Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an
American musician and singer­songwriter who was a central figure of mid­1950s rock and roll
. Holly was born in
Lubbock, Texas
, to a musical family during the
Great Depression
; he learned to play guitar and to sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by country music and rhythm and blues acts, and he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school. He 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 & western to entirely rock and roll. In October that year, when he opened for
Bill Haley & His Comets
,
Holly was spotted by
Nashville
scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him gain a contract with
Decca
Records
.
Holly's recording sessions were produced by
Owen Bradley
. Holly was unhappy with Bradley's restrictions and the results of their work, and decided to visit producer
Norman Petty in
Clovis, New
Mexico
. Attracted by the success of the records produced by Petty, Holly traveled with his band to the studio where, among other songs, they recorded a demo of "
That'll Be the Day
". Petty became the band's manager and he sent the demo to
Brunswick Records
, who were impressed. The label decided to release the song without re­recording it. Because Holly's name was still linked to Decca,
Brunswick credited the single 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 "Best Sellers in Stores" chart and the
UK Singles Chart
. Its success was followed in October by the release of "
Peggy Sue
",
which reached number three in "Best Sellers in Stores" chart, number three on the rhythm and blues chart and number six on the UK Singles Chart. In November, the album
Chirping Crickets was released; it reached number five on the
UK Albums Chart
. By January 1958, Holly had appeared twice on
The Ed Sullivan Show
. Following his last performance, he embarked on a tour of Australia, which was followed in February by a tour of the UK.
During a visit to
New York City
, Holly met
Maria Elena Santiago
; the pair married and Holly moved to the city. The New York