Buddy Holly
Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holley was born in Lubbock on September 7, 1936, to Ella Pauline (Drake) and Lawrence Odell “L.O.” Holley. The youngest of four children, Buddy grew up in a musical household, with his mother and siblings singing and playing instruments. Buddy showed musical aptitude, taking violin, piano and steel guitar lessons. He took up the acoustic guitar after his brother, Travis, bought a $15 harmony model. Buddy, with other young Lubbock “pickers,” formed several country groups. In 1955, he saw Elvis Presley in concert and was impressed by Presley’s rhythm and performance style. Buddy and his friends were opening for big country acts at the Fair Park Coliseum when Eddie Crandall, an agent and manager, saw a performance and helped Buddy broker a Decca Recording Contract. Buddy’s last name was misspelled on the contract: “Holley” became “Holly.” Buddy’s relationship with Decca was short-lived as his early recording sessions failed to produce a hit. In 1957, Buddy and his new band, The Crickets, began working with producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico. On February 25, 1957, they recorded “That’ll Be the Day,” the first of several hits on the Brunswick Label. Their success led the band to tour widely in the United States and Canada. In 1958, Buddy Holly and The Crickets toured England. The group had a profound influence on Rock and Roll in England — from their sound to Buddy’s distinct look. On February 3, 1959, during a three-week tour of the Midwestern United States, Buddy’s chartered plane crashed after takeoff due to bad weather. There were no survivors. Buddy Holly was 22 years old.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley was born in Lubbock in 1936 into a musical family and grew up playing guitar with local country "pickers." After seeing Elvis Presley in 1955, he fused country and rhythm into a new sound; recording "That'll Be the Day" with The Crickets in 1957 launched a string of hits and a 1958 tour of England that shaped British rock. His career was cut short on February 3, 1959, when his chartered plane crashed after takeoff; he was 22.
Why it matters
In barely two years Buddy Holly helped invent rock and roll's template — the self-writing, guitar-driven band — leaving a Lubbock-born legacy that echoed through the Beatles and everything after.
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Related people
- · Buddy Holly
- · The Crickets
- · Norman Petty
- · Elvis Presley
Related events
- · Day the Music Died (1959 plane crash)
Themes & tags
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