Our Buddy

“He made a huge impact on a whole generation of people who would become British rock ‘n’ roll musicians, most notably The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, who both credit him with giving them the idea of being in a rock band,” Roger Landes said.

Buddy Holly. Photo courtesy of biography.com.

Buddy Holly. Photo courtesy of biography.com.

Landes, who teaches the history of rock and roll course at Texas Tech University, said Lubbock native Buddy Holly only visited Britain once but made a lasting impression. Holly not only inspired the young Brits to start a band but also how to play in it.

“That two guitar combination, after Buddy, became the standard for rock and roll bands,” Landes said. “They listened very carefully to Buddy.”

Born Charles Hardin Holley on Sept. 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Holly was a natural musician. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website, Holly learned how to play fiddle, piano and guitar at a young age.

By the time he graduated from Lubbock High School, Holly already formed his first country-western band. Landes told a story about Holly during his senior year, when he saw Elvis Presley perform. Landes said after seeing the way girls reacted to the relatively unknown Presley, Holly decided to change his focus toward rock ‘n’ roll. Little did he know, Holly would soon be touring with Presley.

This is the earliest known footage of Holly, Presley and Johnny Cash —  filmed partly in Lubbock in 1955.

In February 1957, Holly recorded his first No. 1 single with his new band, The Crickets. “That’ll Be The Day” would become a rock ‘n’ roll staple of that year. Landes said Holly and his Clovis, New Mexico, producer, Norman Petty, may have had a rocky business relationship, but their partnership ultimately could have changed the music industry forever.

“One of the really compelling ‘What if?’ questions is, and I usually mention this to people who complain about — for various reasons —  about Norman Petty and his relationship with Buddy,” Landes said,” well if that’s true, then why were he and Buddy Holly planning to build a recording studio and found a record label together, and Buddy was going to start producing?”

The headline in the evening edition of the Lubbock Journal on Feb. 3, 1959.

The headline in the evening edition of the Lubbock Journal on Feb. 3, 1959.

Because of Holly’s death at such a young age, many ‘What if?’ questions still linger about what he could have become.

While on the Winter Dance Party midwest tour, Holly and two other rising musicians, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, were involved in a plane crash in Iowa. There were no survivors. Because of the loss of talent, Feb. 3, 1959, has become known as “The Day The Music Died.”

According to Vassandra Okoruwa, marketing and event coordinator at the Buddy Holly Center, classes at Lubbock High School were cancelled when the news about Holly’s death broke in his hometown.

Buddy Holly and The Crickets performing in 1958.

Buddy Holly and The Crickets performing in 1958.

“Have you ever heard someone say, ‘Where were you when JFK died?’ or ‘Where were you Sept. 11?’ Well, they know the day the music died. They know when they heard about the plane crash,” Okoruwa said. “They always tell us how the schools shut down.”

Landes said Holly’s music continued to play in the United States for a while after his death, but his presence in the United Kingdom lasted for much longer. When The Beatles came to the United States five years after Holly’s death, Holly’s era of music was over.

“He was really just getting started. You know, his career didn’t even last two years, less than two years,” Landes said. “If he had survived, I think we would recognize — I think it would be obvious to us — that he was really the first rock and roller of the 1960s.”

Popular culture would not forget about Holly. Many musicians have paid tribute to Holly. Most notably is Don McLean’s “American Pie,” which is about the fateful day the music died. Another famous example includes alternative band Weezer’s hit, “Buddy Holly.” There is also an Oscar-winning movie depicting Holly’s life called “The Buddy Holly Story,” starring Gary Busey.

Holly also left his mark on the fashion industry. His signature eyeglasses are still referred to as “Buddy Holly glasses” and are making a big comeback in fashion.

Buddy Holly's actual glasses retrieved from the plane crash. Photo courtesy of buddyhollyandthecrickets.com

Buddy Holly’s actual glasses retrieved from the plane crash. Photo courtesy of buddyhollyandthecrickets.com

“His glasses were real! I love that,” Okoruwa said. “A lot of people thought a lot of artists were wearing them for show. His glasses were prescription glasses; they were real. He did try to wear contact lenses, but they just irritated his eyes. I just thought it was really cool that those iconic glasses that he had were real.”

For more information on Buddy Holly, visit the Buddy Holly Center or enroll in a future session of Landes’s MUHL 2310: History of Rock and Roll course.

About Sarah Self-Walbrick

Graduate Executive Director — Mass Communication Graduate Student, Class of 2017
Sarah, a Lubbock native, has two bachelor of art degrees in electronic media and communication and journalism, and is pursuing a master's in mass communications. She loves Texas, her husband and dog, and good storytelling.