Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas, during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. Holly's style was influenced by gospel music, country music, and rhythm and blues acts, which he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school.

Holly made his first appearance on local television in 1952, and the following year he formed the group "Buddy and Bob" with his friend Bob Montgomery. In 1955, after opening for Elvis Presley, Holly decided to pursue a career in music. He opened for Presley three times that year; his band's style shifted from country and western to entirely rock and roll. In October that year, when Holly opened for Bill Haley & His Comets, he was spotted by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him get a contract with Decca Records.

Holly's recording sessions at Decca were produced by Owen Bradley, who had become famous for producing orchestrated country hits for stars like Patsy Cline. Unhappy with Bradley's musical style and control in the studio, Holly went to producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, and recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", among other songs. Petty became the band's manager and sent the demo to Brunswick Records, which released it as a single credited to "The Crickets", which became the name of Holly's band. In September 1957, as the band toured, "That'll Be the Day" topped the US and UK singles charts. Its success was followed in October by another major hit, "Peggy Sue."

The album The "Chirping" Crickets, released in November 1957, reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Holly made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1958 and soon after toured Australia and then the UK. In early 1959, he assembled a new band, consisting of future country music star Waylon Jennings (bass), famed session musician Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums), and embarked on a tour of the midwestern US. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered an airplane to travel to his next show in Moorhead, Minnesota. Soon after takeoff, the plane crashed, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson in a tragedy later referred to by Don McLean as "The Day the Music Died" in his song "American Pie."

During his short career, Holly wrote and recorded many songs. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock-and-roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. Holly was a major influence on later popular music artists, including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Hollies, Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds, Marshall Crenshaw, and Elton John. Holly was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of "100 Greatest Artists" in 2010.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 1, 1936 (Lubbock), Died February 3, 1959 (Clear Lake, Iowa)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1955 - 1970

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, guitar, lead guitar, electric guitar

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 138 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 102021 3/18/1957 I'm looking for someone to love Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 102022 3/18/1957 That'll be the day Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 102255 4/15/1957 Words of love Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 102256 4/15/1957 Mailman bring me no more blues-1 Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103104 8/12/1957 Not fade away Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103105 8/12/1957 Everyday Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103179 8/26/1957 Oh boy (-1) Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103180 8/26/1957 Peggy Sue Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103257 9/12/1957 I'm gonna love you too Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103258 9/12/1957 Listen to me Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103259 9/16/1957 One faded rose-1 Charlie Phillips vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 103260 9/16/1957 Sugartime Charlie Phillips instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 103526 10/15/1957 You've got love Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 103527 10/15/1957 Maybe baby (MC 7452 MCA MCA-3040)-1 Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 103528 10/15/1957 It's too late Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103529 10/15/1957 Tell me how Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103530 10/15/1957 An empty cup (and a broken date) Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 103531 10/15/1957 Send me some lovin Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103532 10/15/1957 Last night Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 103533 10/15/1957 Rock me, my baby Crickets, The ; Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 104199 July 1957 Ready Teddy-2 Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 104200 12/19/1957 (You're so square) Baby I don't care Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 104201 July 1957 Valley of tears-1 Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, lead guitar  
Decca 104202 1/26/1958 Rave on Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 104203 12/19/1957 Look at me-1 Buddy Holly vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
(Results 1-25 of 138 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Holly, Buddy," accessed March 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/204633.

Holly, Buddy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/204633.

"Holly, Buddy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/204633

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