On this day, 75 years ago, Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas.
"Buddy Holly played rock and roll for only two short years, but the wealth of material he recorded in that time made a major and lasting impact on popular music. Holly was an innovator who wrote his own material and was among the first to exploit such advanced studio techniques as double-tracking. He pioneered and popularized the now-standard rock-band lineup of two guitars, bass and drums. In his final months, he even began experimenting with orchestration. Holly’s catalog of songs includes such standards of the rock and roll canon as 'Rave On,' 'Peggy Sue,' 'That’ll Be the Day,' 'Oh Boy!' and 'Maybe Baby.'"
--Buddy Holly Biography, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
"Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as 'the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll.' His works and innovations inspired and influenced contemporary and later musicians, notably The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton, and exerted a profound influence on popular music. Holly was among the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Holly #13 among 'The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time.'"
-- Wikipedia.
A few of his songs on YouTube:
Two tribute albums have been released for the 75th anniversary of Buddy Holly's birth:
Rave On Buddy Holly, reviewed in Rolling Stone in June.
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly, reviewed in the current issue of Rolling Stone.
Click here for Google News of Buddy Holly at 75.
