Buddy Holly Biography

Buddy Holly secured the iconic status that only those who fly high and die young can.

During his career with The Crickets and as a solo artist, Buddy Holly had hits with songs such as 'Peggy Sue' and 'Maybe Baby' and left a musical legacy that would last long after his untimely death aged only twenty three.

Even as a small child, Buddy was a keen musician, playing both the violin and the piano before settling on the guitar. By thirteen he had joined forces with a friend, Bob Montgomery, and the pair soon began playing their own brand of music, 'Western Bop', in local clubs.

Whilst supporting Bill Haley and the Comets at a local rock show, Holly was noticed by a talent scout from Decca Records, and promptly signed up to the label.

However, after a few singles, Buddy Holly was advised by executives at Decca to go back to his hometown in Texas, and spend some more time working on his music. He took this advice, returning to Lubbock where he formed The Crickets, in which Buddy sang vocals and played the guitar.

The Crickets’ single, 'That’ll Be The Day', again attracted the interest of Holly’s former record company, and Buddy Holly and the Crickets were subsequently signed to the Brunswick label, a subsidiary of Decca.

In 1958 The Crickets toured the UK, and the band eventually became more popular there than they were in their native America. In the same year Buddy Holly married Maria Elena Santiago, and shortly afterwards he left The Crickets following artistic disagreements.

Buddy and Maria moved to New York and he formed a new band. In 1959 Buddy embarked on a tour with Ritchie Valens and J P Richardson. Exasperated by unreliable tour buses, Holly decided to charter a small plane to transport the musicians from one concert to the next. Tragically, after having flown only eight miles, the plane crashed, killing all those on board.

Maria was pregnant at the time of the accident, but miscarried shortly after, upon hearing the news of her husband’s death.