Joe Benson Mauldin, Jr.

 Joe Benson Mauldin, Jr. (July 8, 1940 – February 7, 2015) was an American double-bassist, songwriter and audio engineer, best known as the double-bassist of rock and roll group The Crickets.

Later became a recording engineer at Gold Star Studios, theLos Angeles studio that became the hit factory for Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and other major 1960s rock performers. He was born in Lubbock, Texas.

Mauldin became the bassist in the group The Crickets, which included Buddy Holly and drummer Jerry Allison and guitarist Niki Sullivan.

But the first rock band he played in was The Four Teens of Lubbock in 1955. He appears to have recorded with this group (that included the recording artist Terry Noland) in Dallas, prior to his recording with Buddy Holly in Clovis, NM. After Holly's death in 1959, he played on and off as an original Cricket with J.I. Allison, Sonny Curtis, Glen D. Hardin and with Niki Sullivan on occasion. He was also inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame in Lubbock and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN as an original Cricket. 

In 2012, Mauldin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Crickets by a special committee, aimed at correcting the mistake of not including the Crickets with Buddy Holly when he was first inducted in 1986. He died in Nashville, Tennessee.