Buddy Holly

For the Weezer song, see Buddy Holly (song).
Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly in 1957
Background information
Birth name Charles Hardin Holley
Born September 7, 1936
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
Died February 3, 1959 (aged 22)
Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S.
Genres Rock and roll, rockabilly, Lubbock sound, country, pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano, violin, banjo
Years active 1949–59
Labels Decca, Brunswick, Coral
Associated acts Buddy and Bob, The Crickets, The Picks
Notable instruments
Fender Stratocaster, Gibson J-45

Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American musician and singer-songwriter, often considered one of the main figures of the rock and roll genre in the mid-1950s. Born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, Holly learned to play the guitar and sing with his siblings. Influenced by country music and rhythm and blues acts, Holly performed locally with high school friends. He made his first appearance on local television in 1952, and the following year formed the group "Buddy and Bob" with his friend, Bob Montgomery. In 1955, Holly decided to pursue a career in music after opening for Elvis Presley. As Holly opened for Presley three times that year, his band shifted from his country & western style entirely to rock-and-roll. Opening in October for Bill Haley & His Comets, he was spotted by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him land a contract with Decca Records.

Holly performed his first recording sessions produced by Owen Bradley. Unhappy with Bradley's restrictions and the results of their work, Holly decided to visit producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico. Attracted by the success of the records produced by Petty, Holly traveled with his band to the studio, where among other songs, they recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day". Petty became the band's manager, and sent the demo to Brunswick Records. Impressed, the label decided to release it without a re-recording. Since Holly's name was still linked to Decca, Brunswick credited the single to "The Crickets", which became Holly's band name.

By September 1957, as the band toured, "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart and the UK Singles Chart. Its success was followed in October by the release of "Peggy Sue", that reached number three in "Best Sellers in Stores", three on the rhythm and blues chart and number six on the UK Singles Chart. The November release of The "Chirping" Crickets album reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. By January 1958, Holly had twice appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Following his last performance, he embarked on a tour through Australia, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom in February.

During a visit to New York City, Holly met Maria Elena Santiago. After marrying her, Holly moved to the city. The New York scene further interested Holly in record producing and songwriting. At the same time Holly and the Crickets started to feel unhappy with their manager. Santiago and her aunt made Holly aware that Petty was keeping the proceeds from the singer and band's royalties. Holly fired Petty in December 1958 and split with The Crickets as they decided to keep the manager. In need of money, Holly assembled a new band consisting of future country icon Waylon Jennings (Bass) and Tommy Allsup (Guitar) and embarked on a Midwest tour to cover his needs. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, he chartered a plane to get to his next show in Moorhead, Minnesota. Soon after takeoff, the plane crashed, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson.

During his short career, Holly wrote, recorded and produced his own material. He is often regarded as the act that set the traditional rock-and-roll two guitar, bass and drums lineup. Holly had a major influence in popular music, including on acts as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Elton John among others. He was inducted with the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and later ranked by Rolling Stone at number thirteen on its "100 Greatest Artists" list.

Life and career

Early life and beginnings in music (1936–1955)

Charles Hardin Holley was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, at 3:30 pm., the fourth child of Lawrence Odell "L.O" Holley and Ella Pauline Drake. His older siblings were Larry (born in 1925), Travis (born in 1927) and Patricia Lou (born in 1929). From his early childhood, he was nicknamed "Buddy" by his family and friends.[1] During the Great Depression, the Holleys moved often within Lubbock; L.O changed jobs several times. The family were members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church. [1]

The Holleys had an interest in music, with all the family members except L.O. able to play an instrument or sing. The older Holley brothers performed on local talent shows. On an occasion, Buddy joined them on the violin. Since he could not play it, his brother Larry greased the strings so it would not sound. The brothers won the contest.[2] During the Second World War, Larry and Travis were called to service. Upon his return, Larry returned with a guitar he had bought from a shipmate while serving on the Pacific. At age eleven, Buddy took piano lessons, but left them after nine months. He decided to switch to guitar after he saw a classmate playing and singing on the school bus. His parents initially bought him a steel guitar, but he insisted that he wanted a guitar like his brother's. His parents bought the guitar from a pawn shop, while his brother Travis taught him to play.[3]

During his early childhood, he was influenced by the music of Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, Bob Wills and the Carter Family. At Roscoe Wilson Elementary, he met and became friends with Bob Montgomery. Montgomery and Holley would play together, practicing with songs by the Louvin Brothers and Johnny and Jack.[4] Both would hear the Grand Ole Opry on WSM , the Louisiana Hayride on KWKH and the Big D Jamboree. At the same time, Holley would play with other musicians he met in high school, including Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison.[5] In 1952, he participated in a talent contest on a local television show, with Jack Neal. The duo was billed as "Buddy and Jack". After Neal left, he was replaced by Montgomery, and they were billed as "Buddy and Bob". The two soon started performing on the Sunday Party show on KDAV in 1953, and around town.[6] At that time, Holly was influenced by the late-night radio stations that played Blues and R&B. Holly would sit in his car with Curtis and tune to distant radio stations that were only reachable at night when local transmissions ceased.[7] Holly then modified his music by blending his early country & western influence with rhythm and blues.[8]

By 1955, after he graduated from high school, Holley decided to pursue full-time a career in music. He was further encouraged after seeing Elvis Presley performing live in Lubbock, whose act was booked by Pappy Dave Stone of KDAV. In February he opened for Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum, in April at the Cotton Club and again in June at the Coliseum. By that time, he had incorporated Larry Welborne on the stand-up bass and Allison as his drummer, as his style shifted from country & western to rock and roll.[7] In October, Stone booked Bill Haley & His Comets and placed Holley as the opening act to be seen by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall. Impressed, Crandall convinced Grand Ole Opry manager Jim Denny to seek a recording contract for Holley. Stone sent a demo tape, which Denny forwarded to Paul Cohen, who signed them to Decca Records in February 1956.[9] In the contract, Decca misspelled his last name as "Holly", and from then on, he was known as "Buddy Holly".[10]

Association with Norman Petty, the Crickets and success (1956–1957)

On January 26, 1956, Holly attended his first formal recording session, produced by Owen Bradley.[11] He attended two more sessions in Nashville, but was increasingly frustrated by his lack of creative control, with the producer selecting the session musicians and arrangements.[9] In April 1956, Decca released "Blue Days, Black Nights" with "Love Me" on the flipside. Denny included Holly on a tour as the opening act for Faron Young. During the tour, they were promoted as "Buddy Holly and the Two Tones", while later Decca called them "Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes".[9] The label later released Holly's second single "Modern Don Juan" backed with "You Are My One Desire". Both singles failed to make an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, insisting, however, that he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.[12]

Buddy Holly and the Crickets in 1957 (top to bottom: Allison, Holly and Mauldin)

Unhappy with the results and inspired by the success of Buddy Knox's "Party Doll" and Jimmy Bowen's "I'm Sticking to You", Holly decided to visit Norman Petty, who produced and promoted both records. Together with Allison, bassist Joe B. Mauldin and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan, he went to Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico. The group recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", a song they previously tried in Nashville. Now playing on the lead guitar, Holly achieved the desired sound. Petty became his manager and sent the record to Brunswick Records, in New York City. Since Holly was still under contract with Decca and could not use his name, it was decided a band name was to be used. Allison proposed the name "Crickets", which he found in a dictionary. Brunswick signed the band on March 19, 1957. Impressed by the demo, the executives of the label decided to release it directly to record, without recording a new version. The song was released with "I'm Looking For Someone to Love" on the flipside, and the single was credited to the Crickets. Petty and Holly would later learn that Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca, which legally cleared future recordings under the name of Holly. The recordings credited to the Crickets would be released on Brunswick, while the recordings under Holly's name were on another subsidiary, Coral Records. Therefore, the singer held a recording contract with both labels at the same time.[13]

"That'll Be the Day" was released on May 27, 1957, with "Rock Around With Ollie Vee" on the B-side.[14] Petty booked Holly and the Crickets for a tour with Irving Feld. Feld had noticed the band after the single appeared on the rhythm and blues chart. He booked them for appearances in Washington D.C, Baltimore and New York City.[15] The band was booked at New York's Apollo Theater for August 16–22. During the opening performances, the group did not impress the audience, but they were accepted after they included in the shows "Bo Diddley". By the end of their stint at the Apollo, "That'll Be the Day" was climbing the charts. Propelled by the success of the record, Petty started to prepare two album releases: a solo for Holly and another one of the Crickets.[16] Holly appeared on American Bandstand hosted by Dick Clark on ABC on August 26. Before leaving New York, the band befriended the Everly Brothers.[17]

"That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart on September 23, and was No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November.[18] On September 20, Coral released "Peggy Sue" backed with "Everyday" with Holly credited as the performer. By October, "Peggy Sue" had reached number three on Billboard's pop chart and number two on the rhythm & blues chart, while it peaked at number six on the UK Singles chart. As the success of the song grew, it brought more attention to Holly, with the band at the time being billed as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets".[19]

By the last week of September, the band members flew to Lubbock to visit their families. A recording session was arranged by Petty to take place in Oklahoma City, where he was performing with his own band. While the band drove to the location, the producer set up a makeshift studio. The rest of the songs needed for an album and singles material were recorded, while Petty later dubbed the material in Clovis, New Mexico.[20] The "Chirping" Crickets was released on November 27, 1957. It reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. In October Brunswick released the second single by the Crickets, "Oh, Boy!" with "Not Fade Away" on the B-side. The single reached number ten on the pop chart and thirteen on the rhythm and blues chart.[19] Holly and the Crickets performed "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1, 1957. Following the appearance, Niki Sullivan left the group due to the intensive touring. On December 29, Holly and the Crickets performed "Peggy Sue" on The Arthur Murray Party.[21]

International tours and end of association with Petty (1958)

Buddy Holly and Ed Sullivan, second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, New York, January 26, 1958

On January 8, 1958, Holly and the Crickets joined America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars tour.[22] On January 25, Holly recorded "Rave On!", the next day Holly made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing "Oh, Boy!".[22] He departed to perform in Honolulu, Hawaii, on January 27, and later started a week-long tour of Australia.[23] By February, the band toured England, and played fifty shows in twenty-five days.[24] The same month his debut solo album, Buddy Holly was released. Upon their return to the United States, Holly and The Crickets joined Alan Freed's Big Beat Show tour for forty-one dates. Decca then released in April That'll Be the Day, featuring the songs recorded with Bradley during his early Nashville sessions.[25]

A new recording session was arranged in May in Clovis. Holly hired Tommy Allsup to play the lead guitar. The session produced the recordings of "It's So Easy" and "Heartbeat". Impressed by Allsup, Holly invited him to join the Crickets. In June, Holly travelled alone to New York for a solo recording session. Without the Crickets, Holly chose to be backed by a jazz and rhythm & blues band. He chose to record "Now We're One" and Bobby Darin's "Early in the Morning".[26]

During his visit to the offices of Peer-South, he met Maria Elena Santiago, the secretary of executive Murray Deutch. Holly asked Santiago out on their first meeting, and eventually proposed her to marry him on their first date. The wedding took place on August 15. Petty disapproved the marriage, and advised to keep it secret to avoid a negative impact on Holly's female fans. Petty's reaction created friction with Holly, who at the time also started to question his manager's bookkeeping. The Crickets also conflicted with Petty, frustrated by the fact that he controlled all of the proceeds from the band.[27]

The Hollys frequented many of New York's music venues, including the Village Gate, Blue Note, Village Vanguard, and Johnny Johnson's. Santiago later declared that Holly was keen to learn fingerstyle flamenco guitar, and would often visit her aunt's home to play the piano there. Holly planned collaborations between soul singers and rock & roll, and desired to make an album with Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson. He also had ambitions to work in film, and registered for acting classes with Lee Strasburg's Actors Studio.[28]

Santiago accompanied Holly on tours. Hiding her relation to him, she was presented as the Crickets' secretary. She took care of the laundry, equipment setup and collected the concert revenues. The money was kept by Santiago for the band instead of their habitual transfer to Petty in New Mexico.[29] Santiago and her aunt Provi Garcia, executive of the Latin American music department at Peer-Southern, made Holly aware that Petty was paying the band's royalties from Coral-Brunswick into his own company's account. Holly planned to retrieve his royalties from Petty, and to later fire him as manager and producer. At the recommendation of the Everly Brothers, he hired lawyer Harold Orenstein to negotiate his royalties.[30]

Meanwhile Holly returned to Clovis for a new recording session in September that yielded "Reminiscing" and "Come Back Baby". During the same session Holly ventured into producing by recording Lubbock DJ Waylon Jennings. Holly produced for Jennings the single “Jole Blon” and “When Sin Stops (Love Begins)”.[31] At the time, Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music, recording and publishing scene. The Hollys settled in Apartment 4H of the Brevoort Apartments located at 11 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. There he recorded a series of acoustic songs, including "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and "What to Do". In October, backed by an eighteen-piece orchestra composed by former members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and including saxophonist Benny Goodman, Holly recorded tracks for Coral. The three-and-a-half hour session produced "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", "Raining in My Heart", "Moondreams" and "True Love Ways".[32]

Holly put an end to his association with Petty in December. As his band members decided to stay with the manager, Holly also split from the Crickets. With the money from the royalties still held by Petty, Holly was forced to form a new band and to go back on the road.[33]

Winter Dance Party Tour and death (1959)

Signpost near the Clear Lake crash site

Before the tour, Holly vacationed with his wife in Lubbock, and visited Jennings' radio station in December 1958.[34] For the start of the "Winter Dance Party" tour, he assembled a band consisting of Jennings, Allsup (guitar) and Carl Bunch (drums).[35] Holly and Jennings left for New York City, arriving on January 15, 1959. Jennings stayed at Holly's apartment by Washington Square Park, on the days prior to a meeting scheduled on the headquarters of the General Artists Corporation, that organized the tour.[36] They later took a train to Chicago to join the rest of the band.[37]

The tour began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 23, 1959. The amount of travel created logistical problems. The distance between venues had not been considered when scheduling each performance. Adding to the disarray, the tour buses were not equipped for the weather and twice broke down.[38] To gain time to sleep and do laundry after a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a plane for himself, Jennings and Allsup to avoid the long bus trip to Moorhead, Minnesota. Jennings gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson, who was suffering from the flu and complaining about how uncomfortable the bus was for a man of his size.[39]

The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, even though he was not certified to fly by instruments only. In the early morning hours of February 3, Holly, along with Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson, and the pilot, were all killed when the plane crashed shortly after take-off.[40]

Holly's headstone in the City of Lubbock Cemetery

Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. The service was officiated by Ben D. Johnson, who had presided at the Hollys' wedding just months earlier. The pallbearers were Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis and Phil Everly.[41] Waylon Jennings was unable to attend due to his commitment to the still-touring Winter Dance Party. Holly's body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery in the eastern part of the city. His headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.[42]

Holly's pregnant wife watched the first reports of his death on television. A widow after six months of marriage, she miscarried the following day, attributed to "psychological trauma". His mother, who heard the news on the radio in Lubbock, Texas, collapsed. Because of María Elena's miscarriage, the authorities, in the months following, implemented a policy against announcing victims' names until after families are informed.[43] María Elena Holly did not attend the funeral, and has never visited the gravesite. She later told the Avalanche-Journal: "In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane."[44]

Image and style

Holly's singing style was characterized by his vocal hiccups, and his alternation between his regular voice and falsetto.[45] His "stuttering vocals" were complemented by the use of the guitar with percussive playing, solos, stops, bent notes and rhythm and blues chord progressions.[46] Holly bought his first Fender Stratocaster, which became his signature guitar, at Harrod Music in Lubbock for US$249.50. At the time a guitar popular among country musicians, Holly chose it due to its loud sound.[47] His "innovative" playing style was characterized by its blending of "chunky rhythm" and "high string lead work". He played his first Stratocaster, a 1954 model, until it was stolen during a tour stop in Michigan in 1957. To replace it, he purchased a 1957 model before a show in Detroit. Holly owned between four and five Stratocasters during his career.[48]

On their beginnings, Holly and the band wore business suits they purchased in Texas. Upon meeting the Everly Brothers, Don Everly took the band to Phil's Men's shop in New York City and introduced them to Ivy League clothes. The brothers also advised Holly to replace his old-styled glasses with Horn-rimmed glasses that were popularized at the time by Steve Allen.[49] Holly bought from Lubbock optometrist Dr. J. Davis Armistead a set of glasses made in Mexico. Teenagers around the United States started to request the type of glasses, which were later popularly known as "Buddy Holly glasses".[50]

Legacy

Recognitions

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included Holly among its first class in 1986. On its entry, the Hall of Fame remarked the large amount of material he produced during a short career, and declared that it "made a major and lasting impact on popular music". It called him an "innovator" for writing his own material, his experimentation with double tracking and the use of orchestration; while it also added that he "pioneered and popularized the now-standard" use of two guitars, bass and drums by rock bands.[51] The Songwriters Hall of Fame also inducted Holly in 1986, and stated that his contributions "changed the face of Rock 'n Roll".[52]

In 1997, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Holly the Lifetime Achievement Award.[53] Encyclopædia Britannica stated that Holly "produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music".[54] AllMusic defined him as "the single most influential creative force in early rock & roll".[55] Rolling Stone ranked him at number thirteen on its "100 Greatest Artists" list.[56] In 2011, a star bearing his name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, commemorating his 75th birthday.[57]

The Buddy Holly Center, a museum located in Lubbock

In 1980, Grant Speed sculpted a statue of Holly playing his Fender guitar. This statue is the centerpiece of Lubbock's Walk of Fame, which honors notable people who contributed to Lubbock's musical history. Other memorials to Buddy Holly include a street named in his honor and The Buddy Holly Center, which contains a museum of Holly memorabilia as well as a Fine Arts Gallery. The Center is located on Crickets Avenue, one street over from Buddy Holly Avenue, in what used to be the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot.[58] In 2010, Grant Speed's statue was taken down for refurbishment, and construction began on a new Walk of Fame. On May 9, 2011, the City of Lubbock held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza, the new home of the statue and the Walk of Fame.[59]

Influence

Teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney saw Holly for the first time during his performance on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. [60] Holly made his appearance in the musical scene as the two met and started their musical association. Lennon and McCartney studied Holly's records. From them, they learned his performance style and lyricism, and based their acts in Holly's persona. later chose the band name "The Beatles" , inspired by Holly's bug-themed Crickets. The two musicians later cited him as their main influence.[61]

The Quarrymen covered "That'll Be the Day" during their first recording in 1958.[62] Years later, during breaks in the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, CBS coordinator Vic Calandra talked with McCartney and Lennon. Lennon asked him about the Holly performances. Calandra declared that the musicians expressed repeatedly their appreciation for Holly.[63] The Beatles did a cover of "Words of Love" that was a close reproduction of Holly's version, released on late 1964's Beatles for Sale (in the U.S., in June 1965 on Beatles VI). During the January 1969 sessions for the Let It Be album, the Beatles played a slow impromptu version of "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" – although not written by Holly, it was popularized by him – with Lennon mimicking Holly's vocal style.[64] Lennon recorded a cover version of "Peggy Sue" on his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll.[65] McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalog.[66]

17-year-old Bob Dylan attended the January 31, 1959, show, two nights before Holly's death. Dylan referred to this in his 1998 Grammy acceptance speech for his Time Out of Mind being named Album of the Year: "And I just want to say that when I was sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him...and he LOOKED at me. And I just have some sort of feeling that he was – I don't know how or why – but I know he was with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way."[67]

Mick Jagger saw Holly performing live in Woolwich during his England tour, and particularly remembered his performance of "Not Fade Away". The song also became an inspiration for Keith Richards, who modeled his early guitar playing on the track. The Rolling Stones had a hit version of the track in 1964.[68] Richards later stated about Holly's influence: "He passed it on via the Beatles and via (the Rolling Stones) ... He's in everybody".[69]

Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad "American Pie" was inspired by Holly and the day of the plane crash. A line of the song, calling the incident "The Day the Music Died", became popularly associated with it, and dubbed it under the name in later references. The American Pie album is dedicated to Holly.[70] In 2015, McLean wrote: "Buddy Holly would have the same stature musically whether he would have lived or died, because of his accomplishments ... By the time he was 22 years old he had recorded some 50 tracks, most of which he had written himself ... in my view and the view of many others, a hit ... Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the template for all the rock bands that followed".[71]

Elton John was musically influenced by Holly. At age thirteen, with good vision, John started to wear horn-rimmed glasses to imitate Holly. After eight months, the glasses diminished his vision and John had to start to wear prescription lenses on a regular basis.[72] The Clash were also influenced by Holly, with references to him included in the song "Corner Soul" from the Sandinista! album.[73] The Chirping Crickets was the first album Eric Clapton ever bought. He later saw Holly on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. in his autobiography, he recounted the first time he saw Holly and his Fender: "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven ... it was like seeing an instrument from outer space and I said to myself: 'That's the future - that's what I want'".[74]

The launch of Bobby Vee's successful musical career resulted from Holly's death, when he was selected to replace Holly on the tour that continued after the plane crash. Holly's profound influence on Vee's singing style can be heard in such songs as "Rubber Ball" (the flip side of which was a cover of Holly's "Everyday") and "Run to Him."[75] The name of the singing group the Hollies is often claimed as a tribute to Holly. According to the band, the group admired Holly, but their name was inspired primarily by the sprigs of holly in evidence around Christmas 1962.[76] In an August 24, 1978, Rolling Stone interview, Bruce Springsteen told Dave Marsh, "I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on; that keeps me honest."[77] The Grateful Dead performed the song "Not Fade Away" in concerts.[78]

Film and musical depictions

Holly's life story inspired a Hollywood biographical film, The Buddy Holly Story (1978). Star Gary Busey received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Holly. The movie was widely criticized by the rock community and Holly's friends and family for its inaccuracies. This led Paul McCartney to produce and host his own documentary about Holly in 1985, titled The Real Buddy Holly Story. This video includes interviews with Keith Richards, Phil and Don Everly, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison, Holly's family, and McCartney himself, among others.[79]

In 1987, Marshall Crenshaw portrayed Buddy Holly in the movie La Bamba. He is featured performing at the Surf Ballroom and boarding the doomed airplane with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Crenshaw's version of "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" is featured on the La Bamba original motion picture soundtrack.[80] Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, the jukebox musical depicting his life, is credited as being the first of its kind. It spawned the genre that later included the likes of Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You. Buddy – as it is abbreviated on occasion – started in the late 1980s and its most recent a UK tour went out in February 2011.[81]

Holly was depicted in the Quantum Leap episode titled "How the Tess Was Won", although his identity isn't revealed until the very end of the episode. According to this episode, Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) influences Buddy Holly to change the lyrics from "piggy, suey" to "Peggy Sue", thus setting up Holly's future hit song.[82]

Discography

Studio albums

The Crickets

Solo

Holly released three albums in his lifetime. However, he recorded so prolifically that Coral Records was able to release brand new albums and singles for 10 years after his death, although the technical quality was mixed, some being studio quality and others home recordings.

Holly continued to be promoted and sold as an "active" artist, and his records had a loyal following, especially in Europe. The demand for unissued Holly material was so great that Norman Petty resorted to overdubbing whatever he could find: alternate takes of studio recordings, originally rejected masters, "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and the other five 1959 tracks (adding new surf-guitar arrangements), and even Holly's amateur demos from 1954 (where the low-fidelity vocals are often muffled behind the new orchestrations). The last new Buddy Holly album was Giant (featuring the single "Love Is Strange"), issued in 1969. Between the 1959–60 overdubs produced by Jack Hansen (with vocal backings imitating the Crickets' sound), the 1960s overdubs produced by Petty, various alternate takes, and Holly's undubbed originals, collectors can often choose from multiple versions of the same song. There are also many different versions of Holly's "Greatest Hits" as well as covers/compilation albums of Buddy's songs performed by various artists.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gribbin, John 2012, p. 12.
  2. ↑ Gribbin, John 2012, p. 13.
  3. ↑ Gribbin, John 2012, p. 14.
  4. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 34.
  5. ↑ Scott Schinder, Andy Schwartz 2007, p. 80.
  6. ↑ Lehmer, Larry 2003, p. 6.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lehmer, Larry 2003, p. 7.
  8. ↑ Wishart, David 2004, p. 540.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Carr, Joseph; Munde, Alan 1997, p. 130.
  10. ↑ MacDonald, Les 2010, p. 17.
  11. ↑ Scott Schinder, Andy Schwartz 2007, p. 97.
  12. ↑ Uslan, Michael; Solomon, Bruce 1981, p. 49.
  13. ↑ Carr, Joseph; Munde, Alan 1997, p. 131.
  14. ↑ Dean, Maury 2003, p. 63.
  15. ↑ Lehmer, Larry 2003, p. 16.
  16. ↑ Lehmer, Larry 2003, p. 17.
  17. ↑ Lehmer, Larry 2003, p. 18.
  18. ↑ Lehmer, Larry 2003, p. 19.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Gribbin, John 2012, p. 57.
  20. ↑ Gribbin, John 2012, p. 58.
  21. ↑ Moore, Gary 2011, p. 127.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Moore, Gary 2011, p. 128.
  23. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 189.
  24. ↑ Scott Schinder, Andy Schwartz 2007, p. 88.
  25. ↑ Scott Schinder, Andy Schwartz 2007, p. 90.
  26. ↑ Scott Schinder, Andy Schwartz 2007, p. 91.
  27. ↑ Scott Schinder, Andy Schwartz 2007, p. 92.
  28. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 281.
  29. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 274.
  30. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 280.
  31. ↑ Carr, Joseph; Munde, Alan 1997, p. 155.
  32. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 274-278.
  33. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 284-285.
  34. ↑ Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny 1996, p. 51.
  35. ↑ Corbin, Sky 2014.
  36. ↑ Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny 1996, p. 58, 59.
  37. ↑ Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny 1996, p. 62.
  38. ↑ Everitt 2004, p. 13.
  39. ↑ Texas Monthly, January 1988; p.108
  40. ↑ Associated Press staff 1959.
  41. ↑ Amburn, Ellis 2014, p. 347.
  42. ↑ Amburn, Ellis 2014, p. 348-52.
  43. ↑ Suddath, Claire 2009.
  44. ↑ Kerns, William 2008.
  45. ↑ Rolling Stone staff 2001.
  46. ↑ Henderson, Lol; Stacey, Lee 2014, p. 296.
  47. ↑ Amburn, Ellis 2014, p. 59.
  48. ↑ Hunter, Dave 2013, p. 87.
  49. ↑ Norman, Phillip 1996, p. 144.
  50. ↑ Jones, Steve 2014, p. 175.
  51. ↑ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame staff 2015.
  52. ↑ Songwriters hall of Fame staff 2002.
  53. ↑ Hollywood Reporter Staff 1997.
  54. ↑ Crenshaw, Marshall 2015.
  55. ↑ Eder, Bruce 2015.
  56. ↑ Mellecamp, John 2011.
  57. ↑ Duke, Alan 2011.
  58. ↑ Buddy Holly Center staff 2014.
  59. ↑ Kerns, William 2011.
  60. ↑ Humphries, Patrick 2003, p. 73.
  61. ↑ Riley, Tim 2011, p. 67-70.
  62. ↑ Gaar, Gillian 2013, p. 238.
  63. ↑ Harris, Michael 2014, p. 192-193.
  64. ↑ Margotin, Phillipe; Guesdon, Jean-Michael 2014, p. 186.
  65. ↑ Blaney, John 2005, p. 163.
  66. ↑ BBC News staff 2003.
  67. ↑ Shelton, Robert 2011, p. 37.
  68. ↑ Norman, Philip 2011, p. 12.
  69. ↑ Amburn, Ellis 2014, p. 274.
  70. ↑ Crouse, Richard 2012, p. 86.
  71. ↑ McLean, Don 2015.
  72. ↑ Goldrosen, John 1979, p. 8.
  73. ↑ Fletcher, Tony 2012, p. 174.
  74. ↑ Clapton, Eric 2010, p. 19.
  75. ↑ Dean, Maury 2003, p. 73.
  76. ↑ Eder, Bruce 1996.
  77. ↑ Deardorff II, Donald 2013, p. 16.
  78. ↑ Meriwether, Nicholas 2013, p. 134.
  79. ↑ Lehmer, Larry 2003, p. 174-176.
  80. ↑ Green, Stanley 1999, p. 267.
  81. ↑ Eiss, Harry 2013, p. 154.
  82. ↑ Phillips, Mark; Garcia, Frank 1996, p. 358.

References

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  • BBC News staff (2003). "Sir Paul's fortune boosted". BBC News (BBC). Retrieved January 2, 2010.
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  • Carr, Joseph; Munde, Alan (1997). Prairie Nights to Neon Lights: The Story of Country Music in West Texas. Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 978-0-89672-365-8.
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  • Corbin, Sky (2014). "The Waylon Jennings Years at KLLL (Part Five)". KLLL (KLLL Lubbock). Retrieved July 2, 2014.
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  • Everitt, Rich (2004). Falling Stars: Air Crashes That Filled Rock and Roll Heaven. Harbor House. ISBN 978-1-891799-04-4.
  • Fletcher, Tony (2012). The Clash: The Music That Matters. Music Sales Group. ISBN 978-0-857-12749-5.
  • Gaar, Gillian (2013). 100 Things Beatles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triunph Books. ISBN 978-1-623-68202-6.
  • Goldrosen, John (1979). The Buddy Holly Story. Quick Fox. ISBN 978-0-825-63936-4.
  • Green, Stanley (1999). Hollywood Musicals Year by Year. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-634-00765-1.
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  • Hunter, Dave (2013). The Fender Stratocaster: The Life & Times of the World's Greatest Guitar & Its Players. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-760-34484-2.
  • Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny (1996). Waylon: An Autobiography. Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-446-51865-9.
  • Jones, Steve (2014). Start You Up: Rock Star Secrets to Unleash Your Personal Brand and Set Your Career on Fire. Greenleaf Book Group. ISBN 978-1-626-34070-1.
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  • Kerns, William (2011). "Buddy and Maria Holly Plaza dedication attracts large turnout". Lubbock-Online.com (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal). Retrieved March 25, 2015.
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  • Norman, Philip (2011). Buddy: The Definitive Biography of Buddy Holly. Pan MacMillan. ISBN 978-1-447-20340-7.
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  • Rolling Stone staff (2001). "Buddy Holly Biography". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media, LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
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Further reading

  • Bustard, Anne (2005). Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4223-9302-4.
  • Comentale, Edward P. (2013). Chapter Five. Sweet Air: Modernism, Regionalism, and American Popular Song. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07892-7.
  • Dawson, Jim; Leigh, Spencer (1996). Memories of Buddy Holly. Big Nickel Publications. ISBN 978-0-936433-20-2.
  • Gerron, Peggy Sue (2008). Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?. Togi Entertainment. ISBN 978-0-9800085-0-0.
  • Goldrosen, John; Beecher, John (1996). Remembering Buddy: The Definitive Biography. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80715-7.
  • Goldrosen, John (1975). Buddy Holly: His Life and Music. Popular Press. ISBN 0-85947-018-0
  • Dave Laing, Professor. Buddy Holly (Icons of Pop Music). Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-22168-4.
  • Mann, Alan (1996). The A-Z of Buddy Holly. Aurum Press (2nd edition). ISBN 1-85410-433-0 or 978-1854104335.
  • McFadden, Hugh (2005). Elegy for Charles Hardin Holley, in Elegies & Epiphanies. Belfast: Lagan Press.
  • Peer, Elizabeth and Ralph II (1972). Buddy Holly: A Biography in Words, Photographs and Music Australia: Peer International. ASIN B000W24DZO.
  • Peters, Richard (1990). The Legend That Is Buddy Holly. Barnes & Noble Books. ISBN 0-285-63005-9 or 978-0285630055.
  • Rabin, Stanton (2009). OH BOY! The Life and Music of Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer Buddy Holly. Van Winkle Publishing (Kindle). ASIN B0010QBLLG.
  • Tobler, John (1979). The Buddy Holly Story. Beaufort Books.
  • VH1's Behind the Music "The Day the Music Died" interview with Waylon Jennings

External links

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