Results: Buddy Holly
Published on 02/03/2024
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 and inspired future generations. The change of spelling of Holley to Holly came about because of an error in a contract he was asked to sign, listing him as Buddy Holly. That spelling was then adopted for his professional career. His gravestone gives the correct spelling of his name which is Holley. He was born in Lubbock, Texas.
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Rave On (Sonny West/Bill Tilghman/Norman Petty). Released April 20, 1958. In February 1956, Buddy Holly and his bandmates Larry Welborn (upright bass) and Jerry Allison (drums) were signed to a recording contract with Decca Records. From that moment on, Buddy Holley became Buddy Holly, thanks to a misspelling in the signed contract. Are you familiar with any of the following?
A major moment in his early career was seeing Elvis Presley perform live. Seeing and eventually being an opening act for Elvis in 1955 prompted Holly to move from a more country-western sound to incorporate elements of rock and roll into his music.
16%
326 votes
Holly was unhappy with the recordings at Decca and wanted more control over the music production process. When his recording contract wasn't renewed with Decca in 1957, Holly and The Crickets began their association with independent producer Norman Petty who served as their manager, songwriting partner, publisher and owned their recordings at his studio in Clovis, New Mexico.
8%
175 votes
In 1957 Holly formed his own band called The Crickets (Niki Sullivan on second guitar and background vocals, Joe B. Mauldin on bass, and Jerry Allison on drums). This set up (two guitarists, one bassist, and one drummer) became the standard for rock acts that followed.
24%
494 votes
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239 votes
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59%
1230 votes
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Everyday (Buddy Holly/Norman Petty). Released September 20, 1957. They created a series of recordings that set them apart from other 1950's rock and roll artists. Norman Petty loved to experiment in the studio and The Crickets' records feature unusual microphone placement techniques, imaginative echo chamber effects, and overdubbing. Holly was among the first artists to use studio techniques such as double-tracking on his albums. Are you familiar with any of the following?
Royalty money was tied up in the account of his manager, Norman Petty. Holly convinced the Crickets that they needed to wash their hands of Petty and move permanently to New York, where they could get better representation.
8%
167 votes
Holly ended his association with Petty in December 1958. His band members kept Petty as their manager and split from Holly. The split was amicable and based on logistics Holly had decided to settle permanently in New York, where the business and publishing offices were.
11%
223 votes
Soon after disbanding the Crickets, Holly created a new band which featured Waylon Jennings on bass guitar (who would eventually become a country star in his own right), Carl Bunch on drums, and Tommy Allsup on guitar. Their first and only tour together was the Winter Dance Party tour, and the band only had the opportunity to perform a couple of times together.
9%
185 votes
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179 votes
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72%
1509 votes
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Words of Love (Buddy Holly). Released June 20, 1957. Mounting legal tensions between Holly and Petty left him little choice but to participate in the doomed "Winter Dance Party of 1959" tour through the frozen Midwest. The tour included Dion and the Belmonts, rising artist Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Frankie Sardo. The tour was to kickoff on on January 23, 1959 at George Devine's Ballroom in Milwaukee, zig-zag throughout the upper Midwest and end February 15 at the Illinois State Armory in Springfield, Illinois. Are you familiar with any of the following?
The tour began on January 23, 1959 in Milwaukee during one of the coldest winters on record. Temperatures dropped to minus 35 degrees. They traveled in an unheated bus that frequently broke down and had to be replaced. They were scheduled to perform every night for over three weeks in towns that were hundreds of miles apart. The long journeys between venues on board the cold, uncomfortable tour buses adversely affected the performers, with cases of flu and even frostbite.
14%
285 votes
Frustrated with broken down buses in subzero temperatures, Holly charted a private plane for Jennings, Allsup and himself on February 2 before their appearance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa to fly ahead and get some much-needed rest. Drummer Carl Bunch was hospitalized with frostbite.
12%
242 votes
The chartered bus fleet consisted of reconditioned school buses that were not equipped the for harsh Midwestern weather. According to most reports, as many as five replacement buses were used with broken heating systems and the need for constant repairs. There was no road crew, so the performers hauled their own equipment.
11%
221 votes
Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to the Big Bopper who had come down with the flu and was unable to rest on the broken bus. When he told Holly about the change, Holly scoffed and said, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Waylon Jennings retorted back, "Yeah? Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" It was a moment that Jennings would regret and carry for the rest of his life.
14%
290 votes
Ritchie Valens asked Tommy Allsup for his seat several times during the evening of the show. After the show Allsup had gone back in to make sure they hadn't left anything behind and Valens asked him again if he could fly. At that point Allsup took a coin from his pocket and said "call it". Valens called heads and won the seat. Allsup said he experienced survivors' guilt after the tragedy.
12%
258 votes
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218 votes
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61%
1272 votes
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It Doesn't Matter Anymore (Paul Anka). Released January 5, 1959. The flight took off at 12:55 a.m. on February 3 in bad weather and crashed into a cornfield about five minutes later killing all four on baord. The cause is believed to be a weather induced error on 21 year old pilot Roger Peterson's part. Ritchie Valens was 17, J.P. Richardson was 28 and Buddy Holly was 22 years old. Are you familiar with any of the following?
In 1986 Holly was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was honoured by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with a lifetime achievement award
11%
227 votes
In his brief career he recorded 25 hits including That'll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, True Love Ways, Oh Boy, Not Fade Away, Maybe Baby.
19%
400 votes
18 year old Paul Anka wrote It Doesn't Matter Anymore for Holly. He donated his royalties from the song to Holly's wife. He said: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore' has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow - it's the least I can do."
8%
172 votes
The Winter Dance Party tour did not stop. Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup continued performing for two more weeks with Jennings taking Holly's place as lead singer. The General Artists Corporation promised to pay for airline tickets to attend Holly's funeral in Lubbock in exchange for performing but the flights were never paid for and they were paid less than half of the original agreed salary.
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178 votes
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190 votes
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57%
1195 votes
Holly's wife Maria Elena Santiago learned of his death from reports on TV. She was pregnant at the time and suffered a miscarriage after hearing the news.
12%
242 votes
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