Tinker Carlen: An Original Cricket This is a short biography of Tinker Carlen, a guitarist and singer in the world-famous Cricket band. It is a story of the origin of the Crickets and Tinker's involvement from the very beginning when Tinker, Buddy Holley, and other young musicians got together to "make music and entertain." It is Tinker's story, not a copy of anything that's been written about the evolution of the Crickets, its individual members, or of their successes and failures. Some of Tinker's life experiences are related as he remembers the challenges of pursuing a musical career. Also included are many experiences of the band---some funny, some sad---as each member faces the problems of growing up and the unexpected cultural problems from people who didn't approve of their "rock-a-billy" style of music.