"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 the studio complex.

Sizeable hits such as "Sugar Shack", "Bottle of Wine" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, and "Wheels" by the String-A-Longs were recorded at Petty's studio in the 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 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.

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 a possibly more pragmatic response: "My first impression of him was of a person ultra-eager to succeed.

[4] "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".

"[4] While "unable to deny that they were due sizeable sums, Petty kept on stressing the slowness with which record-companies, in particular, paid out artists' royalties.

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.

"[5] Santiago insisted that Holly get his "finances in order"[7] before she would marry him, stating: "I don't want to sit around all the time, waiting for handouts from Norman Petty.

"[9] It was eventually determined through extensive auditing that "MCA owed the Petty estate and the Holly heirs a combined $251,325 in additional royalties".

Norman and Vi were given awards for "Outstanding Graduate Accomplishment" (in 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 the Petty estate to display during studio tours.

1 villain in the Buddy Holly story"[5] has been exaggerated, and claims that he "drove royalty rates higher so everyone could share in the profits; it 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 ...".

Norman, as a small independent music businessman, was often dealing with professional crooks with known mob ties[,] and was at their mercy in the same way as exploited artists.