Chapter 14: Rock and Roll Pt. 2
Charles Hardin Holley, better known by his stage name Buddy Holly (1936–1959), was raised in Lubbock, Texas, where he absorbed a diverse array of musical influences, including country, western swing, gospel, bluegrass, and rhythm and blues. These genres would later shape the unique sound that set him apart in the emerging world of rock and roll. As a child, he took lessons in guitar, violin, and piano, and by his teenage years, he had gained a local reputation throughout western Texas for his distinctive voice, songwriting skills, and live performances.
Unlike many rockabilly artists of the 1950s, Holly did not get his start at Sun Records. He initially performed country music and signed a recording contract with Decca Records in 1956. However, after limited commercial success and creative differences, Decca dropped him within a year. Returning to Texas, Holly opened for acts such as Bill Haley and His Comets and Elvis Presley. After witnessing Presley’s performance in 1955, Holly began to shift his style, blending the twang of rockabilly with the rhythms of rhythm and blues to create a hybrid sound.
Determined to succeed, Holly formed a band called the Crickets. The lineup featured Holly on vocals and lead guitar, Niki Sullivan on rhythm guitar, Joe Mauldin on upright bass, and Jerry Allison on drums. In this setup, the lead guitar plays melodies, solos, riffs, and fills that stand out within the song, often taking the spotlight. The rhythm guitar, on the other hand, focuses on providing harmonic support and maintaining the song’s rhythmic foundation by playing chords and steady strumming patterns. The Crickets’ instrumentation of two guitars, bass, and drums became a model that many later rock bands, including the Beatles, would emulate..
Holly’s guitar of choice was a Fender Stratocaster, one of the first solid-body electric guitars widely adopted by rock musicians. This gave his sound a sharper, more aggressive tone than the hollow-body or steel guitars commonly used in country and western music at the time. Jerry Allison’s drumming incorporated subtle Latin rhythms, adding distinctive patterns unusual in early rock music. Holly’s vocal style, marked by a twangy tone and characteristic hiccups, reflected his West Texas roots and became a signature element of his performances. After signing to the Brunswick label, The Crickets enjoyed significant crossover success with rhythm and blues audiences, helped by Holly’s racially ambiguous sound.
Unlike many of his contemporaries such as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, Holly wrote nearly all of his own songs. Working with producer Norman Petty, he experimented with innovative studio techniques, including echo effects on tracks like “Peggy Sue” and double-tracking on “Words of Love,” where two nearly identical recordings are layered to enhance the sound.
Holly’s image played an important role in his popularity. Unlike the larger-than-life persona of Elvis Presley, Holly presented himself as an approachable, “normal guy” — the kind of person audiences could relate to. His black horn-rimmed glasses, lean build, and unpretentious style made him seem more down-to-earth and accessible, contributing to his wide appeal. The Beatles, who admired Holly and the Crickets, chose their insect related band name as a tribute and modeled their early style on his music.
In 1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets released their first hit, “That’ll Be the Day.” The song features a verse-chorus structure with a 12-bar blues pattern during the instrumental break. Holly’s lead guitar riffs show the influence of Chuck Berry, while his vocal delivery combines blue notes and hiccups, demonstrating the blend of rhythm and blues and country styles in his music. Although “That’ll Be the Day” may sound country to modern ears, it was a major rhythm and blues hit at the time. Holly was unique among major rockabilly artists for never charting on the country and western charts. His music’s racial ambiguity was such that the Crickets were booked to perform at the Apollo Theater, a venue devoted to African American music audiences, without the promoters having seen them beforehand.
Following their breakthrough, Holly and the Crickets released several more successful songs in 1957, including “Maybe Baby,” “Not Fade Away,” “Oh Boy!,” and “Peggy Sue.” In 1958, the band toured extensively across the United States, Australia, England, and Canada. They also became the first all-white band to perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. However, Holly left the Crickets late that year after disagreements with their manager.
Although his recording career lasted less than two years, Buddy Holly had a lasting influence on rock music. He helped popularize the two-guitar, bass, and drum band format and brought a more pop-oriented sensibility to rockabilly, expanding its audience. His songwriting, distinctive vocal style, and innovative use of studio technology influenced many artists who followed. Holly was inducted into the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.