One of the greatest losses in musical history was the loss of Buddy Holly, who died in a tragic plane crash at the age of 22 in 1959. Many artists and rock musicians say that Holly inspired them because he pioneered 1950s rock and roll. Born in Texas during the Great Depression, Holly was blessed to be born into a family that was musical. He and all of his siblings learned from a young age how to play the guitar and sing, but his talent didn’t end with singing. Holly made his first appearance on TV in 1952 at a local Texas station.
Here’s a little-known fact. When John Lennon and Paul McCartney saw him perform at the London Palladium, they were mesmerized. They ended up studying his music before they began their own legendary music careers. And know those horn-rimmed glasses Elton John wears? He began wearing them as a tribute to Buddy Holly when he started his career as a hotel bar piano player.
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Buddy Holly wrote most of his own music, and one of his most important pieces was “That’ll Be the Day.” Holly said that he was inspired by a John Wayne character in the movie The Searchers to write the song because Wayne’s character frequently used the phrase “That’ll be the day.”
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It’s a great tragedy that the world didn’t get to see Buddy Holly age and mature as a musician. An immeasurable talent was lost the night Buddy Holly died, but his legacy will continue to inspire new generations of musicians, and his legacy will live on forever. His widow founded “The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation” in 2010. The organization aims to develop, inspire, and nurture emerging young talent, which she says was one of Buddy’s dreams. The video below shows Buddy Holly and the Crickets performing their iconic song on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1957.
