98-667: Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly , he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include " Walk Right Back ", a major hit in 1961 for the Everly Brothers ; " I Fought the Law ", notably covered by the Bobby Fuller Four and the Clash ; and " Love
196-516: A "pioneer and a revolutionary [...] a multidimensional talent [...] (who) co-wrote and performed (songs that) remain as fresh and potent today." In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Holly at number 74 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included Holly among its first class in 1986. On its entry, the Hall of Fame remarked upon the large quantity of material he produced during his short musical career, and said it "made
294-459: A Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1994 for her 1993 recording, Other Voices, Other Rooms . The album features Griffith covering the songs of artists who were her major influences. One of her better-known songs is " From a Distance ," which was written and composed by Julie Gold . Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success than Griffith herself with songs that she wrote or co-wrote. For example, Kathy Mattea had
392-526: A Whisper: Celebrating the Music of Nanci Griffith , was released by Rounder and Concord Records . The compilation featured covers of Griffith's songs by her friends and fans including Sarah Jarosz , John Prine , Kelsey Waldon , Billy Strings , Molly Tuttle , Emmylou Harris , Lyle Lovett , Kathy Mattea , Brandy Clark , Shawn Colvin , Ida Mae, Steve Earle , Aaron Lee Tasjan , Todd Snider , Iris DeMent , Mary Gauthier , and The War and Treaty . Love at
490-495: 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
588-576: A country music top five hit with a 1986 cover of Griffith's " Love at the Five and Dime " and Suzy Bogguss had one of her largest hits with Griffith (and Tom Russell )'s " Outbound Plane ". In 1994, Griffith teamed with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization . She survived breast cancer which
686-453: A demo of " That'll Be the Day ", a song they had previously recorded in Nashville. In June 1956, Holly along with his older brother Larry as well as Allison and Sonny Curtis had gone to see the film The Searchers , starring John Wayne , in which Wayne repeatedly used the phrase "That'll be the day". This line of dialogue inspired the young musicians. Now playing lead guitar, Holly achieved
784-779: A demo of one of his last songs "Peggy Sue Got Married"—about Gerron and Allison's marriage. Holly's singing style was characterized by his vocal hiccups , a technique he acquired after hearing Elvis do it in 1955 on the Hayride show, and his alternation between his regular voice and falsetto . Holly's "stuttering vocals" were complemented by his percussive guitar playing , solos, stops , bent notes , and rhythm and blues chord progressions . He often strummed downstrokes that were accompanied by Allison's percussion. Holly bought his first Fender Stratocaster , which became his signature guitar, at Harrod Music in Lubbock. His innovative playing style
882-468: A demo tape, which Denny forwarded to Paul Cohen , who signed the band to Decca Records in February 1956. In the contract, Decca misspelled Holly's surname as "Holly", and from then on he was known as Buddy Holly, instead of his real name Holley. On January 26, 1956, Holly attended his first formal recording session, which was produced by Owen Bradley . He attended two more sessions in Nashville, but with
980-468: A guitar he had bought from a shipmate while serving in the Pacific. At age 11, at his mother's urging, Buddy took piano lessons but abandoned them after nine months. He switched to the guitar after he saw a classmate playing and singing on the school bus. Buddy's parents initially bought him a steel guitar , but he insisted that he wanted a guitar like his brother's. His parents bought him an acoustic guitar from
1078-494: A local coffeehouse. When she was a teenager her father took her to see Townes Van Zandt . At 14, she performed her first professional gig at the Red Lion Cabaret in downtown Austin. Her debut album, There’s a Light Beyond These Woods , was released in 1978; the cover was designed by her father. Griffith's career spanned a variety of musical genres, predominantly country , folk , and what she termed "folkabilly." She won
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#17330847410451176-550: A local pawnshop, and he learned how to play it from Travis. During his early childhood, Holly was influenced by the music of Hank Williams , Jimmie Rodgers , Moon Mullican , Bill Monroe , Hank Snow , Bob Wills , and the Carter Family . At Roscoe Wilson Elementary, Holly became friends with Bob Montgomery , and the two played together, practicing with songs by The Louvin Brothers and Johnnie & Jack . They both listened to
1274-610: 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 ; he is also said to have "pioneered and popularized the now-standard" use of two guitars, bass, and drums by rock bands. The Songwriters Hall of Fame also inducted Holly in 1986, and said his contributions "changed the face of Rock 'n' Roll." Holly developed in collaboration with Petty techniques of overdubbing and reverb , while he used innovative instrumentation later implemented by other artists. Holly became "one of
1372-512: A museum of Holly memorabilia and fine arts gallery. The center is located on Crickets Avenue, one street east of Buddy Holly Avenue, in a building that previously housed the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot. In 2010, the statue was taken down for refurbishment, and construction of a new Walk of Fame began. In 1997, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Holly
1470-426: A recording contract with both labels. Norman Petty reasoned correctly that disc jockeys would be reluctant to play and promote multiple new records by the same artist, but would have no problem playing these same records if they were credited to different performers. Holly himself was unaware of this strategy; in a 1957 radio interview with Dale Lowery, Holly said, "We have three records going out right now. Of course,
1568-770: A segment entitled "White Pants", where Nanci Griffith wore white pants at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee , along with Buddy Mondlock, Barry "Byrd" Burton, and Robert Earl Keen . In 1994, Griffith won a Grammy Award for the album Other Voices, Other Rooms . Griffith toured with various other artists including Buddy Holly 's band, the Crickets ; John Prine , Iris DeMent , Suzy Bogguss , Judy Collins , and The Everly Brothers . Griffith recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris , Mary Black , Prine , Don McLean , Jimmy Buffett , Dolores Keane , Willie Nelson , Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows ),
1666-588: A session 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 were recorded; Petty later dubbed the material in Clovis. The resulting album, The "Chirping" Crickets , was released on November 27, 1957. It reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. In October, Brunswick released
1764-460: A shared honeymoon in Acapulco , Mexico. Holly's own marriage to Santiago was distant and tense, and the couple were supposedly headed for divorce. In late 1958, Holly had also encouraged Gerron to divorce Allison over his drunkenly behavior, but she declined. The act of divorce went against her Catholic beliefs (however, Gerron eventually did divorce Allison in 1965). In December 1958, Holly recorded
1862-535: A special committee, to make amends for the Crickets having been rebuffed and not included with Buddy Holly when Holly was first inducted in 1986. Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly , was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll . He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas , during
1960-469: Is All Around ," the theme song for The Mary Tyler Moore Show . Curtis was born in Meadow, Texas , United States. As a guitarist, he played on some of Buddy Holly's earlier 1956 Decca sessions, including the minor hit "Blue Days Black Nights" and a song he wrote, "Rock Around With Ollie Vee". In 1955 and 1956 he, along with Buddy Holly, opened concerts for rising new star Elvis Presley . Although he had gone on
2058-732: The 2008 Universal fire . This is disputed by Chad Kassem of Analogue Productions , who claims to have used the master tapes of Holly's first two albums in Analogue Productions reissues of these albums on LP and SACD in 2017. John Lennon and Paul McCartney saw Holly for the first time when he appeared on Sunday Night at the London Palladium . The two had recently met and begun their musical association. They studied Holly's records, learned his performance style and lyricism, and based their act around his persona. Inspired by Holly's insect-themed Crickets, they chose to name their band "
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#17330847410452156-662: The Big Show with Paul Anka , Jerry Lee Lewis and Jodie Sands . In March, the band toured the United Kingdom, playing 50 shows in 25 days. 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 41 dates. In April, Decca released That'll Be the Day , featuring the songs recorded with Bradley during his early Nashville sessions. A new recording session in Clovis
2254-462: The Great Depression , and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his two siblings. Holly's style was country and western music 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 as part of
2352-744: The Lifetime Achievement Award . He was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. 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. On what would have been his 75th birthday, a star bearing Holly's name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Groundbreaking was held on April 20, 2017, for
2450-879: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band , the Hoodoo Rhythm Devils, Green Day , the Ramones , the Grateful Dead , Stray Cats , Mary's Danish , Mano Negra , the Big Dirty Band , Lolita No.18 , the Brian Jonestown Massacre , Attaque 77 , Die Toten Hosen , Status Quo , Nanci Griffith , and the Men They Couldn't Hang . For the 2003 film, Intermission , Colin Farrell recorded a version of the song, singing it in
2548-720: The Paramount Theatre in Austin. Griffith called her backing band the Blue Moon Orchestra. With regard to the chosen stage name, she wrote: During the Christmas holidays of 1986 I organized a band of musicians to work this road of touring and to pass effortlessly through mine fields of studio sessions. They chose their name, the Blue Moon Orchestra, from my third album, Once In A Very Blue Moon . Some of them I had recorded and toured with prior to 1986: and some simply wandered into
2646-643: The Ray Charles Singers and studio musicians in an attempt to simulate the established Crickets sound. The finished tracks became the first posthumous Holly single, " Peggy Sue Got Married "/" Crying, Waiting, Hoping ." The new release was successful enough to warrant an album drawing upon the other Holly demos, using the same studio personnel, in January 1960. All six songs were included in The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2 (1960). The demand for Holly records
2744-485: 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. Charles Hardin Holley (spelled "-ey") was born in Lubbock, Texas , on September 7, 1936, the youngest of four children of Lawrence Odell "L.O." Holley (1901–1985) and Ella Pauline Drake (1902–1990). His elder siblings were Larry (1925–2022), Travis (1927–2016), and Patricia Lou (1929–2008). Holly
2842-567: The Sunday Party show on KDAV in 1953 and performed live gigs in Lubbock. At that time, Holly was influenced by late-night radio stations that played blues and rhythm and blues (R&B). He would sit in his car with Curtis and tune to distant radio stations that could only be received at night, when local transmissions ceased. Holly then modified his music by blending his earlier country and western influence with R&B. We do know it wasn't until Holly saw Elvis in Lubbock that led him to follow
2940-715: 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 mid-western US. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa , Holly chartered an airplane to travel to his next show in Moorhead, Minnesota . Soon after takeoff,
3038-600: The Village Gate , Blue Note, Village Vanguard , and Johnny Johnson's. Santiago later said that Holly was keen to learn fingerstyle flamenco guitar and that he would often visit her aunt's home to play the piano there. Holly planned collaborations between soul singers and rock and roll. He wanted to make an album with Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson . Holly also had ambitions to work in film and registered for acting classes with Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio . Santiago accompanied Holly on tours. To hide her marriage to Holly, she
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3136-689: The World Folk Music Association in 1995. In 2008, the Americana Music Association awarded her its Lifetime Americana Trailblazer Award. Lyle Lovett , who contributed backing vocals to her third album, Once in a Very Blue Moon , had won it before her. In 2010, Griffith received a Lifetime Achievement Award at BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards . Griffith was posthumously inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association's Hall of Fame in February 2022 at
3234-541: The 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations. After several months of limited touring in 2011, Griffith's bandmates the Kennedys ( Pete & Maura Kennedy ) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and moved it to Nashville installing it in Griffith's home. There with her backing group including
3332-622: The Beatles ". Lennon and McCartney later cited Holly as one of their main influences. Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She often appeared on the PBS music program Austin City Limits starting in 1985 during Season 10. In 1990, Griffith appeared on the Channel 4 programme Town & Country with John Prine in
3430-539: The Blue Moon Orchestra through this revolving open door of the road. The title selection of the Once in a Very Blue Moon album reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1986. In 1986, Griffith showcased tracks from her Lone Star State of Mind album on The Nashville Network TV show, New Country . Griffith's high school boyfriend, John, died in a motorcycle accident after taking her to
3528-616: The Chieftains , John Stewart , and Darius Rucker . Griffith referred to her backing band as the Blue Moon Orchestra. Griffith, the youngest of three siblings, was born in Seguin, Texas and grew up in Austin , where her family moved shortly after her birth. Her mother Ruelene was a real estate agent and amateur actress; her father, Marlin Griffith, was a graphic artist and barbershop quartet singer. Griffith began her music career at age 12, singing in
3626-454: The Crickets was finally released, including the original versions of two of Curtis's best known compositions, " I Fought the Law " and " More Than I Can Say " (co-written with Allison and a UK #4 hit by Bobby Vee and a US #2 hit by Leo Sayer ). Along with Allison, he participated in Eddie Cochran 's last recording sessions, including the song " Three Steps to Heaven ." In 1964, he released
3724-476: The Crickets performed "Peggy Sue" on The Arthur Murray Party . On January 8, 1958, Holly and the Crickets joined America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars tour. On January 25, Holly recorded " Rave On "; the next day, he made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show , singing "Oh, Boy!" Holly departed to perform in Honolulu , Hawaii, on January 27, and then started a week-long tour of Australia billed as
3822-564: The Crickets' drummer, Jerry Allison , who was then playing with the Everly Brothers , in Los Angeles. Curtis played him the song " Walk Right Back ", which Allison had him immediately take to the Everlys; they recorded the song that weekend and were later rewarded with a Billboard top 10 hit. The song was also a hit in 1978 for Anne Murray . In late 1960, the Crickets' album In Style with
3920-631: The Crickets. Holly appeared on American Bandstand , hosted by Dick Clark on ABC , on August 26. Before leaving New York, the band befriended The Everly Brothers . "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart on September 23 and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November. Three days prior, Coral released " Peggy Sue ", backed with " Everyday ", with Holly credited as
4018-448: The Crickets. His song "The Real Buddy Holly Story" was written in response to the inaccuracies in the movie The Buddy Holly Story . "I Fought the Law" was later covered in the studio or in concert by many artists, including The Bobby Fuller Four , the Clash , Dead Kennedys , Bryan Adams , John Cougar Mellencamp , Bruce Springsteen , Roy Orbison , Tom Petty , Social Distortion , Mike Ness , Hank Williams Jr. , Waylon Jennings ,
Sonny Curtis - Misplaced Pages Continue
4116-698: 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 advised Holly to replace his old-fashioned glasses with horn-rimmed glasses , which had been popularized by Steve Allen . Holly bought a pair of glasses made in Mexico from Lubbock optometrist Dr. J. Davis Armistead. Teenagers in the United States started to request this style of glasses, which were later popularly known as "Buddy Holly glasses." While Holly's other belongings were recovered immediately following his fatal plane crash, there
4214-473: The Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith by author Brian T. Atkinson was released through Texas A&M University Press on September 4, 2024. According to the author's website, Love at the Five and Dime includes forewords by the Indigo Girls, Lovett, Mattea, and more than 130 interviews with songwriter friends such as Earle, Rodney Crowell , Don McLean , and followers like Elizabeth Cook ,
4312-589: The Kennedys and Pat McInerney, she co-produced her album Intersection over the summer. The album included several new original songs and was released in April 2012 on Proper Records . Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms . She was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 1995. Griffith was awarded the Kate Wolf Memorial Award by
4410-465: The Louisiana Hayride's habit of seeking out local bands to add to the show, Holly decided to pursue a career in music. Subsequently, he played with Presley three times that year and 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
4508-480: The Morning ." During a visit to the offices of Peer-Southern , Holly met María Elena Santiago . He asked her out on their first meeting and proposed marriage to her on their first date. The wedding took place on August 15. Norman Petty had tried to dissuade Holly from marriage; he felt that it would disappoint Holly's public and damage his career. Holly and Santiago frequented many of New York's music venues, including
4606-717: The Presley example. By 1955, after graduating from Lubbock High School , Holly decided to pursue a full-time career in music. He was further encouraged after seeing Elvis Presley perform live in Lubbock, whose act was booked by Pappy Dave Stone of KDAV. In February, Holly opened for Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum, in April at the Cotton Club, and again in June at the Coliseum. By that time, Holly had incorporated into his band Larry Welborn on
4704-491: The Sonny Curtis songs "I Like Your Music" and "You Made My Life a Song" on her 1972 LP Annie . In 1991, Sonny Curtis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame . In 2007, Curtis was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee , as a member of the Crickets. In 2012, Curtis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Crickets (along with Allison, bassist Joe B. Mauldin, and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan) by
4802-712: The Three Tunes. The label later released Holly's second single "Modern Don Juan", backed with "You Are My One Desire". Neither single made an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, but insisted he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years. Holly was unhappy with the results of his time with Decca, and inspired by the success of Buddy Knox 's " Party Doll " and Jimmy Bowen 's " I'm Stickin' with You ", he visited Norman Petty , who had 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
4900-434: The band members flew to Lubbock to visit their families. Holly's high school girlfriend, Echo McGuire, had left him for a fellow student. Aside from McGuire, Holly had a relationship with Lubbock fan June Clark. After Clark ended their relationship, Holly realized the importance of his relationship with McGuire and considered his relationship with Clark a temporary one. Meanwhile, for their return to recording, Petty arranged
4998-420: The band was never credited on records as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets" until 1962, when a compilation album was released. "That'll Be the Day" was released on July 27, 1957. Petty booked Holly and the Crickets for a tour with Irvin Feld , who had noticed the band after "That'll Be the Day" appeared on the R&B chart. He booked them for appearances in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York City. The band
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#17330847410455096-486: The band's manager and sent the demo to Brunswick Records , which released it as a single credited to The Crickets , a name chosen by the band to subvert Decca's contract limitations. It 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
5194-488: The construction of a new performing arts center in Lubbock, the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences , a downtown $ 153 million project expected to be completed in 2020. Thus far, the private group, the Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association, has raised or received pledges in the amount of $ 93 million to underwrite the project. According to a June 2019 article in The New York Times Magazine , "virtually all" of Holly's masters were lost in
5292-590: The county moved courthouses. The glasses frames were returned to Santiago a year later, after a legal contest over them with his parents. They are now on display at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, Texas. Buddy Holly left behind dozens of unfinished recordings — solo transcriptions of his new compositions, informal jam sessions with bandmates, and tapes demonstrating songs intended for other artists. The last known recordings, made in Holly's apartment in late 1958, were his last six original songs. In June 1959, Coral Records overdubbed two of them with backing vocals by
5390-442: The crash while the others were found in or near the wreckage. However, an autopsy done at the request of Richardson's son in 2007 found no evidence to support the rumors. Dr. Bill Bass, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, stated that "There was no indication of foul play," and that Richardson "died immediately." Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. The service
5488-430: The days prior to a meeting scheduled at the headquarters of the General Artists Corporation , which organized the tour. They then traveled by train to Chicago to join the rest of the band. The Winter Dance Party tour began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , on January 23, 1959. The amount of travel involved created logistical problems, as the distance between venues had not been considered when scheduling performances. Adding to
5586-502: The demo, the label's executives released it without recording a new version. "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" was the B-side; the single was credited to The Crickets . Petty and Holly later learned that Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca, which legally cleared future recordings under the name Buddy Holly. Recordings credited to the Crickets would be released on Brunswick, while the recordings under Holly's name were released on another subsidiary label, Coral Records . Holly concurrently held
5684-560: The direction of Dick Jacobs . The four songs recorded during the 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -hour session were: These four songs were the only ones Coral ever mixed in stereo, but only "Raining in My Heart" was released that way (in 1959, on an obscure promotional LP titled Hitsville ). All four records otherwise received releases in mono. The original stereo mixes were consulted many years later for compilation albums. Holly ended his association with Petty in December 1958. His band members kept Petty as their manager and split from Holly. The split
5782-412: The family members except L.O. were able to play an instrument or sing. The elder Holley brothers performed in local talent shows; on one occasion, Buddy joined them on violin. Since he could not play it, his brother Larry greased the bow so it would not make any sound. The brothers won the contest. During World War II, Larry and Travis were called to military service. Upon his return, Larry brought with him
5880-411: The first one was 'That'll Be the Day', the first one released. Then we have a new one out by The Crickets, called 'Oh Boy!' and 'Not Fade Away', and then there's one out, it's the same group but it's under my name -- I don't know why they did it that way, but it went out under my name -- called 'Peggy Sue' and 'Everyday'." Holly's records were released with labels reading "Buddy Holly" or "The Crickets";
5978-402: The first time I've ever won anything in my life." Allsup later opened a restaurant/bar in Fort Worth, Texas , called Heads Up Saloon. Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper) , who had influenza and complained that the tour bus was too cold and uncomfortable for a man of his size. The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, even though he
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#17330847410456076-434: The fuselage upon impact, sustained severe head and chest injuries. Holly was 22 years old. The report did not mention a gun belonging to Holly that was found by a farmer two months after the crash. Newspaper accounts of the gun discovery fueled rumors among fans that the pilot was somehow shot, causing the crash. Another curious finding at the crash was that Richardson's body was discovered nearly 40 feet (12 metres) away from
6174-491: The guise of his character in the film. Later, Curtis wrote the theme song of The Mary Tyler Moore Show , " Love Is All Around ", which he also recorded for the show. Curtis also co-wrote the 1989 Country Song of the Year, " I'm No Stranger to the Rain ", recorded by Keith Whitley . Other songs he has written include "The Straight Life" (recorded by Glen Campbell , and later by Bobby Goldsboro ) and " A Fool Never Learns " (recorded by Andy Williams ). Anne Murray also recorded
6272-435: The most influential pioneers of rock and roll" who had a "lasting influence" on genre performers of the 1960s. 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
6370-411: The performer. By October, "Peggy Sue" had reached number three on Billboard ' s pop chart and number two on the R&B chart; 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" (although never on records during Holly's lifetime). In the last week of September,
6468-478: The plane crashed, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens , The Big Bopper , and pilot Roger Peterson in a crash 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. This was unfounded considering he first saw Elvis with this lineup in Lubbock in 1955 when Holly
6566-408: The plane moves, it works just backwards. He [the pilot] could have been reading this backwards... they were going down, they thought they were still climbing." Shortly after 1:00 a.m. on February 3, 1959, Holly, Valens, Richardson, and Peterson were killed when the aircraft crashed into a cornfield five miles northwest of Clear Lake shortly after takeoff. The three musicians, who were ejected from
6664-471: The problem, the unheated tour buses twice broke down in freezing weather, with dire consequences. Holly's drummer, Carl Bunch, was hospitalized for frostbite to his toes (sustained while aboard the bus), so Holly decided to seek other transportation. On February 2, before their appearance in Clear Lake, Iowa , Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane for Jennings, Allsup, and himself, from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa . Holly's idea
6762-419: The producer selecting the session musicians and arrangements, Holly became increasingly frustrated by his lack of creative control. In April 1956, Decca released " Blue Days, Black Nights " as a single, with "Love Me" on the B-side. 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
6860-420: The radio in Lubbock, Texas, screamed and collapsed. Because of Elena's miscarriage, in the months following the accident, some government authorities implemented a policy against announcing victims' names until after families are informed. Santiago 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
6958-472: The radio programs Grand Ole Opry on WSM , Louisiana Hayride on KWKH , and Big D Jamboree . At the same time, Holly played with other musicians he met in high school, including Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison . In 1952 Holly and Jack Neal participated as a duo billed as Buddy and Jack in a talent contest on a local television show. After Neal left, he was replaced by Bob Montgomery, and they were billed as Buddy and Bob. They soon started performing on
7056-442: The recommendation of the Everly Brothers, Holly hired lawyer Harold Orenstein to negotiate his royalties. The problems with Petty were triggered after he was unable to pay Holly. At the time, New York promoter Manny Greenfield reclaimed a large part of Holly's earnings; Greenfield had booked Holly for shows during previous tours. The two had a verbal agreement; Greenfield would obtain 5% of the booking earnings. Greenfield later felt he
7154-413: The road with other musicians by the time Buddy Holly put together the Crickets in 1957, Curtis joined the Crickets in late 1958, shortly before Holly's death in 1959, and soon took over the lead vocalist role in addition to lead guitar. The Crickets' post-Holly recordings were put on hold after Holly's death, and Curtis was drafted in late 1959. During basic training, he was given a three-day pass and met
7252-540: The second single by the Crickets, " Oh, Boy! ", with " Not Fade Away " on the B-side. The single reached number 10 on the pop chart and 13 on the R&;B chart. 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 because he was tired of the intensive touring, and wished to resume his education. On December 29, Holly and
7350-422: The senior prom. He inspired many of her later songs. She was married to singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 to 1982. In the early 1990s, she was engaged to singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel . Griffith died in Nashville on August 13, 2021, at the age of 68. The exact cause of death was not reported but her management company attributed it to natural causes. On September 22, 2023, a tribute album, More than
7448-778: The session, he ventured into producing by recording Lubbock DJ Waylon Jennings . Holly produced the single "Jole Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)" for Jennings. Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music, recording, and publishing scene. Holly and Santiago settled in Apartment 4H of the Brevoort Apartments, at 11 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village , where he recorded a series of acoustic songs, including " Crying, Waiting, Hoping " and "What to Do." The inspiration to record
7546-452: The single "A Beatle I Want to Be". He has continued to record and perform intermittently as part of the band over six decades, most recently in their album The Crickets and their Buddies (2004), where they reprised most of their hits with help from many noted fellow musicians. Curtis did leave the Crickets several times to pursue his solo career, but even during those periods made occasional guest appearances, in performance and on record, with
7644-584: The songs is sometimes attributed to the ending of his relationship with McGuire. On October 21, 1958, Holly's final studio session was recorded at the Pythian Temple on West 70th Street (now a luxury condominium). Known by Holly fans as "the string sessions", Holly recorded four songs for Coral in an innovative collaboration with an 18-piece ensemble composed of former members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (including saxophonist Boomie Richman ) under
7742-436: The sound he desired. Petty became his manager and sent the record to Brunswick Records in New York City. Holly, still under contract with Decca, could not release the record under his name, so a band name was used; Allison proposed the name "Crickets." Brunswick gave Holly a basic agreement to release "That'll Be the Day", leaving him with both artistic control and financial responsibility for future recordings. Impressed with
7840-420: The stand-up bass and Allison on drums, as his style shifted from country and western to rock and roll due to seeing Presley's performances and hearing his music. 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 persuaded Grand Ole Opry manager Jim Denny to seek a recording contract for Holley. Stone sent
7938-406: The still-touring Winter Dance Party. Holly's body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery, in the eastern part of the city. Holly's headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar. Santiago watched the first reports of Holly's death on television. The following day, she suffered a miscarriage. Holly's mother, who heard the news on
8036-403: Was also acting as Holly's manager and deserved a higher payment, which Holly refused. Greenfield then sued Holly. Under New York law, because Holly's royalties originated in New York and were directed out of the state, the payments were frozen until the dispute was settled. In September, Holly returned to Clovis for a new recording session, which yielded "Reminiscing" and "Come Back Baby." During
8134-716: Was amicable and based on logistics: Holly had decided to settle permanently in New York, where the business and publishing offices were, and the Crickets preferred not to leave their home state. Holly vacationed with his wife in Lubbock and visited Jennings's radio station in December 1958. For the start of the Winter Dance Party tour, he assembled a band consisting of Waylon Jennings (electric bass), Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums). Holly and Jennings left for New York City, arriving on January 15, 1959. Jennings stayed at Holly's apartment by Washington Square Park on
8232-458: Was arranged in May; Holly hired Tommy Allsup to play lead guitar. The session produced the recordings of " It's So Easy " and " Heartbeat ." Holly was impressed by Allsup and invited him to join the Crickets. In June, Holly traveled alone to New York for a solo recording session. Without the Crickets, he chose to be backed by a jazz and R&B band, recording "Now We're One" and Bobby Darin 's " Early in
8330-452: Was booked to play at New York's Apollo Theater on August 16–22. During the opening performances, the group did not impress the audience, but they were accepted after they included " Bo Diddley ." By the end of their run at the Apollo, "That'll Be the Day" was climbing the charts. Encouraged by the single's success, Petty started to prepare two album releases; a solo album for Holly and another for
8428-504: Was characterized by its blending of chunky rhythm and high string lead work. Holly played his first 1954 Stratocaster 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 four or five Stratocasters during his career. At the beginning of their music careers, Holly and his group wore business suits. When they met
8526-526: Was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998. Christine Lavin , a singer and songwriter, remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform: I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good. Griffith contributed background vocals on many other recordings. Griffith suffered from severe writer's block after 2004, lasting until
8624-569: Was no record of his signature glasses being found. They were presumed lost until, in March 1980, they were discovered in a Cerro Gordo County courthouse storage area by Sheriff Gerald Allen. They had been found in the spring of 1959, after the snow had melted, and had been given to the sheriff's office. They were placed in an envelope dated April 7, 1959, along with the Big Bopper's watch, a lighter, two pairs of dice and part of another watch, and misplaced when
8722-480: Was not certified to fly by instruments only . Buddy's brother Larry Holley said, "I got the full report from the Civil Aeronautics – it took me a year to get it, but I got it – and they had installed a new Sperry gyroscope in the airplane. The Sperry works different than any other gyro. One of them, the background moves and the plane stays like this [stationary], and in the other one the background stays steady and
8820-590: Was of mostly English and Welsh descent and had small amounts of Native American ancestry as well. From early childhood, Holly was nicknamed "Buddy." During the Great Depression, the Holleys frequently moved residence within Lubbock; L.O. changed jobs several times. Buddy Holly was baptized a Baptist, and the family were members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The Holleys had an interest in music; all
8918-475: 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, and Sonny Curtis . Some sources say that Phil Everly, one half of The Everly Brothers , was also pallbearer, but Everly said that he attended the funeral but was not a pallbearer. Waylon Jennings was unable to attend because of his commitment to
9016-426: Was pregnant with their first child, but suffered a miscarriage immediately after Holly's death. They had only been married for six months. Peggy Sue Gerron was the inspiration behind Holly's hit song "Peggy Sue". Holly and Gerron had a flirtatious relationship, and Gerron had known Holly since her schooldays when she was dating drummer Jerry Allison. Gerron married Allison on July 22, 1958. The two newlywed couples had
9114-646: Was presented as the Crickets' secretary. She took care of the laundry and equipment set-up and collected the concert revenues. Santiago kept the money for the band instead of its habitual transfer to Petty in New Mexico. She and her aunt Provi Garcia, an executive in the Latin American music department at Peer-Southern, convinced Holly 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
9212-409: Was released in 1969; the single chosen from the album was " Love Is Strange ." Encyclopædia Britannica stated that Holly "produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music." AllMusic defined him as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." Rolling Stone ranked him number 13 on its list of "100 Greatest Artists." The Telegraph called him
9310-502: Was so great (although none saw much chart success on the US billboards), and Holly had recorded so prolifically, that his record label was able to release new Holly albums and singles for the next 10 years. Norman Petty produced most of these new editions, drawing upon unreleased studio masters, alternate takes, audition tapes, and even amateur recordings (some dating back to 1954 with low-fidelity vocals). The final "new" Buddy Holly album, Giant ,
9408-408: Was strictly a country music band. Holly was a major influence on later popular music artists, including Bob Dylan , The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , Eric Clapton , Brian May , Cliff Richard , The Hollies , Elvis Costello , Jeff Beck , Dave Edmunds , Fiona Apple , Lou Reed , Marshall Crenshaw , Freddie Mercury , The Pixies and Elton John . Holly was among the first artists inducted into
9506-547: Was to depart following the show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake and fly to their next venue, in Moorhead, Minnesota , via Fargo, North Dakota , allowing them time to rest and launder their clothes and avoid an arduous bus journey. Immediately after the Clear Lake show (which ended just before midnight), Allsup agreed to flip a coin for the seat with Ritchie Valens . Valens called heads; when he won, he reportedly said, "That's
9604-433: 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." Holly married María Elena Santiago , a New York record company receptionist, on August 15, 1958, at Tabernacle Baptist Church in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas. In 1959, Santiago
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