Charles Hardin Holley (still with an e) was born on 7 September 1936 in the town of Lubbock, Texas. He was the youngest in a family of four children. The family was musical, and when Buddy was 15, he played guitar, banjo and mandolin. Together with childhood friend Bob Montgomery, he wrote and rehearsed songs and performed as Buddy & Bob. In 1955, just before Buddy's breakthrough, they even played once as the opening act for Elvis Presley.
Rock & Roll
Initially, they mainly played western and bop music, but as Buddy listened more to blues music and R&B, their musical style shifted towards something resembling rock & roll. They hired a drummer and a bassist, but then Bob decided to quit. He remained involved as a songwriter for the band. Buddy continued to push for a rock & roll sound, but all the recordings they made tended towards the country side. He felt that by recording these songs, he had missed the rock & roll boat.
That'll Be The Day
Producer Norman Petty gave the boys another chance and had them record a record in his studio. He had a good ear for popular music and guided the boys where necessary. In 1956, they recorded their first single 'That'll Be The Day'. The title is a quote from the John Wayne film The Searchers. However, due to legal issues with the record company, the single was only released in 1957. The song shot to number 1 in the American charts and became the summer hit of 1957. The copyrights were not registered in Buddy's name because at that time he had two record contracts; one for his band the Crickets and one as a solo artist. Due to the double contracts, Buddy was able to release many songs during his eighteen months of fame.
Performance
The unprecedented popularity of Elvis in America was undisputed, but in England, Buddy Holly seemed to be the most popular music act. Partly due to his tour of England in 1958, which lasted almost a month, but also because of his everyday appearance, he became the darling of the British public. Buddy increasingly leaned towards a home base in New York, where his wife Maria Elena Santiago also lived and worked. The other Crickets, however, stuck to Texas as their home base, and in 1958 the band broke up. When it became clear that manager Norman Petty had enriched his own bank account through creative bookkeeping and shortchanged the rest of the band, Buddy decided to enrich himself in a short time by doing a lot of performances.
The day the music died...
He joined the Winter Dance Party Tour through the American Midwest. He did this short tour together with Ritchie Valens and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson. During a flight on this tour, the plane crashed and all on board were killed. Buddy was only 22 at the time. Buddy Holly also served as an inspiration for many musicians after his death. Graham Nash and Allan Clarke were part of the English band The Hollies for a time, and the band The Searchers also owes its name to the John Wayne film of the same name. Don McLean wrote the song 'American Pie', which is about the tragic end of Buddy Holly. "The Day The Music Died" refers to 3 February 1959.
Top 2000
Buddy Holly is not in the latest edition of the Top 2000. Given the impact he made on pop music, that is of course not right.
Sunday Morning Classic: That'll Be The Day
On 27 February 2022, Buddy Holly was our guest as Sunday Morning Classic with the album "That'll Be The Day".
It seems as if Buddy left behind a huge number of records. In reality, he only made 2 LPs, which together lasted no longer than 60 minutes. That says something about Buddy's importance, that he has earned his place in the history books. This LP is a real gem for fans of the old authentic rockabilly. No slick songs like his later well-known big hits. At the time this album was recorded, Buddy had not yet quite found his groove.
Buddy and musician friend Jerry Allison had decided to go to a western film with John Wayne. In this film, Wayne keeps replying to various events: That’ll Be The Day. The phrase stuck in Jerry's mind, and when they were hanging out at Jerry's house one evening, Buddy looked at Jerry and said it would certainly be nice if they could record a hit. Jerry replied with: "That’ll Be The Day", imitating John Wayne in the film.
"That'll Be The Day" was the first song that John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison recorded together. In 1958, when they were still known as the Quarrymen, they pooled their money, recorded the song in a local studio and pressed one copy on a 78 rpm disc.
(source: NPO)
