Featured Artist: Buddy Holly
Vinyl is a great place to have a cup of coffee and listen to music. We've got a range of sounds for the eclectic ear and tons of comfortable  couches and bean bag chairs, as well as a few private...
Mooseville USA
The glasses, the look, the voice, the music - there's no two ways about it, Buddy Holly is hot. Though his looks mirror those of today's Hipster, Buddy Holly was so much more than a geeky guy with a pretty voice. He was a creative genius whose influence has transcended time.

Born Charles Hardin Holley on Sept. 7, 1937 in Lubbock, Texas, Buddy Holly was always into music. His older brothers taught him how to play guitar, banjo, and lap steel guitar, and at the age of 5 he won a talent contest with the song "Have You Ever Gone Sailing (Down the River of Memories)."

At 13, he was recording covers of popular songs on a friend's wire recorder. At 16, he and Bob Montgomery, a junior high classmate, teamed up as "Buddy and Bob" and began playing local bars and talent shows. Heavily influenced by bluegrass, the duo performed on a Sunday radio program and soon became local celebrities.Thanks to Elvis Presley's influence, Holly began incorporating rockabilly into his music.

"Buddy and Bob" added a third member, Larry Welborn, and the trio opened for Elvis in Lubbock on Oct. 15, 1955, catching the eye of a Nashville talent scout.

THE CRICKETS

When Holly opened for Bill Haley & His Comets in 1956, a deal with Decca Records shortly followed, but the company misspelled his name on the contract. Holly decided to keep it as his professional name, and then he formed a new band, The Crickets, consisting of Holly, Niki Sullivan, Joe B. Mauldin, and Jerry Allison.

Holly didn't like the restrictive atmosphere at Decca. Though he did record a version of "That'll Be the Day" while at Decca, for the most part Holly's time there was unproductive. A year after being signed, Decca told Holly they wouldn't renew his contract.

Holly hired a manager and soon began recording again. Now with more creative control, he attracted another record label, Brunswick Records, a subsidiary of Decca, and signed The Crickets on March 19, 1957. Holly also signed as a solo artist with another label, Coral Records, a move that put Holly in the unique position of having two recording contracts at the same time.

He released "That'll Be the Day" under the new record label though Decca technically owned the rights. When the song became a hit, Decca decided not to pursue legal action.

"That'll Be the Day" was released, and The Crickets performed the song, along with "Peggy Sue," on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Dec. 1, 1957.

In addition to performing on Ed Sullivan, in August 1957, The Crickets were the only white performers on a national tour that included black neighborhood theaters. During this time, The Crickets won over an all-black audience to rock and roll/rockabilly when they played New York's Apollo Theater. The feat wasn't easy. It's rumored that it took the band several songs before the audience finally warmed up.

Holly released two debut albums, "The Chirpin' Crickets" in 1957 and a solo album, "Buddy Holly," in 1958. His singles "Oh, Boy!" and "Peggy Sue," originally titled Cindy Lou, topped the charts.

Indeed Feb. 3, 1959 was the day the music died. We were only beginning to hear what Buddy Holly was capable of. Thankfully though he left behind a collection of work that's simple, catchy, poetic, and lovely - the perfect recipe for great music.

SOLO CAREER

After their debut success Buddy Holly and The Crickets didn't see eye-to-eye on their next steps. Holly married Maria Elena Santiago, a receptionist for Murray Deutch, an executive for New York publisher Peer-Southern Music, and the two moved to New York. The Crickets moved back to Lubbock.

In New York, Holly recorded the "Apartment Tapes" and began exploring new music styles. He wanted collaborations between soul singers and rock 'n' roll and aspired to record albums with Ray Charles and gospel legend, Mahalia Jackson.

At Decca's Pythian Temple in October 1958, Holly recorded "True Love Ways," "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," and "Raining In My Heart." These would be the first songs Holly would record with an orchestra and in stereo. It would also be his last formal recording session.

While in New York, it became clear to Holly that his long-time manager was stealing royalties. Now strapped for cash and with a baby on the way, Holly had to make ends meet while pursuing legal action against his manager. Holly took a gig in Winter Dance Party, a three-week tour across the Midwest that opened Jan. 23, 1959.

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

Winter Dance Party featured top headliners Dion and the Belmonts, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and, of course, Buddy Holly. For the tour, Holly recruited Tommy Allsup, Waylon Jennings, and Carl Bunch and billed them as The Crickets.

Following a performance at Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a small airplane to take him to the next stop on the tour. Holly, Valens, Richardson and the pilot were killed when the plane crashed soon after take off in the early morning hours of Feb. 3, 1959. Buddy Holly was 22 years old.

Holly influenced many artists, most notably for us at Vinyl was The Beatles. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney have cited Holly as their primary influence, The Beatles have covered several of Holly's songs, and Paul McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalog. Even the name The Beatles is a direct homage to The Crickets.

Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Bruce Springsteen have all said that Buddy Holly was a big influence.

The Grateful Dead have performed "Note Fade Away" so many times it's on eight of their official live recording releases.

In honor of Holly's 58th birthday, Weezer released "Buddy Holly," and no one can forget Don McLean's tribute song, "American Pie."

Not only did Holly have influence on music, but he was also a major fashionista. He boldly wore glasses, with lenses, and was the epitome of Geek Chic. Elton John started wearing glasses in his teens to be like Buddy Holly. He wore them so much that eventually his eyesight got so bad that he ended up needing glasses.

HOLLY'S LEGACY

Although his success only lasted a year and a half, Buddy Holly's creative influence on music has spanned generations.

Holly set the template for the standard rock and roll band: two guitars, bass, and drums. He was also one of the first in the genre to write, produce, and perform his own songs, and he was among the first inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Along with Elvis and others, Holly helped bridge the racial gap in American music. He often played with black musicians, people like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, and Holly frequently included the Bo Diddley beat in his songs.