Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (September 7, 1936 ??? February 3, 1959) was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. 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. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and innovations were copied by his contemporaries and later musicians, notably The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and exerted a profound influence on popular music. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Holly #13 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Biography Charles Hardin Holley was born in Lubbock, Texas to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake in 1936. The Holleys were a musical family and as a young boy Holley learned to play piano, guitar, fiddle and the violin (his brothers oiled the strings so much that no one could hear him play). In 1949 Buddy cut a demo of Hank Snow's 'My Two-Timin' Woman' on a home tape recorder, his first known recording. During the fall of that year he met Bob Montgomery in Hutchinson Junior High School. They shared a common interest in music and soon teamed up as the duo "Buddy and Bob." Initially influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. His musical interests grew throughout high school while singing in the Lubbock High School Choir. Holly turned to rock music after seeing Elvis Presley sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. A few months later, he appeared on the same bill with Presley, also in Lubbock. Holly's transition to rock was finalized when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local rock show organized by Eddie Crandall, who was also the manage
1 | It's So Easy | From The Original Master Tapes |
2 | Maybe Baby | From The Original Master Tapes |
3 | Reminiscing | From The Original Master Tapes |
4 | Don't Come Back Knockin' | The Great Buddy Holly |
5 | Words Of Love | From The Original Master Tapes |
6 | I'm Changing All Those Changes | The Great Buddy Holly |
7 | Rock Around With Ollie Vee | The Great Buddy Holly |
8 | Love Me | The Great Buddy Holly |
9 | Blue Days Black Nights | The Great Buddy Holly |
10 | Heartbeat | From The Original Master Tapes |
11 | Think It Over | From The Original Master Tapes |
12 | Raining In My Heart | From The Original Master Tapes |
13 | Peggy Sue | Billboard Top Rock and Roll Hits: 1957 |
14 | Wishing | From The Original Master Tapes |
15 | Midnight Shift | The Great Buddy Holly |
16 | Rave On | Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of the '50s [Box] |
17 | Rave On | Pleasantville Original Soundtrack |
18 | It Doesn't Matter Any More | From The Original Master Tapes |
19 | Not Fade Away | From The Original Master Tapes |
20 | Modern Don Juan | The Great Buddy Holly |