Buddy Holly

 

            Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley on September 7, 1936 in Lubbock, Texas.   Holly was considered one of the founding fathers of rock ‘n roll.  He began his musical career by playing the piano and the violin.  Not long after he found his preference, the guitar.  Decca Records signed Holly as a solo act when a scout saw Holly and then partner Bob Montgomery perform as the opening act for Bill Haley and the Comets.  Decca  that Holly wasn’t ready yet so he returned to Texas and formed The Crickets.  Holly was the group’s guitarist and vocalist.  One of the songs the group recorded was called “That’ll be the Day”.  This song caught Decca’s attention once again and from then on the groups recordings were released by the Brunswick label, a subsidiary of Decca. 

Holly had a unique “excited” style of singing.  His songs with the group such as “Maybe Baby,” “Oh Boy!” and Holly’s solo “Peggy Sue” made him extremely popular among teenagers.

The Crickets were very successful not only in the United States but also abroad.  In 1958, Holly met Maria Elena Santiago.  Two weeks later they married and returned to Lubbock.  Holly felt that the Crickets were now in a position to produce their own music so Holly broke relations with the label.  The rest of the group didn’t agree with this so Holly left the band.  Soon after he and Maria moved to New York were he began to perform with a new group of musicians.  

In 1959 Holly began a tour with Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper,” J.P. Richardson.  The group would travel by bus to each location, after many mechanical problems with the buses Holly chartered a small plane after a concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.  He wanted to reach the next location with spare time to rest.  On February 3rd the plane left Mason City, Iowa.  Sadly the plane never made it to the next location.  It crashed only eight miles after takeoff.  Everyone on board was killed. 

Holly’s wife, who was pregnant at the time miscarried shortly after.  Years later she remarried and raised three children.  She now lives in Texas but tours the world promoting Holly’s work.

A quote from his official website states, ”Despite a rather short career on the charts, Holly's innovative style, as well as his enthusiastic and energetic performances, made him one of the most popular singers in music history.”

If you have never heard Holly’s music you have probably heard the Don McLean song American Pie.  The entire song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and a commentary on how rock and roll changed in the years since his death. McLean seems to be lamenting the lack of "danceable" music in rock and roll and (in part) attributing that lack to the absence of Buddy Holly et. al.

*American Pie lyrics and comments taken from: http://www.history-of-rock.com/american.htm

A long, long time ago...

I can still remember how That music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, That I could make those people dance, And maybe they'd be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver,

  • Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959, in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm.

With every paper I'd deliver,

Bad news on the doorstep... I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride

  • Holly's recent bride was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward.

But something touched me deep inside, The day the music died.

  • The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace.") Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959, became known as "The Day The Music Died."

So...

(Refrain) Bye bye Miss American Pie,

I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye Singing "This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die."

  • Driving the Chevy to the levee almost certainly refers to the three college students whose murder was the subject of the film 'Mississippi Burning.' The students were attempting to register as black voters, and after being killed by bigoted thugs their bodies were buried in a levee. Them good ol' boys being: Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper, They were singing about their death on February 3. One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die."

 

Links

The Official Site of Buddy Holly -

http://www.buddyholly.com/

 

History of Rock -

http://www.history-of-rock.com/american.htm