, for the purpose of reissuing Petty productions that were not previously available in digital form. Previously, many Petty productions had been issued on CD in the UK by Ace Records. Petty's legendary 7th Street Studio is still open for public tours and
3835-483: Was being constructed through the area and railway engineers were instructed to "locate and buy the first level section of land west of Texico " on which to build a town site and railroad facilities. At first known as "Riley's Switch", the site was renamed Clovis. A likely- apocryphal story states that a daughter of a rail official (accounts vary whether her father was AT&SF president Edward Payson Ripley , chief engineer James Dunn, or an unnamed station master )
3900-482: Was placed in the National Recording Registry , a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States", in 2005. In June 1956, Holly along with his older brother Larry as well as Allison and Sonny Curtis went to see the film The Searchers , starring John Wayne , in which Wayne repeatedly used the phrase "that'll be
3965-631: Was posthumously named Clovis Citizen of the Year. His wife, Vi, died in March 1992. She helped start the "Norman and Vi Petty Music Festival" in Clovis in 1987, which ran until 1997. It featured many artists who had recorded at the Clovis studio and also popular hit makers. Robert Linville requested the name from the Chamber of Commerce and started the festivals again from 1998 until his death in 2001. Norman and Vi were given awards for "Outstanding Graduate Accomplishment" (in
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#17328585978364030-407: Was put in charge of overdubbing unfinished Holly recordings and demos at the request of the Holly family, which resulted in chart success overseas. In 1999, Holly's widow, Maria Elena, along with Holly's siblings, filed a lawsuit against MCA Inc. in which she alleged that Petty "conspired with MCA to defraud the Holly heirs." It was eventually determined through extensive auditing that "MCA owed
4095-475: Was responsible for getting Buddy out." However, Petty was also accused of withholding "royalty payments to Holly", who eventually found out that the band's "recording royalties had not been banked under their name but under Petty's." However, at the time, "records sold in shops for between just sixty-nine and eighty-nine cents each, while the royalty was often as low as one cent per side." While "unable to deny that they were due sizeable sums, Petty kept on stressing
4160-627: Was studying about Clovis , the first Christian king of the Franks , and proposed the name. The land was bought on October 2, 1906, and the railroad began offering town lots for sale on May 1, 1907. The settlement built up quickly and in 1909 was incorporated. On August 24, 2008, eight prisoners escaped from the Clovis Jail by shimmying up plumbing pipes. The escape was highlighted on the television show America's Most Wanted . Clovis celebrated its centennial in 2009. The Clovis Carver Public Library
4225-586: Was the site of a mass shooting in August 2017 in which two people were killed and four wounded. In 2023, the FW1 Ute Reservoir pipeline project started construction to provide potable water by 2030 for Cannon Air Force Base and the communities of Clovis, Portales , Elida , and Texico . Clovis is located in southeastern Curry County at 34°24′17″N 103°12′19″W / 34.40472°N 103.20528°W / 34.40472; -103.20528 (34.4047987, -103.2052272), 9 miles (14 km) west of
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