Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley was born on the 7th of September 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. He grew up during the Great Depression with three siblings who all played instruments or sang. His family moved frequently within the city while his father changed jobs multiple times. Buddy learned to play guitar after seeing a classmate perform on a school bus. He switched from piano lessons to an acoustic guitar bought at a local pawnshop. The elder brothers won talent shows by greasing a violin bow so it made no sound. Holly listened to late-night radio stations that played blues and rhythm and blues when local transmissions ceased. He blended country music with R&B influences to create his early style.
Holly formed a group called The Crickets in June 1956 to bypass Decca Records contract limitations. Norman Petty became their manager and sent a demo of That'll Be the Day to Brunswick Records. The single topped the US Best Sellers chart on the 23rd of September 1957. It also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November. Another major hit called Peggy Sue peaked at number six on the UK chart in October. The album The Chirping Crickets was released on the 27th of November 1957 and reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. The band performed at New York's Apollo Theater between August 16 and 22 as the first white act to appear there. They appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on the 1st of December 1957 before Niki Sullivan left the group.
Holly met Maria Elena Santiago at Peer-Southern offices in June 1958 during a visit to New York. He proposed marriage to her on their very first date while dining at P. J. Clarke's with a red rose containing a ring. They married on the 15th of August 1958 at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. Holly moved into Apartment 4H of the Brevoort Apartments at 11 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. He recorded acoustic songs like Crying Waiting Hoping and True Love Ways there. His final studio session took place on the 21st of October 1958 at the Pythian Temple on West 70th Street. This session featured an 18-piece ensemble from the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dick Jacobs. Four songs were recorded including Moondreams written by Norman Petty and It Doesn't Matter Anymore written by Paul Anka.
The Winter Dance Party tour began in Milwaukee on the 23rd of January 1959. Unheated tour buses broke down twice in freezing weather causing frostbite for drummer Carl Bunch. Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa on February 2. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff around 1:00 a.m. on the 3rd of February 1959 into a cornfield five miles northwest of Clear Lake. Buddy Holly was 22 years old when he died along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson known as the Big Bopper. Pilot Roger Peterson was not certified to fly by instruments only. A gun found two months later fueled rumors but an autopsy confirmed no foul play. Holly's body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery on the 7th of February 1959.
Coral Records overdubbed unfinished recordings with backing vocals by the Ray Charles Singers in June 1959. The finished tracks became the first posthumous single Peggy Sue Got Married backed with Crying Waiting Hoping. An album drawing upon other demos called The Buddy Holly Story Vol. 2 was released in January 1960. Norman Petty produced most new editions using unreleased masters and audition tapes for the next decade. The final new album Giant arrived in 1969 with the single Love Is Strange. Holly was among the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1997. A statue sculpted by Grant Speed stands at Lubbock's Walk of Fame honoring his musical history.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney saw Holly perform at the London Palladium and named their band after his insect-themed Crickets. The Quarrymen covered That'll Be the Day in their first recording session in 1958. Bob Dylan attended a performance in Duluth on the 31st of January 1959 two nights before Holly died. Mick Jagger remembered Holly playing Not Fade Away during a UK tour which inspired Keith Richards. Eric Clapton bought The Chirping Crickets as his first album and later played Well All Right with Blind Faith. Don McLean dedicated his 1971 song American Pie to Holly calling the crash day The Day the Music Died. Elvis Costello wore horn-rimmed glasses similar to Holly's style during the punk era. Bruce Springsteen stated he plays Buddy Holly every night before going on stage to keep himself honest.
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Common questions
When and where was Buddy Holly born?
Charles Hardin Holley was born on the 7th of September 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. He grew up during the Great Depression with three siblings who all played instruments or sang.
What date did Buddy Holly die in a plane crash?
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff around 1:00 a.m. on the 3rd of February 1959 into a cornfield five miles northwest of Clear Lake. Buddy Holly was 22 years old when he died along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson known as the Big Bopper.
Which album by Buddy Holly reached number five on the UK Albums Chart?
The album The Chirping Crickets was released on the 27th of November 1957 and reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. It followed major hits like That'll Be the Day which topped the US Best Sellers chart on the 23rd of September 1957.
Who married Buddy Holly and when did they wed?
Holly met Maria Elena Santiago at Peer-Southern offices in June 1958 during a visit to New York. They married on the 15th of August 1958 at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock.
When was Buddy Holly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Holly was among the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1997.