Full Name: Charles Holley
Profession: Singer-Songwriter
Biography: Although only 22 when he died in a plane crash during a tour of the midwest US, Buddy Holly remains one of the most influential rock and roll musicians.
He shifted his musical focus from country & western to rock and roll after serving as opening act several times in 1955 for Elvis Presley in Lubbock, Texas. His band "The Crickets" used a formation of 2 guitars, bass and drums that became standard for a rock band.
He was one of the first rock artists to write and play his own songs ("Peggy Sue"; "That'll Be The Day") and to incorporate rhythm and blues styles into his music.
He has been cited as a major influence by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Hollies, Eric Clapton, Grateful Dead, Elton John, and The Clash.
He was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, both in 1986. The US Postal Service released a commemorative postage stamp as part of its 1992 Rock Legend series. In 1997 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Born: September 7, 1936
Birthplace: Lubbock, Texas, USA
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Virgo
Died: February 3, 1959 (aged 22)
Cause of Death: Plane crash
Career Highlights
- 1955-10-15 Buddy Holley opens for Bill Haley & His Comets in Lubbock, Texas, and impresses Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, leading to a recording contract with a misspelling that creates "Buddy Holly"
- 1956-01-20 Buddy Holly records "Blue Days Black Night" in Nashville, Tennessee for country music producer Owen Bradley
- 1957-02-25 Buddy Holly and the Crickets record their smash hit "That'll Be the Day" in Clovis, New Mexico
- 1957-09-23 "That'll Be the Day" single by Buddy Holly and The Crickets reaches #1 in the US
- 1957-09-29 Buddy Holly & The Crickets release 2nd single "Oh Boy!"/"Not Fade Away"
- 1957-12-01 Seminal rock band Buddy Holly & The Crickets make their "Ed Sullivan Show" debut, performing "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue"; singer Sam Cooke also performs after getting bumped due to time constraints on November 3rd - he sings "You Send Me" and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons”
- 1959-01-05 Buddy Holly releases his last record "It Doesn't Matter"; he is killed in a plane crash 29 days later
- 1959-01-22 Buddy Holly makes his last recordings in his NYC apartment, alone with an acoustic guitar; he tapes five songs including "Peggy Sue" and "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", which were embellished, overdubbed, and released posthumously by Coral Records
- 1959-02-02 Buddy Holly's last performance at Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa
- 1959-02-03 "The Day the Music Died" plane crash kills musicians Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper), and the pilot. near Clear Lake, Iowa
- 1986-01-23 Inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino; The Everly Brothers; Buddy Holly; Jerry Lee Lewis; Elvis Presley; Little Richard; Robert Johnson; Jimmie Rodgers; Jimmy Yancey; Alan Freed; John Hammond; and Sam Phillips
- 2022-11-11 Advertisement poster for ill-fated "Winter Dance Party" concert featuring Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens on February 3, 1959 - the day they died in a plane crash - sells at auction for $447K
Personal Life
- 1958-08-15 American rock singer-songwriter Buddy Holly (21) weds Puerto Rican-American record company receptionist María Santiago (25) at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas
References
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