"Maybe Baby" is a rock-and-roll song written by Buddy Holly and the producer Norman Petty, and recorded by Holly and the Crickets in 1957. The single, released in January 1958 and credited to the Crickets, was a Top 40 hit in the U.S., the UK, and Canada.[2]
Background
Billboard advertisement, February 24 19581957 sheet music cover, Nor Va Jak Music, New York
"Maybe Baby", originally recorded by Holly and the Crickets in 1957,[3] reached number 17 on the US charts and number 4 on the UK chart; Holly toured in the UK that year (see Buddy Holly discography). The single also reached number 8 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 9 on the Canadian charts.[2] The rather simple lyrics are augmented by a twangy percussive accompaniment, characteristic of rockabilly,[1] which is especially effective in the 8-bar instrumental introduction and the short conclusion.
"Maybe Baby" was recorded at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on September 29, 1957, while Buddy Holly and The Crickets were on a tour (and played that same night, at Oklahoma City Municipal Auditorium with the Show Of Stars '57). Jerry Allison from The Crickets personally remembers that the song, along with three others, was recorded at Tinker Air Force Base. Graham Pugh, a Buddy Holly researcher from the Oklahoma City area, also has seen airplane tickets documenting the fact that Buddy Holly and The Crickets landed at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City on September 28, 1957.[4][5]
