From John Winton Pickering, May 2006:
"One other thing: The Pickerings buried at Red Hill Cemetery are, as you have listed -
Joseph Raymond "Buddy", Frank Ellis, called Ellis and nicknamed "Milo" (E. F. "Milo"), Patsy (wife of Ellis), John Murchison (my Dad), Ida Elizabeth(my mother), James Archie, Margaret "Maggie" (my grandmother), And Roy (who died at about the age of sixteen from blood poisoning due to shaving). Missing from your list is my brother Billy Duane, who died January 25, 1985. He died before my mother did, but his tombstone, at his request, was a flat Navy tombstone."
John Winton was the grandson of Andrew Jackson Pickering, who was my great grandfather. --Gary B. Sanders

Article suggested by contributor: Wayne Smith (47181024):
Published in the Athens Review March 19, 1953

Funeral services for John M. Pickering, 52, who died in Lubbock Thursday were to be held at 4 p.m. Saturday from the First Baptist Church of Murchison.

Rev. Bobby Davis conducted the services, with interment in the Red Hill Cemetery with the Carroll and Lehr Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

A Murchison native, Pickering moved to Lubbock a year ago after spending most of his life in Murchison.

Survivors are his wife, Mrs. John M. Pickering of Lubbock; two sons, Billy Pickering and Johnny Pickering; three brothers, J.A. Pickering of Calinga, California, E.L. Pickering of Murchison and Raymond Pickering of Guam; four sisters, Mrs. Ethel Weatherly of Murchison, Mrs. Delia Yancy of Murchison, Mrs. Daisy Gibbs of Edom, and Mrs. Kate Splawn of Murchison; two grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Article suggested by contributor: Yvonne (46963285) :

https://www.pickrecords.com/articles/article/7327772/136623.htm
The Early Years: The Pickering Family Quartet

The Pickering Family Quartet - Bill, John, Mom and Pop

Bill and John Pickering of "The Picks" (Voices on most of Buddy Holly's 1957 Brunswick Records' "The Crickets" recordings) were born in East Texas to musical parents: John Murchison "Pop" Pickering and Ida Elizabeth "Beth" Nixon Pickering.

In 1939, the group moved to Lubbock, Texas and sang daily on KFYO Radio, performing concerts to huge crowds in school auditoriums and appearing at singing conventions of West Texas. Bass singer J.W. Elliott, with the maturing of Johnny as a singing member,soon left the group to join a male gospel quartet. Johnny then became the full-time lead singer with the group at age 6, standing on an apple crate to reach the microphone, just as his older sibling Billy once did. The Holley family first became acquaintedwith the Pickerings during this time, as they enjoyed gospel music and "singings". Buddy Holly was 3 years old, but Larry, Travis and sister Pat were teenagers.

In 1940, The Pickering Family Quartet moved to Clovis, New Mexico, 100 miles west of Lubbock, Texas, to begin daily radio shows on KICA. Theirs was a variety show, but featured Stamps and Stamps-Baxter gospel songs, with a show-ending hymn. They became regionalstars, especially during World War II, performing for sell-out crowds at personal appearances during those "radio days". The family first met pianist Norman Petty in 1940 at KICA, where his show followed theirs on the air. Bill and John became friends withNorman Petty and Violet Ann "Vi" Brady, whom Bill introduced to each other at junior high school. Over the next 8 years, the Pickerings (sometimes called "The Picks") moved back and forth between Clovis and Lubbock, where they sang on various radio stations.The Pickering Family Quartet was joined at Clovis and Portales by teenager Jerry "Jay" Drennan, who replaced Bill Pickering in 1944 and 1945, during which time Bill was in the U.S. Navy.

In 1948, with Bill back in the fold, the family moved to Houston, Texas, where they sang mostly on KTRH, but also on KPRC. They did concerts with other celebrities, including such gospel groups as the Rangers Quartet and Wally Fowler and the Oak Ridge Quartetof the Grand Ole Opry. John soloed pop songs at high school performances and at the Shamrock Hotel during this time, but like his family, was always closely associated with gospel music. But in 1952, so that John ("Johnny") could enter Texas Tech after graduatingfrom Houston's John H. Reagan High School in 1951, the Pickerings moved back to Lubbock and KSEL, KFYO, and KDAV (the original). Guitar phenomenon Sonny Stewart of Briggs, Texas joined them at Lubbock KSEL in 1952. Buddy Holly and especially Sonny Curtis becameacquainted with Billy and John Pickering and Sonny Stewart during this period. Curtis credits Stewart with teaching him the style of guitar that launched his career.

"Pop" Pickering died suddenly in 1953, at the age of 52, and Bill, John and Mom were joined again by radio celebrity Jerry "Jaybird" Drennan as bass for a short time. Mom soon retired from professional singing, and the Pickering Brothers continued to sing andperform with various professional groups on radio and TV. Bill and John helped form a variety-music quartet called, "The Plainsmen". Bill left, and John joined a radio and TV gospel quartet called the "Happy Rhythm Boys". Bill became a disc jockey for KLLL,Lubbock in 1954, and was the first deejay to play Buddy Holly's solo release of "Blue Days, Black Nights" (Decca 29854; 45 RPM; 1956) in April, 1956. Later that year, Bill moved and was a disc jockey at Clovis, New Mexico. Then came 1957...