Everything You Need to Know About Buddy Holly: Facts, Trivia & Best Songs
The amazing and influential career of Buddy Holly was also short. He passed away when he was just 22 years old — though Buddy made such an incredible impact on rock-n-roll and how the sound would be shaped for the decades to come and are still felt in any band you see with a guitar/bass/drum lineup. Even his black-rimmed glasses remain an iconic fashion template. So what are some things to know about Buddy Holly, his music, and his legacy? Read on and find out!
1. When and where was Buddy Holly born?
Buddy Holly was born on September 7, 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. His given name was Charles Hardin Holley, and was nicknamed Buddy when he was very young. When his name was misspelled as “Holly” on his contract with Decca Records, it stuck and he was henceforth known as Buddy Holly.
2. What songs was Buddy Holly known for?
Buddy Holly had a lot of bangers, like “Peggy Sue,” “Rave On,” “That’ll Be the Day,” “Not Fade Away,” “Maybe Baby,” and “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.”
3. What was Buddy Holly’s 1st guitar?
Buddy Holly purchased a 1954 Fender Stratocaster at the Harrod Music store in Lubbock, Texas for the then-princely sum of $249.50. The guitar only lasted a few years before it was stolen during a 1957 tour.
4. Buddy Holly opened for Elvis Presley
When Buddy Holly was only 18 years old, he was opening for Elvis Presley. In fact, Buddy Holly opened for Elvis 3 times in 1955. Watching Elvis perform had an impact on the budding musician who was precocious but still finding his voice, and Buddy Holly started to move from a country western sound to rock-n-roll.
5. What was Buddy Holly’s 1st album?
The Chirping Crickets by Buddy Holly and The Crickets was released on November 27, 1957 on Brunswick Records. It’s got some bangers, like “That’ll Be the Day,” “Maybe Baby,” “Not Fade Away,” and “Oh, Boy!”
Click on the cricket to buy The “Chirping” Crickets!
6. Did Buddy Holly have a #1 hit?
Though several Buddy Holly songs were hits, only “That’ll Be the Day” was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
7. Was Buddy Holly married?
Buddy Holly married María Elena Santiago on August 15, 1958 in Lubbock, Texas. She was a receptionist for a music publisher at the famous Brill Building in NYC, where Buddy asked María on a date on June 19, 1958. Supposedly, Buddy Holly and María Elena Santiago were engaged 5 hours into their first date and of course, they were married less than 2 months later.María Elena Santiago currently manages the estate of Buddy Holly.
8. Where did Buddy Holly live in NYC?
Buddy Holly and his wifeMaría Elena Santiago lived in The Brevoort in Greenwich Village, located on 11 5th Avenue near Washington Square Park. Buddy Holly recorded his last songs here — the so-called Apartment Tapes — and his apartment has been listed on the market for $1.6 million.
9. How old was Buddy Holly when he died?
Buddy Holly was only 22 years old when he died in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa on February 3, 1959. Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper) also passed away with him.
10. How did The Beatles get their name?
The Beatles basically got the idea for their name from Buddy Holly and The Crickets. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were very struck by Buddy Holly when the two future legends met as young musicians, and patterned themselves after Buddy Holly’s music and live act.
11. Elton John’s glasses came from Buddy Holly
According to The Buddy Holly Story (1979) by John Goldrosen, Elton John started wearing horn-rimmed glasses at age 13 because of Buddy Holly — even though young Elton didn’t even need glasses!
Click on the holly to purchase The Buddy Holly Story!
12. 17-year-old Bob Dylan saw Buddy Holly two nights before he died
Buddy Holly played Duluth, Minnesota at the Duluth National Guard Armory on January 31, 1959 — the next-to-last show he would play — and young 17-year-old Robert Zimmerman was supposedly 3 feet away from him. Bob Dylan mentioned this story in his acceptance speech when Time Out of Mind won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1998.
13. What is “American Pie” by Don McLean about?
“American Pie” by Don McLean was inspired by “The Day the Music Died,” when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (also known as the Big Bopper) were tragically killed in plane crash. The popular song evokes a lot of imagery of Americana, but Buddy Holly was certainly the inspiration and jumping-off point for the epic ballad.
14. Buddy Holly’s iconic glasses weren’t recovered until 1980
When the plane crashed on January 31, 1959, those famous signature glasses were not immediately found. In fact, some of the belongings from the wreckage weren’t even discovered until after the snow melted in the spring. The glasses were given to the sheriff’s office and placed into an envelope, but that envelope was misplaced when the Cerro Gordo County offices moved to a different courthouse. They weren’t re-discovered until a sheriff found the long-lost envelope in a courthouse storage unit in March 1980. They were eventually passed along to Buddy Holly’s widow María Elena Santiago.
15. Is there a movie about Buddy Holly?
Gary Busey starred as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978), directed by Steven Rash. Gary Busey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and Joe Renzetti won the Academy Award for Best Adaption Score. The movie was successful and well-received by critics like Roger Ebert, but folks like the real-life Peggy Sue Gerrow Allison Rackham and Paul McCartney were not fans. Bonus fun fact: Buddy Holly was played by Marshall Crenshaw in La Bamba (1987).
16. Is Buddy Holly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes. Buddy Holly was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 1986 along with Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Everly Brothers.
Which Buddy Holly album should I buy?
The Very Best of Buddy Holly and The Crickets is a 3CD retrospective with 54 songs spanning his incredible but short career. It has pretty much all the big hits you’re looking for and should sufficiently fill the Buddy Holly gap in your record collection. Don’t forget to check out our list of other 1950s rock-n-roll albums you should own!
Click on Buddy Holly to buy!
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