Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Norman Petty Recording Studio, which now serves as a musuem to Petty and early rock 'n' roll, sits on 7th Street in Clovis.
CLOVIS - Norman Petty spent much of his life making rock 'n' roll history in Clovis. Now, 36 years after his death, Petty's friends and fans are doing what they can to keep that legacy alive.
A Clovis native, Petty began his long career as a musician, songwriter, producer and recording engineer in 1953. He began running his own recording studio in Clovis in the early 1960s. Over the course of his career, he worked with legendary rockers who included Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox and the Fireballs.
The non-profit group Friends of Norman Petty Inc. was formed last September to help maintain Petty's studio in Clovis, which was converted into a museum after his death in 1984 by his wife Vi Petty.
The group has received official status as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit and is accepting tax-deductible donations to help fund the museum's operation, while also accepting memorabilia from Petty's era of rock 'n' roll to add to the exhibit.
Randy Petty, who is not related, serves as the organization's chairman. Jay Parmenter, Johnny Mulhair, Shawn Nagy and Mark Saha are on the group's board of directors.
In addition to preserving the museum, the Friends of Norman Petty hope to get him recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame some day.
Petty's label, Nor-Va-Jak Music, was also revived in 2016 to help distribute his music that was never converted to a digital format.
"There are a lot of people across the country, artists and fans, who wanted to donate to help preserve Norman Petty Studios, but we couldn't accept those donations until now," Randy Petty said. "We've had a historical marker, but until now we've had no way to raise funds."
In addition to accepting donations, the Friends of Norman Petty may look to hold fundraisers, as well as participate in the annual Clovis music festival.
"We want to preserve that memory and legacy that Norman strove to create," Randy Petty said.
The museum is curated by Kenneth Broad of Portales, who also arranges tours. Broad said the studio gets a couple of hundred visitors a year from all over the country and sometimes even from overseas.
"It's about saying thank you to Norman and Vi and what they did for us here in Clovis," Broad said. "They helped publish music worldwide and it's an honor to be able to say thank you like this."
Information: Contact Shawn Nagy about donations at [email protected] or go online at friendsofnormanpetty.com
