Texas Times Weekly - Faster Than A Roller Coaster: Buddy Holly's Ride To Fame

Statement

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn

From his first public appearance at age 5 in the small town of County Line, Texas, where he won $5 for his rendition of "Down the River of Memories," Buddy Holly set out on a determined course to become a successful musician.

Holly was born in 1936 to Lawrence and Ella Holley, who encouraged their children to pursue their musical interests. Named Charles Hardin Holley at birth, a spelling error on a contract later in life produced the name that would stick with him permanently-Buddy Holly.

At age 11, Holly enrolled in piano lessons, but despite his aptitude, he quit after nine months and moved on to studying the steel guitar-another short stint. Holly finally discovered the instrument that would help him become a musical icon - the acoustic guitar. Holly taught himself to play and soon formed a duo with friend Bob Montgomery at Hutchinson Junior High School. They performed country music and what would later be dubbed "rock-and-roll."

Holly and Montgomery teamed up with bass player Larry Welborn and landed a regular appearance on local radio station KDAV's "Sunday Party" program. Although Holly studied printing and drafting while attending Lubbock High School, it was clear he had music on his mind. After attempting to land a recording contract with Montgomery and Welborn, Holly was offered a solo contract by the popular country/western label Decca in 1956. Holly would prove difficult to brand as a country performer, however. His contract was terminated after the release of two unsuccessful singles.

What might deter others emboldened Holly. He returned to Lubbock more determined than ever to become a professional musician. He re-joined Welborn, this time teaming up with two new musicians-drummer Jerry Allison and guitarist Niki Sullivan. The band approached producer Norman Petty, who operated out of Clovis, New Mexico. This connection would provide the group with their first big break - as the newly named "Crickets." The band signed with Brunswick Records, and Holly signed a solo contract with the production company's subsidiary.

The Crickets released their first single - "That'll Be the Day" with "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" on the flip side - on May 27, 1957. The record climbed to number three on the pop charts and number two on the R&B charts. Both songs were easily identified by Holly's distinct vocal style, which included hiccups, extra syllables, and an abruptly changing pitch. One critic said Holly's voice had a "playfully ironic, childlike quality."

From this point, the Crickets' career took off. The band took center-stage on shows like "American Bandstand," "The Arthur Murray Dance Party," and "The Ed Sullivan Show." They joined some of the biggest names in music for package tours and concerts. Holly released a second solo single, "Peggy Sue" with "Everyday," and by December 1957, it had reached number three on the pop and R&B charts. The Crickets sold nearly a million copies of their second single "Oh Boy" with "Not Fade Away."

The following year, a visit to the offices of Peer-Southern Music in New York introduced Holly to his future wife. Maria Elena Santiago, a native of native Puerto Rico, worked as a receptionist at Peer-Southern. After meeting her for the first time, Holly asked her on a date for that same evening. Over dinner, he asked her to be his wife. She said "yes" and they were married at Holly's Lubbock home on August 15, 1958.

Professionally, Holly was having difficulty replicating the success of his first few singles. The Crickets officially broke up when Holly announced he was moving to New York, and producer Norman Petty convinced two of the band members to remain in Clovis. In 1959, Holly, along with guitarist Tommy Allsup, future star Waylon Jennings, and drummer Charlie Bunch, participated in a package tour called the "Winter Dance Party" that would take them, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "the Big Bopper" Richardson, and other artists through the Midwest by bus. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly opted to travel with his band by charter plane instead of the bus to their next stop in Fargo, North Dakota. When Valens and Richardson got word of Holly's charter plane, they asked to join Holly, and Jennings and Allsup agreed to give up their seats for the two musicians.

In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, the plane-named "Miss American Pie-carrying Holly, Valens, and Richardson, crashed almost immediately after take-off from Mason City. The pilot and the three musicians were thrown 20 feet from the plane and killed in the crash. Holly was 22.

Holly's funeral was held at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock on February 7, 1959. Former band members Jerry Allison, Joe Benson Mauldin, Jr., Niki Sullivan, and Sonny Curtis were pallbearers. In his number-one hit "American Pie," Don McLean commemorated February 3, 1959, as "the day the music died."

The young musician from Lubbock will forever be remembered as the pioneer of rock and roll. His unique vocal style and band formation- two guitars, bass, and drums, which would become the template for a rock and roll band-has influenced some of the world's most famous musicians, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Elton John, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen, and Elvis Costello.

Though his life ended much too early, his legacy lives on today at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, which pays tribute to Holly's legacy and offers regular symposiums and music lessons for aspiring artists.

Source: Texas State Historical Association

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