Who was/is Buddy Holly ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more

Buddy Holly

Singer/songwriter/guitarist born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas in 1936. He was one of the most innovative and influential rock'n'roll artists, and the very first professional rocker to play a Fender Stratocaster. Backed by the Crickets – Niki Sullivan (guitar), Joe B. Mauldin (double bass) and Jerry Allison (drums) – he recorded his first hit, 'That'll Be The Day', at the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, New Mexico in 1957, following on with 'Peggy Sue', 'Oh Boy!' and others.

He had a promising career ahead of him when he was tragically killed in a plane crash on 2 February 1959 together with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1986 in the first cohort.

 

Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly was born on Sept. 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, and christened Charles Hardin Holley. Lubbock's geo-graphical position meant that Holly would have heard hillbilly, Mexican and black music on the radio during his formative years, this cosmopolitan musical background was to prove vital to the versatility he latei displayed in his own work. As a youngster he took up the violin, but soon changed to guitar. He showed an early interest in C&W, and while still at school had his own show on KDAV, the local radio sta-tion. He was partnered by Bob Montgomery, and in 1954 they made some hillbilly demo records which were posthu-mously issued as Holly in the Hills. Together with bass-player Larry Welborn, Buddy and Bob would sometimes fill the 'local talent' spot when travelling package shows visited the area. As a result of this exposure, and with help from KDAV disc-jockey Dave Stone, Nashville agent Eddie Cran-dall and publisher Jim Denny, Buddy Holly was signed to Decca in 1956 to cut some singles in Nashville. Two were released without success, and before his contract with Decca was up Holly was beginning to look elsewhere, guessing that the option would not be renewed.

Although Decca handled Holly rather insensitively (i.e. no more nor less off-handedly than any other bright young hopeful) these early sessions did produce at least two Holly classics, 'Midnight Shift' and 'Rock Around With 011ie Vee', and Holly worked with musicians like Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison who were later to be involved in the Crickets. The tapes were eventually issued as That'll Be The Day. Allison and Holly had been schoolfriends, and had often played together as a drum /guitar duo. The limitations of this line-up helped forge their style, the smooth switch from rhythm to lead in Buddy's guitar-playing, the versa-tility of Jerry's drumming. In 1955, when the two started playing together professionally, it was still unusual to find drums in a country line-up. Soon after his last Decca session, Holly started working at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico.

Petty, who was also a middle-of-the-road band leader, was a pioneer of the small, independent recording studio, he was also unusual in that he charged per song rather than per hour, which put less pressure on musicians. Holly, Allison and Welborn, to-gether with a vocal quartet which included Cricket-to-be Niki Sullivan, recorded 'That'll Be The Day' and 'I'm Look-ing For Someone To Love' in February, 1957. Petty first submitted the songs to Roulette in New York, since they had already had hits originating from his studio with Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen. They weren't interested, but Holly and the Crickets were soon signed by Coral. The record made No. 3 in America and No. 1 in Britain, and was fol-lowed with almost equal success by 'Oh Boy' / 'Not Fade Away'. By this time, Joe Mauldin had become the Crickets' bass-player, with Niki Sullivan on rhythm guitar. Before long Petty, who had quickly assumed a managerial position, began to record Holly solo as well as with the Crickets, though the musicians were often the same. Holly's first hit under his own name was 'Peggy Sue', late in 1957, followed in Britain by 'Listen To Me' and in both countries by 'Rave On' and the Bobby Darin number 'Early In The Morning' (by which time, mid-1958, Holly had begun to record in New York without the Crickets as well as in Clovis). After a British tour with the Crickets in that year, Holly married Maria Elena Santiago and moved to New York. The rest of the Crickets didn't want to make the move and so split from Holly. This was probably inevitable. Petty was trying to broaden Holly's career and one of the first results was to record him with the Dick Jacobs Orchestra (notably `It Doesn't Matter Anymore').

Holly's backing group on live . dates at this time included Tommy Allsup, whom he had brought into the Crickets earlier to play lead guitar (it is a mistake to assume that Holly fulfilled this role on all his records). Other notable musicians with whom Holly worked at this time were saxophonist King Curtis, and the young Waylon Jennings, whose first solo record, 'Joie Blon', was produced by Buddy Holly. Early in 1959, Holly's career was at a crossroads. In spite of the significant early impact both with the Crickets and as a solo performer, in spite of his own single-minded attitude towards success and the attempts he was making to create the basis for a long career, there was little in strict commercial terms to suggest (except with hindsight) that he was any different from many other rock performers of the time. It is, of course, inconceivable that, had he lived, he would not have risen further from the pack and still be accorded the respect that his prolific few years have so justly earned for him. He died on February 3, 1959, together with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper soon after taking off from Mason City airport in Iowa, en route between package-tour concerts in Clear Lake and Fargo. His current record, 'Heartbeat', was barely making an impact on the Hot Hundred. The first posthumous release, 'It Doesn't Matter Any-more' PRaining In My Heart', was a huge hit in both Ameri-ca and Britain.

And in Britain a series of processed tapes put out by Norman Petty kept him in the charts until the mid-Sixties, while an album of his best-known tracks was still in the Top Ten of the budget-price charts ten years earlier. Buddy Holly said 'We owe it all to Elvis'. Countless stars of the Sixties owe a similar debt to. Holly. He was one of the two great singer / songwriter /musicians of the pop Fifties (the other being Chuck Berry). He was a pioneer of the subse-quently-standard two guitars/ bass / drums line-up, and of double-tracking. Almost anything that a pop song can say was said by the twenty-two-year-old Buddy Holly nearly two decades ago.

Copyright © Bear Family Records®. Copying, also of extracts, or any other form of reproduction, including the adaptation into electronic data bases and copying onto any data mediums, in English or in any other language is permissible only and exclusively with the written consent of Bear Family Records® GmbH.

More information about Buddy Holly on Wikipedia.org

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Countrywise (LP, 10inch, Ltd.)
Buddy Holly: Countrywise (LP, 10inch, Ltd.) Art-Nr.: BAF11014

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BEAR FAMILY Vinyl Club Exclusive - limitierte Sammleredition 1-LP 25cm (limitiert auf 500 Exemplare) • 10inch LP (limited edition - colored vinyl) in our 11000-series. • Extremely rare Dutch 10" album release from 1965. • At that time,...
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Baby Let's Play House (LP, 10inch)
Buddy Holly: Baby Let's Play House (LP, 10inch) Art-Nr.: LPROLL2024

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(Rollercoaster) 10 tracks - Ever since his appearance in April with Elvis Presley at Lubbock's Fair Park Coliseum, Buddy Holly's career has been on the up and up. He recently recorded for Decca Rewords in Nashville and those in the know...
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All Time Greatest Hits (2-CD)
Buddy Holly: All Time Greatest Hits (2-CD) Art-Nr.: CDMCA30101

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(MCA Australia) 30 tracks (65:06) Buddy Holly was just 22-years old when he died in a tragic light air-craft crash on February 3, 1959, along with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. From his first Billboard music chart listing on August...
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The Definitive Stereo Buddy Holly: 30 Classics (CD)
Buddy Holly: The Definitive Stereo Buddy Holly: 30 Classics... Art-Nr.: CDHP12331

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(Hit Parade Records) 30 Songs in Stereo! 66 Minutes of Music! – Unequaled Sound Quality...... created by collectors for collectors Great Mono Classics Now in Real Stereo made possible by A.I. Technology. It’s hard to believe that it’s...
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Off The Record - On Air Live Performances (LP, 10inch)
Buddy Holly & The Three Tunes: Off The Record - On Air Live Performances (LP,... Art-Nr.: LPROLL2025

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(Rollercoaster) 10 tracks - Buddy Holly with the Three Tunes - the earliest Rock 'n' Roll recordings of Buddy Holly, done in 1955 ​(Rollercoaster) 10 tracks - Buddy Holly with the Three Tunes - the earliest Rock 'n' Roll recordings of...
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That Makes It Sound So Much Better! - Second Pressing (CD)
Buddy Holly: That Makes It Sound So Much Better! - Second... Art-Nr.: CDROLL3060-2

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(Rollercoaster Records) 26 tracks - Gatefold digipac with 36 page booklet. This CD is an updated version of the original 2011 release. We feel we hav ebeen avble to improve the sound of the originals and have expanded this release to 26...
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The Buddy Holly Story - Original Motion Picture Soundtracks (CD, Deluxe Edition)
Buddy Holly: The Buddy Holly Story - Original Motion Picture... Art-Nr.: CDVS15783

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(Varese Sarabande) 22 tracks - 16 page booklet of illustrations and liner-notes by Bill Dahl. The original motion picture soundtrack to The Buddy Holly Story (Deluxe Edition) is released. All the songs from the Academy Award-winning film...
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Danson Gaiement ... Vol.23 (7inch, 33rpm, EP)
Buddy Holly: Danson Gaiement ... Vol.23 (7inch, 33rpm, EP) Art-Nr.: 45ECV18107

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(Coral) 4 tracks, Reproduction of the very rare French Vogue Buddy Holly EP record! Great sound and great cover artwork!
$14.66 $16.92
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Ohh! Annie! - The 1956 Sessions (2-CD)
Buddy Holly & The Three Tunes: Ohh! Annie! - The 1956 Sessions (2-CD) Art-Nr.: CDROLL3056

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(Rollercoaster Records) 43 Tracks (5 unissued) - 36 page booklet! with notes by John Ingman and previously unpublished photographs! Nearly all of the 24 studio tracks were sourced from the original quarter- inch tape masters and...
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That Makes It Sound So Much Better (LP, 10inch)
Buddy Holly: That Makes It Sound So Much Better (LP, 10inch) Art-Nr.: LPROLL2027

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(Roller Coaster Records) 12 tracks with 4 page inlay & bonus photo.
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Off The Record - On Air Live Performances (CD)
Buddy Holly & The Crickets: Off The Record - On Air Live Performances (CD) Art-Nr.: CDRE507

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(Rollercoaster Records) 15 tracks (29:47) gatefold papersleeve (same material as Vinyl 10'LP ROLL 2025)
$11.26
The Complete French EP Collection (2-CD)
Buddy Holly: The Complete French EP Collection (2-CD) Art-Nr.: CD3931087

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(Magic Records) 53 tracks After Helen Shapiro, Brenda Lee, Vince Taylor & his Playboys, Les Chats Sauvages, Les Chaussettes Noires and Eddie Cochran in the Magic series French EP Collection, now follows the inimitable BUDDY HOLLY, one of...
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Rock Me Baby (CD)
Buddy Holly: Rock Me Baby (CD) Art-Nr.: CDSROLL823

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(Snapper Music) 24 tracks - the original recordings including some rare tracks! Top Sound
$9.00 $11.26
Special 55th Anniversary Edition Vol.1 - Rock-A-Buddy
Buddy Holly: Special 55th Anniversary Edition Vol.1 -... Art-Nr.: 45ET15035

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(2014/El Toro) 6 tracks 33rpm/ep/ps/small center
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The Very Best Of Buddy Holly (2-CD)
Buddy Holly: The Very Best Of Buddy Holly (2-CD) Art-Nr.: CD5305721

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​(Universal) 50 tracks - 50th anniversary edition - European pressing
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Buddy Holly - Second Album (LP, 180g Vinyl, Ltd.)
Buddy Holly: Buddy Holly - Second Album (LP, 180g Vinyl, Ltd.) Art-Nr.: LP772006

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(Wax Time) 14 tracks, 180g vinyl , limited edition. In addition to the original masterpiece, this WaxTime collector's item includes 2 bonus tracks: the magical "Ting-A-Ling" and Bobby Darin's "Now We're One" (released as a B-side to...
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That's What They Tell Me - Interviews (CD)
Buddy Holly: That's What They Tell Me - Interviews (CD) Art-Nr.: CDRE503

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1. Buddy Holly talks to Red Robinson at the Georgia Auditorium, Vancouver Canada, Oct. 23rd, 1957 2. Buddy Holly and Herry Allison talk to Freeman Hover at the Albany Hotel, Denver, Colorado, Nov. 2nd, 1957 3. Buddy Holly talks to Dale...
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Back To Clovis (7inch, EP, 45rpm, PS)
Buddy Holly & The Crickets: Back To Clovis (7inch, EP, 45rpm, PS) Art-Nr.: 45SR1555

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Sleazy Records) 4 tracks Side 1 Brown Eyed Handsome Man I'm Looking For Someone To Love Side 2 Ready Teddy I'm Gonna Love You Too Buddy Holly & The Cricket had established Clovis as their permanent recording studio, creating their own...
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Pionniers Du Rock Series
Buddy Holly: Pionniers Du Rock Series Art-Nr.: CD3930829

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(2009/MAGIC) 18 tracks 1958 - 24bit mastering - papersleeve
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Ohh! Annie! - The 1956 Sessions (2-CD)
Buddy Holly & The Three Tunes: Ohh! Annie! - The 1956 Sessions (2-CD) Art-Nr.: CDROLL3056J

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Note: Limited Stock of this Jewel Case Version Of "Ohh! Annie" - It contains exactly the same CDs as the standard issue (in a doublefold Rolapak) but in this version the CDs and the booklet are housed in a standard double-CD slimline...
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True Love Ways (CD)
Buddy Holly with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: True Love Ways (CD) Art-Nr.: CDDECCA2171

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(Decca) 12 tracks (29:38) with 12 page photo booklet. Hello Buddy Holly and Cricket fans everywhere, First, I would like to express my personal gratitude to you all, for your resolute devotion over so many years, in supporting the music...
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Good Rockin' - The Hits (LP, 180g Vinyl, Ltd.)
Buddy Holly: Good Rockin' - The Hits (LP, 180g Vinyl, Ltd.) Art-Nr.: LPWAX772314

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(Wax Time Records) 20 tracks, 180g vinyl , limited edition. Buddy Holly was a central and seminal figure in mid-1950s rock 'n' roll. Along with his group The Crickets, he was among the first rock musicians to make rock 'n' roll truly...
$24.84
Pionniers Du Rock...plus - Papersleeve
Buddy Holly: Pionniers Du Rock...plus - Papersleeve Art-Nr.: CD3930601

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(2006/MAGIC) 24 tracks, the original french albums from 1955 & 1956 plus one bonus track. Included are all his important Rockabilly tracks - 24bit mastering
$14.66 $18.05
The Buddy Holly Story (CD)
Buddy Holly: The Buddy Holly Story (CD) Art-Nr.: CD544670

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(Spectrum) 12 tracks - Digitally Remastered
$30.50 $33.89
Words And Music (CD)
Buddy Holly: Words And Music (CD) Art-Nr.: CDWM112

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(Holly) 28 rare tracks plus 4 interviews and studio chat - obscure 1994 custom pressing ​
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