Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BUDDY HOLLY, A REAL LEGEND
Lubbock native Charles Hardin 'Buddy' Holley was just five years old when he won a local talent contest playing
a toy violin. By the time he was a teen, Buddy became a regular performer on local radio in a band that blended
country and western with rhythm and blues. But Holly (the 'e' was dropped by an early concert promoter) soon
became a leading pioneer of a new kind of music - rock and roll. Together with his backup band, the Crickets,
Holly drove to Clovis, New Mexico, in early 1957 to record a demo of a song called 'That'll Be the Day.' Within
months, Holly had a Top 10 record to his credit, with many more hits to follow, including 'Peggy Sue,' 'Not Fade
Away,' 'Maybe Baby,' 'It's So Easy,' 'Rave On,' 'Fool's Paradise' and 'Oh, Boy!'.
Buddy Holly was among the first rock performers to write his own material, and he was among the first to ex-
periment with multitrack overdubbing and echo in the studio. An accomplished guitarist and pianist, Holly also
used his voice as an instrument, employing a hiccup here and falsetto there to distinctive effect. He and the Crick-
ets were the real deal. In Texas, they often served as a warm-up act to visiting stars (including a young Elvis Pres-
ley), and when they hit it big they were among the first white performers to perform at the legendary Apollo
Theater in Harlem, New York City.
If his talents weren't enough, Holly was guaranteed immortality by dying young - he was killed in a plane
crash on February 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa. (Fellow rockers JP 'The Big Bopper' Richardson and Ritchie
'La Bamba' Valens were also on board.) His legend continues to grow and his songs and style are emulated end-
lessly.
The Buddy Holly Story,
a 1978 film that starred Gary Busey and which won an Oscar for its music, is a highly
fictionalized account of his life. In a classic bit of melodrama, Holly's parents are falsely shown opposing his mu-
sic career, while the mountains behind the 'Lubbock' bus station are pure Hollywood, literally.
Sights
Buddy Holly's roots in Lubbock are reason enough to visit.
The Texas Tech campus sprawls all over the city's near-northwest side, but is mainly
centered between 4th and 19th Sts north and south and University and Quaker Aves east
and west. The Depot District, Lubbock's liveliest dining and nightlife area, is centered on
Buddy Holly Ave (formerly known as Ave H) and 19th St.
Buddy Holly Center
( 806-767-2686;
www.buddyhollycenter.org
;
1801 Crickets Ave; adult/child $5/2; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, from
1pm Sun)
A huge version of Holly's trademark horn-rims mark the Buddy Holly Center. The
center is home to the Buddy Holly Gallery; a room devoted to the man with those glasses
and pristine teeth. The gallery includes some of his schoolbooks, shoes and records, but
best of all are Holly's Fender Stratocaster and hallmark glasses.
The collection delves into Holly's life and gives a good idea of all the rock musicians
he inspired, including Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
MUSEUM
