Holly, Buddy

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{{Infobox Celebrity
 
{{Infobox Celebrity
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| name       = Charles Hardin Holley
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| name = Charles Hardin Holley
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| image       = Buddy Holly.jpg
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| image =  
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| caption =  
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| birth_date = [[September 7]] [[1936]]
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| birth_date = September 7, 1936
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| birth_place = [[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]], [[Texas]], [[United States|USA]]
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| birth_place = Lubbock, [[Texas]], [[United States]]
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| death_date = [[February 3]] [[1959]]
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| death_date = February 3, 1959
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| death_place = near [[Mason City, Iowa|Mason City]], [[Iowa]], [[United States|USA]]
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| death_place = near Mason City, [[Iowa]], United States
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| occupation = [[Singer]] and [[songwriter]]
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| occupation = Singer and songwriter
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| salary =  
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| networth   =  
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| networth =  
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| spouse     = [[Maria Elena Holly]]
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| spouse = Maria Elena Holly
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| website     =
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| website =
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'''Buddy Holly''' (September 7 1936 – February 3 1959), was the stage name of Charles Hardin Holley, [[United States|American]] singer, songwriter, and pioneer of early [[Rock and Roll]]. Although his career spanned only a few short years, Holly’s remarkable innovation in the young genre was an enormous influence on the generations of rock musicians that would follow him.
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'''Buddy Holly''' (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), was the stage name of Charles Hardin Holley, an [[United States|American]] singer, songwriter, and pioneer of early [[rock and roll]]. Although his career spanned only a few short years, Holly was a gifted songwriter and performer, and his remarkable innovation in the young genre was an enormous influence on the generations of rock musicians that would follow him. Such an influence helped to cultivate a personal maturity in his followers that rewarded self-evaluation and mastery of an artistic style.  
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==Biography==
 
==Biography==
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Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in [[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]], [[Texas]] to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake. The Holleys were a musical family and as a young boy, Holley learned to play the violin (his brothers oiled the strings so much that no one could hear him play), piano and guitar. In the fall of 1949, he met [[Bob Montgomery (musician)|Bob Montgomery]] at Hutchinson Jr. High School. They shared a common interest in music and soon teamed up as the duo "Buddy and Bob". Initially influenced by [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows.
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Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, [[Texas]] to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake, the youngest of four boys. The Holleys were a [[music]]al [[family]] and as a young boy, Holly learned to play the [[violin]], [[piano]], and steel [[guitar]] to varying degrees, before settling on the acoustic guitar. While attending Hutchinson Jr. High School, he met Bob Montgomery, with whom he shared a common interest in music. Forming bands with other young musicians in the area, they performed together at whatever local venues they could find, eventually earning their own Sunday night show on local radio station, KDAV, the first all-[[Country music|country]] radio station in the country.
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Holly turned to rock music after seeing [[Elvis Presley]] sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. A few months later, he appeared on the same bill with Presley, also in Lubbock. Holly's transition to rock was finalized when he opened for [[Bill Haley & His Comets]] at a local rock show organized by Eddie Crandall, who was also the manager for [[Marty Robbins]]. As a result of this performance, Holly was offered a contract with [[Decca Records]] to work alone, which he accepted. According to the Amburn book (p.45), his public name changed from "Holley" to "Holly" on February 8, 1956, when he signed the Decca contract. Among the tracks recorded for Decca was an early version of "That'll Be The Day," later recorded with the Crickets.
 
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Back in Lubbock, Holly formed his own band, [[The Crickets]], and began making records at [[Norman Petty]]'s studios in [[Clovis, New Mexico]]. Among the songs they recorded was what became the hit version of "[[That'll Be the Day]]", which took its title from a phrase that [[John Wayne]]'s character said repeatedly in the 1956 film, ''[[The Searchers (film)|The Searchers]]''. Norman had music industry contacts, and believing that "That'll Be the Day" would be a hit single, he contacted publishers and labels. Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca, signed Buddy Holly and The Crickets. This put Buddy in the unusual position of having two record contracts at the same time. Before "That'll Be The Day" had its nationwide release and became a smash hit, Holly played lead guitar on the hit-single "Starlight", recorded in April 1957, featuring [[Jack Huddle]]. The initial, unsuccessful version of "That'll Be The Day" played more slowly and about half an octave higher than the hit version.
 
  
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[[Image:BUDDY HOLLY CRICKETS.jpg|thumb|300px|"The Crickets":  Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Joe Mauldin, and Niki Sullivan]]
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Holly initially played fairly straightforward country music but incorporated more and more [[Rhythm and Blues|R&B]] elements into his music as time went on. He was already moving towards the synthesis of musical styles that would define early [[rock and roll]] when he attended an [[Elvis Presley]] concert in Lubbock in early 1955. By all accounts, the event made a huge impact on Holly who was taken with Elvis’ [[charisma]] and particularly with his energetic, exciting new sound.
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<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Buddyhollycrickets.jpg|thumb|left|"The Crickets": Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly and Joe Mauldin]] —>
 
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Holly's music was sophisticated for its day, including the use of [[musical instrument|instruments]] considered novel for rock and roll, such as the [[celesta]] (heard on "Everyday"). Holly was an influential lead and rhythm [[guitarist]], notably on songs such as "[[Peggy Sue]]" and "[[Not Fade Away (song)|Not Fade Away]]". While Holly could pump out boy-loves-girl songs with the best of his contemporaries, other songs featured more sophisticated lyrics and more complex harmonies and melodies than had previously appeared in the genre.
 
  
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Many of his songs feature a unique vocal "hiccup" technique, a clipped "uh" sound used to emphasize certain words in any given song, especially the rockers. Other singers have used a similar technique, though less obviously and consistently. An example is the start of the raucous "Rave On":  "Weh-UH-eh-UH-ell, the little things you say and do, make me want to be with you-UH-ou...". Or this, from "That'll Be the Day": "Well, you give me all your lovin' and your UH-turtle dovin'..."
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By this point, Holly and Montgomery were being chosen by KDAV to open for the touring acts that came into town. Holly's transition to rock was finalized when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local rock show organized by Eddie Crandall, who was also the manager for Marty Robbins. As a result of this performance, Holly was offered a contract with Decca Records to work alone, which he accepted. According to Ellis Amburn (1995), his public name changed from "Holley" to "Holly" on February 8, 1956, when he signed the Decca contract (45).  
  
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Holly also managed to bridge some of the racial divide that marked rock, notably winning over an all-black audience when accidentally booked at New York's [[Apollo Theater]] (though, unlike the fictional movie biography, it took several performances for audiences to be convinced of his talents).
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In 1956, Holly recorded about a dozen tracks of country music for Decca in Nashville, backed by studio musicians. The music was, despite several quality tracks, generally uninspired, and an ill-fit for Holly, whose musical trajectory already lay outside of the confines of traditional country music. Unsurprisingly, the sessions and the singles that resulted from them were unsuccessful.  
  
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After the release of several, highly successful songs, in March [[1958]], he and the Crickets toured the [[United Kingdom]]. Contrary to popular belief, teenagers [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]] did not attend a concert of Buddy Holly's; they later cited Holly as a primary influence (the band's name, [[The Beatles]], was later chosen partly in homage to Holly's Crickets). The Beatles did a [[cover version]] of "Words of Love" that was an almost perfect reproduction of Holly's version. [[The Rolling Stones]] covered "[[Not Fade Away (song)|Not Fade Away]]."
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Undeterred, Holly returned to Lubbock to refocus his efforts. He formed his own backing band, "The Crickets," and began making records at the studio of musician and record producer Norman Petty in Clovis, [[New Mexico]]. Among the songs recorded there was a new version of "That'll Be the Day" (the song, whose title was inspired by a [[John Wayne]] line from ''The Searchers,'' was recorded before in Nashville). Perry became Holly’s producer and manager, signing him to Coral Records under Holly’s name. Perry had music industry contacts, and believing that "That'll Be the Day" would be a hit single, he contacted publishers and labels. Brunswick Records, ironically a subsidiary of Decca, signed The Crickets, and released “That’ll Be the Day” (in order to avoid potential trouble with Decca, which owned the rights to the song under Holly’s name).  
  
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The group, [[The Hollies]], were conventionally thought to have been named in homage, and various rock and roll histories have asserted this as fact. According to the band's website, [http://www.hollies.co.uk/goldmineintro.html] although the group admired Buddy Holly (and years later produced an album covering some of his songs), their name was inspired primarily by the sprigs of [[holly]] in evidence around [[Christmas]] of 1962, when they re-formed their previous band (the Deltas) and had to come up with a new name. The site also admits to a degree of uncertainty about that story, so it is possible that they have disavowed any reference to Holly in order to avoid legal or copyright issues.  
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“That’ll Be the Day” was released in June 1957, and after a slow start, became Buddy’s first major hit (reaching number 1 on the pop charts and number 2 on the R&B charts by September). To this day it is arguably his signature song. The song is undeniably rock and roll, highlighted by Holly’s always charismatic, hiccupping vocals, and an inspired instrumental performance that draws equally from country [[harmony]] and R&B strut (and even showcases a lively guitar solo from Holly).  
  
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Holly's personal style, more controlled and cerebral than [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]]' and more youthful and innovative than the [[country music|country and western]] stars of his day, would have an influence on [[youth culture]] on both sides of the Atlantic for decades to come, reflected particularly in the [[New Wave music|New Wave]] movement in artists such as [[Elvis Costello]] and [[Marshall Crenshaw]] (who portrayed Holly in the Richie Valens biopic [[La Bamba (film)|''La Bamba'']]), and earlier in [[folk rock]] bands like [[The Byrds]] and [[The Turtles]].
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Holly and the Crickets toured around the country throughout the second half of 1957 in support of their hit record. Meanwhile, several successful follow-up singles were released, including “Oh Boy” and “Peggy Sue.” The latter was particularly notable for its drumbeat, a continuous rumble played completely in “paradiddles” (a type of [[drum]] sticking pattern).
  
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He married [[Maria Elena Holly|Maria Elena Santiago]] on [[August 15]] [[1958]].
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In early 1958, Holly went overseas, touring in [[Australia]] and the [[United Kingdom]], where he was especially popular, and was to be enormously influential to a generation of budding musicians, [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]] included. Back in the [[United States]], he continued to have success releasing records both under his own name and with the Crickets, and stayed extremely busy touring and recording throughout the year.  
  
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In [[1959]], Holly split with the Crickets and began a solo tour with other notable performers, including [[Ritchie Valens]] and [[The Big Bopper|J.P. Richardson]], "The Big Bopper". One audience member at the tour stop in [[Duluth, Minnesota]] was a young Bobby Zimmerman, who would later become better known as [[Bob Dylan]].
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The year 1958 was eventful for Holly’s personal life as well. During a June trip to visit his music publisher in [[New York]], Holly met Maria Elena Santiago. He proposed the day he met her, and was married in August.
  
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[[Image:HollyStatue.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock]]
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By this time Holly had become more familiar with the workings of the music industry. Suspicious of manager Norman Perry’s financial dealings, and determined to take more control over his business concerns, Holly split with Perry in November. The rest of the Crickets elected to retain Perry as their manager, leaving Holly to work solely as a solo act. He moved to Greenwich Village in [[New York City]] with Maria, and began preparations for the next phase of his career.
  
 
== Death ==
 
== Death ==
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Following the [[February 2]], [[1959]] performance at the [[Surf Ballroom]] in [[Clear Lake, Iowa|Clear Lake]], [[Iowa]], Buddy Holly chartered a [[Beechcraft Bonanza]] to take him and his new Crickets band ([[Tommy Allsup]] and [[Waylon Jennings]]) to [[Fargo, North Dakota]]. Richardson came down with the [[influenza|flu]] and didn't feel comfortable on the bus, so Jennings gave his plane seat to him. Valens had never flown on a small plane and requested Allsup's seat. They flipped a coin, Valens called heads and won the toss. The four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza took off into a blinding snow storm and crashed into Albert Juhl's corn field several miles after takeoff at 1:05 A.M. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson, and the 21-year-old pilot, [[Roger Peterson (pilot)|Roger Peterson]], leaving Holly's pregnant bride, [[Maria Elena Holly]], a widow (she miscarried soon after).
 
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Although the crash received a good deal of local coverage, it was displaced in the national news by an accident that occurred the same day in [[New York City]], when [[American Airlines Flight 320]] crashed during an instrument landing approach at [[LaGuardia Airport]]. In that crash, 65 died and 8 survived.
 
  
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[[Image:HollyGrave850909.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Buddy Holly's gravestone]]
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Holly’s musicianship and style had continued to develop at a remarkable rate through the end of 1958, perhaps ahead of the tastes of his listeners. His later singles weren’t selling as well as earlier hits, and though his break with Perry gave him additional creative freedom, it perhaps produced financial pressure as well.  
  
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Holly's funeral services were held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in [[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]], [[Texas]], and his body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery.
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As a way to generate some income in that transitional time, Holly formed a new backing group and committed to a three-week tour of the Midwest dubbed the “Winter Dance Party.” Accompanying him on the tour were young Latino rocker [[Ritchie Valens]], disc jockey [[J. P. Richardson]] (better known as the Big Bopper), and doo-wop trio Dion and the Belmonts.
  
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Holly's headstone carries the correct spelling of his name, Buddy Holley.  It also features a carving of his [[Fender Stratocaster]] guitar. Downtown Lubbock has a "walk of fame" with plaques to various area artists such as [[Mac Davis]] and [[Waylon Jennings]], with a life-size statue of Buddy, playing his Fender guitar, as its centerpiece.
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Holly and company had battled subzero temperatures and transportation problems for more than a week when they rolled into Clear Lake, [[Iowa]] on February 2 and played a show at the Surf Ballroom. Frustrated by issues with the tour bus, Holly chartered a small [[airplane|plane]] to fly him and his bandmates to the next venue shortly after the show. However, after a little prodding and a coin toss, bassist [[Waylon Jennings]] and guitarist Tommy Allsup surrendered their seats to Richardson and Valens. Less than five minutes after take off, no more than six miles northwest of Clear Lake, their plane crashed into a barren field, killing the pilot and all three passengers instantly.
  
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The tragic plane crash inspired [[Mike Berry]] & [[The Outlaws (UK band)|The Outlaws']] single ''Tribute To Buddy Holly'' ([[1961]]), and singer [[Don McLean]]'s popular [[1971]] [[ballad]] "[[American Pie (song)|American Pie]]", and immortalized [[February 3]] as "[[The Day the Music Died]]". Contrary to popular myth, "American Pie" was ''not'' the name of the ill-fated plane.
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== Legacy ==
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The [[Surf Ballroom]], a popular and old-fashioned dance hall that dates to the height of [[Big Band|Big Band Era]], continues to put on shows, notably an annual Buddy Holly tribute on the anniversary of his last performances.
 
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== Tributes ==
 
 
[[Image:HollyMonument.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Fan-made monument at crash site]]
 
[[Image:HollyMonument.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Fan-made monument at crash site]]
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In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the 1950s, erected a stainless steel monument depicting a steel guitar and a set of three records bearing the names of each of the three performers. It is located on private farmland, about one quarter mile west of the intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue, approximately five miles north of Clear Lake. He also created a similar stainless steel monument to the three musicians near the Riverside Ballroom in [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]], [[Wisconsin]]. That memorial was unveiled on [[July 17]] [[2003]].
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Buddy Holly spent no more than 21 months in the public eye, from the release of “That’ll Be the Day” to his death, yet the impact he had on [[rock and roll]] was tremendous, if more subtle than that of [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]]. Unlike virtually all other popular musicians of his time, Holly was deeply interested in every aspect of the recording process, from writing his own material, to experimenting with recording and production techniques.  
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The dramatic arc of Holly's life story inspired a Hollywood biography ''[[The Buddy Holly Story]]'', for which actor [[Gary Busey]] received a nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his portrayal of Holly, as well as successful [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and [[West End theatre|West End]] musicals documenting his career. The West End musical, ''Buddy'', ran for seven years.  The movie, while entertaining, received wide criticism from the rock community for its wild inaccuracies.  This led Paul McCartney to produce and host his own tribute to Holly, titled "The Real Buddy Holly Story."  This authoritative video includes interviews with Keith Richards, Phil and Don Everly, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison, Holly's family, and McCartney himself, among others.
 
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Buddy Holly is considered one of the founding fathers of rock 'n roll and one of its most influential. Although his career was cut short, his body of work is considered one of the best in rock music history and his music would influence not only many of his recording contemporaries, but also the future direction music would take. As one of the capstones of rock 'n' roll, Buddy influenced groups for decades.
 
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The [[science fiction]] novel ''Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede'', by [[Bradley Denton]] (ISBN 0-688-10822-9 and ISBN 0-380-71876-6), begins when television sets throughout the world suddenly begin broadcasting a concert by an apparently living Buddy Holly, who says he is on [[Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede]].
 
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[[Terry Pratchett]]'s novel ''[[Soul Music]]'' features a protagonist whose name translates to "Bud Y Holly".
 
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"Oil", an episode of ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'' features Mike ([[Christopher Ryan]]) discovering Buddy Holly, alive and well and tangled in parachutes, in the attic of a house in London.  Holly comments that he loves "your British beetles", as he has been eating them since the plane crash.  Mike asks Holly if he has come up with any new material, and Holly plays a brief song about eating crickets...then his parachute strap suddenly breaks, slamming him into the floor and killing him.  Mike later hands off a duffel bag containing Holly's corpse to two minor characters, asking them to "take care of my Buddy."
 
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A fictional version of a young pre-fame Buddy Holly appears in an episode of [[Quantum Leap]], working as a veterinarian's assistant.
 
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Buddy is also one of the dead rock stars who exists in the town of "Rock N' Roll Heaven" in [[Stephen King]]'s short horror story [[You Know They Got a Hell of a Band]].
 
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The 1998 film "[[Six-String Samurai]]," a surreal romp through an alternate-timeline post-apocalyptic America (Russia bombed and then invaded the United States in 1957), features a rock-and-rolling martial arts hero named "Buddy" who sports familiar black horn-rimmed glasses and a tuxedo.  The film follows Buddy's journey to "Lost Vegas", the last outpost of freedom in the world, to claim the crown of the recently-deceased King Elvis.
 
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Buddy Holly was part of the first group inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] on its formation in 1986. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]].
 
  
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[[The Smithereens]]' song "Maria Elena" is a Buddy Holly tribute as sung to his widow.
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Working with independent producer and studio-owner Norman Petty was crucial for Holly’s development. Musicians of Holly’s time had access to recording studios dictated by record label budgets, union restrictions, and other external factors. Holly and the Crickets, on the other hand, could spend countless hours in Petty’s studio recording at their whim, free to tweak, adjust, and experiment. They didn’t restrict themselves to a certain sound or a set of instruments, but pushed the boundaries of early rock, often playfully; for example, a celesta provides the main backing for the sweet pop song “Everyday.” With “Words of Love,” Holly and the Crickets were among the first to effectively employ double tracked vocals in a rock song. Several of Holly’s songs feature [[percussion]] played on a cardboard box. Before his death, Holly was delving into a diverse orchestral pop sound and more complex song structures, as “True Love Ways” displays. The relentless tumble underpinning “Peggy Sue” originated from a bet Buddy made that his drummer couldn’t maintain such a drumbeat for the whole song. The drummer did, and it became part of the song. This whimsical enthusiasm for the creative process is very much a part of Holly’s legacy.  
  
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On the infamous Gunfight at Carnegie Hall album, Phil Ochs famously sang a long tribute to Buddy Holly, while dressed in an uncharacteristic shiny gold suit. The album also includes a long [[Elvis Presley]] medley.
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Not only did he create quality music that holds up under scrutiny to this day, but he arguably set the paradigm of musical innovation and creative autonomy that would serve as the model for the generations of rock musicians that followed him. [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]] have repeatedly affirmed their outright adulation for Holly, McCartney having even purchased the rights to Holly’s catalog of music.  
  
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[[Paul Simon]]'s song "Old" references his early influences, including Buddy Holly, including the line "Buddy Holly still goes on, but his catalog was sold."
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Finally, Holly entered a new [[archetype]] into the rock and roll pantheon. Alongside the wanton sexuality of Elvis and the impeccable musicianship of [[Chuck Berry]], he erected the prolific, inspired everyman, the guy next door. Holly didn’t possess matinee idol looks. More than any other early rock star, young fans could identify with Holly and his unassuming charm. They could see themselves doing what he did while Holly continued to write and perform his works with enthusiasm and effortless charisma.
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[[The Dixie Chicks]] recently recorded the song "Lubbock or Leave It" which references Buddy Holly's death by airplane crash, and the statue that was erected in his hometown after his death.
 
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In an interview with Alan Freed, Holly and Freed mentions Cricket bass player Joe Mauldin's nickname "Joe Buy-Us", as in "Go buy us a coke". This was replayed in the TV series ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'', where the character GOB (George Oscar Bluth) decides to start up a business with his brother-in-law Tobias in a collaboration named "Gobias Industries", which will deal in the sale of coffee. They then proceed to explain their reasoning behind the name, "Gobias, as in 'go buy us' a coffee".
 
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Of the trio of musicians who died in the crash, he was the one mentioned in [[Billy Joel]]'s history themed song "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]".
 
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In ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', [[Steve Buscemi]] plays a Buddy Holly lookalike waiter that serves [[John Travolta]] and [[Uma Thurman]].
 
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==Covers==
 
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Since his death many bands and artists have covered Buddy Holly material such as [[The Beatles]],[[Billy Fury]],[[Cliff Richard]],[[The Rolling Stones]], [[John Lennon]], [[Linda Ronstadt]], [[Humble Pie (band)|Humble Pie]],[[Peter & Gordon]],[[Rush (band)|Rush]], [[Grateful Dead]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[James Taylor]], [[Blind Faith]], [[Don McLean]], [[John Mellencamp]], [[Foghat]] and many others.
 
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==Discography==
 
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{{details|Buddy Holly discography}}
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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*''Buddy Holly: A Biography'', by Ellis Amburn, St. Martin's - Griffin, 1995 ISBN 0-312-14557-8
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* Amburn, Ellis. 1995. ''Buddy Holly: A Biography.'' New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-14557-8
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* Goldrosen, John. 1979. ''The Buddy Holly Story.'' New York: Quick Fox. ISBN 0-825-63936-0
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* Norman, Philip. 1996. ''Rave On: The Biography of Buddy Holly.'' New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80082-9
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
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All links retrieved November 22, 2023.
  
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* [http://www.buddyholly.com/ Official Web Site]
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* [http://www.buddyhollylives.info/ International Buddy Holly Site]  
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* [http://www.buddyhollyonline.com/ Buddy Holly Online]
 
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* [http://www.buddyhollylives.info/ International Buddy Site]
 
 
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=492 Find A Grave Entry]
 
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=492 Find A Grave Entry]
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* [http://www.fiftiesweb.com/crash.htm Day the Music Died; Info on crash, Coroner's Report etc.]
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* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/d352f5dd-3023-4565-a7bb-52396bf8821d.html Buddy Holly at MusicBrainz site]  
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* [http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=654c666a-5840-4078-94f8-6f482432bbfb Geocaching - nearly 100 photos of crash site and logs of visits]
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* [http://rockhall.com/inductees/buddy-holly/ Entry at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]
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* {{last.fm|Buddy+Holly}}
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* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE4781BDC4AA57120DD9D2C4CC0BA7CE000D34AF18B3E394B5DD3BA7F4B82006AF259E19398F3FD72F87AB0FD31A65A0FD486EB5CFCDF6C3D3F9D8EDB&sql=11:eiaxlffe5cqp~T1 Buddy Holly Biography]
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* {{musicbrainz artist|id=d352f5dd-3023-4565-a7bb-52396bf8821d|name=Buddy Holly}}
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* [http://www.buddyhollycenter.org/index.html The Buddy Holly Center]  
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* [http://www.pmoorcroft.freeserve.co.uk/tshaw1.htm The Buddy Holly Recordings] by Terry R. Shaw
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* Tim Riley, [http://www.furious.com/perfect/buddyholly.html Buddy Holly: Learning the Game]
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* [http://www.morethings.com/music/buddy_holly/charles_hardin_holley_photo_gallery01.htm Buddy Holly Picture Gallery] 100 photos, including childhood and wedding images
 
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* [http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=119 Entry at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website]
 
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* [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/buddyholly/biography Buddy Holly] at Rollingstone
 
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* http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BuddyHolly.html  
 
  
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* http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/buddyholly.txt
 
  
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Latest revision as of 18:36, 22 November 2023


Charles Hardin Holley
BornSeptember 7, 1936
Lubbock, Texas, United States
DiedFebruary 3, 1959
near Mason City, Iowa, United States
OccupationSinger and songwriter
Spouse(s)Maria Elena Holly

Buddy Holly (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), was the stage name of Charles Hardin Holley, an American singer, songwriter, and pioneer of early rock and roll. Although his career spanned only a few short years, Holly was a gifted songwriter and performer, and his remarkable innovation in the young genre was an enormous influence on the generations of rock musicians that would follow him. Such an influence helped to cultivate a personal maturity in his followers that rewarded self-evaluation and mastery of an artistic style.

Biography

Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake, the youngest of four boys. The Holleys were a musical family and as a young boy, Holly learned to play the violin, piano, and steel guitar to varying degrees, before settling on the acoustic guitar. While attending Hutchinson Jr. High School, he met Bob Montgomery, with whom he shared a common interest in music. Forming bands with other young musicians in the area, they performed together at whatever local venues they could find, eventually earning their own Sunday night show on local radio station, KDAV, the first all-country radio station in the country.

Holly initially played fairly straightforward country music but incorporated more and more R&B elements into his music as time went on. He was already moving towards the synthesis of musical styles that would define early rock and roll when he attended an Elvis Presley concert in Lubbock in early 1955. By all accounts, the event made a huge impact on Holly who was taken with Elvis’ charisma and particularly with his energetic, exciting new sound.

By this point, Holly and Montgomery were being chosen by KDAV to open for the touring acts that came into town. Holly's transition to rock was finalized when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local rock show organized by Eddie Crandall, who was also the manager for Marty Robbins. As a result of this performance, Holly was offered a contract with Decca Records to work alone, which he accepted. According to Ellis Amburn (1995), his public name changed from "Holley" to "Holly" on February 8, 1956, when he signed the Decca contract (45).

In 1956, Holly recorded about a dozen tracks of country music for Decca in Nashville, backed by studio musicians. The music was, despite several quality tracks, generally uninspired, and an ill-fit for Holly, whose musical trajectory already lay outside of the confines of traditional country music. Unsurprisingly, the sessions and the singles that resulted from them were unsuccessful.

Undeterred, Holly returned to Lubbock to refocus his efforts. He formed his own backing band, "The Crickets," and began making records at the studio of musician and record producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico. Among the songs recorded there was a new version of "That'll Be the Day" (the song, whose title was inspired by a John Wayne line from The Searchers, was recorded before in Nashville). Perry became Holly’s producer and manager, signing him to Coral Records under Holly’s name. Perry had music industry contacts, and believing that "That'll Be the Day" would be a hit single, he contacted publishers and labels. Brunswick Records, ironically a subsidiary of Decca, signed The Crickets, and released “That’ll Be the Day” (in order to avoid potential trouble with Decca, which owned the rights to the song under Holly’s name).

“That’ll Be the Day” was released in June 1957, and after a slow start, became Buddy’s first major hit (reaching number 1 on the pop charts and number 2 on the R&B charts by September). To this day it is arguably his signature song. The song is undeniably rock and roll, highlighted by Holly’s always charismatic, hiccupping vocals, and an inspired instrumental performance that draws equally from country harmony and R&B strut (and even showcases a lively guitar solo from Holly).

Holly and the Crickets toured around the country throughout the second half of 1957 in support of their hit record. Meanwhile, several successful follow-up singles were released, including “Oh Boy” and “Peggy Sue.” The latter was particularly notable for its drumbeat, a continuous rumble played completely in “paradiddles” (a type of drum sticking pattern).

In early 1958, Holly went overseas, touring in Australia and the United Kingdom, where he was especially popular, and was to be enormously influential to a generation of budding musicians, John Lennon and Paul McCartney included. Back in the United States, he continued to have success releasing records both under his own name and with the Crickets, and stayed extremely busy touring and recording throughout the year.

The year 1958 was eventful for Holly’s personal life as well. During a June trip to visit his music publisher in New York, Holly met Maria Elena Santiago. He proposed the day he met her, and was married in August.

By this time Holly had become more familiar with the workings of the music industry. Suspicious of manager Norman Perry’s financial dealings, and determined to take more control over his business concerns, Holly split with Perry in November. The rest of the Crickets elected to retain Perry as their manager, leaving Holly to work solely as a solo act. He moved to Greenwich Village in New York City with Maria, and began preparations for the next phase of his career.

Death

Holly’s musicianship and style had continued to develop at a remarkable rate through the end of 1958, perhaps ahead of the tastes of his listeners. His later singles weren’t selling as well as earlier hits, and though his break with Perry gave him additional creative freedom, it perhaps produced financial pressure as well.

As a way to generate some income in that transitional time, Holly formed a new backing group and committed to a three-week tour of the Midwest dubbed the “Winter Dance Party.” Accompanying him on the tour were young Latino rocker Ritchie Valens, disc jockey J. P. Richardson (better known as the Big Bopper), and doo-wop trio Dion and the Belmonts.

Holly and company had battled subzero temperatures and transportation problems for more than a week when they rolled into Clear Lake, Iowa on February 2 and played a show at the Surf Ballroom. Frustrated by issues with the tour bus, Holly chartered a small plane to fly him and his bandmates to the next venue shortly after the show. However, after a little prodding and a coin toss, bassist Waylon Jennings and guitarist Tommy Allsup surrendered their seats to Richardson and Valens. Less than five minutes after take off, no more than six miles northwest of Clear Lake, their plane crashed into a barren field, killing the pilot and all three passengers instantly.

Legacy

Fan-made monument at crash site

Buddy Holly spent no more than 21 months in the public eye, from the release of “That’ll Be the Day” to his death, yet the impact he had on rock and roll was tremendous, if more subtle than that of Elvis. Unlike virtually all other popular musicians of his time, Holly was deeply interested in every aspect of the recording process, from writing his own material, to experimenting with recording and production techniques.

Working with independent producer and studio-owner Norman Petty was crucial for Holly’s development. Musicians of Holly’s time had access to recording studios dictated by record label budgets, union restrictions, and other external factors. Holly and the Crickets, on the other hand, could spend countless hours in Petty’s studio recording at their whim, free to tweak, adjust, and experiment. They didn’t restrict themselves to a certain sound or a set of instruments, but pushed the boundaries of early rock, often playfully; for example, a celesta provides the main backing for the sweet pop song “Everyday.” With “Words of Love,” Holly and the Crickets were among the first to effectively employ double tracked vocals in a rock song. Several of Holly’s songs feature percussion played on a cardboard box. Before his death, Holly was delving into a diverse orchestral pop sound and more complex song structures, as “True Love Ways” displays. The relentless tumble underpinning “Peggy Sue” originated from a bet Buddy made that his drummer couldn’t maintain such a drumbeat for the whole song. The drummer did, and it became part of the song. This whimsical enthusiasm for the creative process is very much a part of Holly’s legacy.

Not only did he create quality music that holds up under scrutiny to this day, but he arguably set the paradigm of musical innovation and creative autonomy that would serve as the model for the generations of rock musicians that followed him. John Lennon and Paul McCartney have repeatedly affirmed their outright adulation for Holly, McCartney having even purchased the rights to Holly’s catalog of music.

Finally, Holly entered a new archetype into the rock and roll pantheon. Alongside the wanton sexuality of Elvis and the impeccable musicianship of Chuck Berry, he erected the prolific, inspired everyman, the guy next door. Holly didn’t possess matinee idol looks. More than any other early rock star, young fans could identify with Holly and his unassuming charm. They could see themselves doing what he did while Holly continued to write and perform his works with enthusiasm and effortless charisma.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Amburn, Ellis. 1995. Buddy Holly: A Biography. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-14557-8
  • Goldrosen, John. 1979. The Buddy Holly Story. New York: Quick Fox. ISBN 0-825-63936-0
  • Norman, Philip. 1996. Rave On: The Biography of Buddy Holly. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80082-9

External links

All links retrieved November 22, 2023.

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