Performance · Production

Tommy Allsup

real name Thomas Douglas Allsup

Tommy Allsup is credited on 1,085 releases across 321 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1957–2025 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.

Start your shelf →Open in app

1,085

Credits

321

Albums

Decades active

246

In collections

Biography

source

Tommy Allsup (born November 24, 1931, near Owasso, Oklahoma, USA - died January 11, 2017, Springfield, Missouri, USA) was an American rockabilly and swing guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger & producer. Western Swing Society Hall of Fame (1991)
He played lead guitar as a member of Buddy Holly's band The Crickets. Allsup's virtuosity on the guitar can be heard on classic Holly songs such as "It's So Easy", "Heartbeat", "Lonesome Tears" and "Love's Made A Fool Of You". Allsup was touring with Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson (opens in a new tab) when he lost a fateful coin toss with Valens for a seat on the plane that crashed, killing Valens, Holly, Richardson, and the pilot on February 3, 1959.
After the death of Holly, Allsup went on to work with many entertainers, including Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Roy Orbison and Willie Nelson, and set up Konawa Music Productions.
Also operated recording studio Tommy Allsup Recording Studio, Odessa, Texas

Bio from Discogs