Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936–February 3, 1959), better known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and a pioneer of Rock and Roll. Holley was born in Lubbock, Texas. The Holleys were a musical family and as a young boy Holley learned to play the violin, piano and guitar. In the fall of 1949 he met Bob Montgomery at Hutchison Jr. High School. They shared a common interest in music, and soon teamed up to perform as the duo "Buddy and Bob." Initially influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. Holley's big break came when they opened for Bill Haley and his Comets at a local rock and roll show organized by Eddie Crandall who was also the manager for Marty Robbins. As a result of this performance, Holley was offered a contract with Decca Records to work alone. However, early success as a solo artist eluded him.
Back in Lubbock, Holley formed his own band, "The Crickets", and began making records at Norman Petty's studios in Clovis, New Mexico. Among the songs they recorded was That'll Be the Day, which takes its title from a phrase which John Wayne's character says repeatedly in the movie, The Searchers. Norman had music industry contacts, and believing that That'll Be the Day would be a hit single, he contacted publishers and labels. Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca, signed Buddy Holly and The Crickets. This put Buddy in the unusual position of having two record contracts at the same time!
Holly's music was sophisticated for its day, including the use of instruments considered novel for rock and roll. Holly was an influential lead and rhythm guitarist, notably on songs such as "Peggy Sue" and "Not Fade Away". While Holly could pump out boy-loves-girl songs with the best of his contemporaries, other songs featured more sophisticated lyrics and more complex harmonies and melodies than had been previously shown in the genre.
Holly also managed to bridge some of the racial divide that punctuated rock, notably winning over an all-black audience when accidentally booked for New York's Apollo Theater (though, unlike the fictional portrayal in his movie biography, it took several performances for audiences to be convinced of his talents).
After the release of several highly successful songs, in March of 1958, he and the Crickets toured the United Kingdom. In the audience were teenagers named John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who later cited Holly as a primary influence (the band's name, The Beatles, was later chosen partly in homage to Holly's Crickets). Holly's personal style, more controlled and cerebral than Elvis's and more youthful and innovative than the country and western stars of his day, would have an influence on youth culture on both sides of the Atlantic for decades to come, reflected particularly in the New Wave movement in artists such as Elvis Costello and Marshall Crenshaw, and earlier in folk rock bands like The Byrds and The Turtles.
He married Maria Elena Santiago on August 15, 1958
In 1959, Holly split with the Crickets and began a solo tour with other notable performers including Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, "The Big Bopper". One audience member at the tour stop in Duluth, Minnesota was a young Bobby Zimmerman who would later be known as Bob Dylan.
 Following the February 2nd performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, the performers and their road crew drew straws to decide who would fly in the airplane, and who would ride in the unheated tour bus. The unlucky winners were Holly, Valens and Richardson. The four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza took off into a blinding snow storm and crashed into Albert Juhl's corn field several miles after takeoff at 1.05 a.m. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson, leaving Holly's pregnant bride, Maria Elena Holly, a widow. (She would miscarry soon after.) This event inspired singer Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad American Pie, and immortalized February 3rd as The Day The Music Died. Funeral services were held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, and Buddy Holly was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery. Popular Buddy Holly Songs | Blue Days, Black Nights
Love Me
Modern Don Juan
You Are My One Desire
That'll Be The Day
I'm Looking For Someone To Love
Words Of Love
Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues
Rock Around With Ollie Vee
Peggy Sue
Everyday
Oh Boy!
Not Fade Away
Listen To Me
Maybe Baby
Rave On
Think It Over
Early In The Morning
It's So Easy
Heartbeat
It Doesn't Matter Anymore
Raining In My Heart
Peggy Sue Got Married
True Love Ways
Reminiscing
True Love Ways
Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Love Is Strange | This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from "Wikipedia article "Buddy Holly" |  | Richie Valens - By Dr. Frank Hoffmann | The importance of Valens’ short-lived career is largely symbolic in nature; he was the Latin recording artist to have an impact on the rock era charts. In his wake, would follow Dave "Baby" Cortez, Chris Montex, Sunny and the Sunglows, the Premiers, Cannibal and the Headhunters, and many others.
Born Richard Stephen Valenzuela in Pacoima (outside Los Angeles), California, Valens learned to play guitar guitar as a youth and formed a band, the Silhouettes, while in high school. He signed a contract with Del-Fi Records in spring 1958, and just missed the Top Forty that fall with "Come On, Let’s Go" (Del-Fi 4106). He followed with a double-sided hit, "Donna"/"La Bamba" (Del-Fi 4110; 1958-1959), reaching numbers two and twenty-two, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Ironically, the latter track, based on a traditional Mexican wedding song, has proven to be his most popular recording (a 1987 biopic based on his life, and featuring the music of Los Lobos, was entitled La Bamba).
At this point in time, Valens was in great demand as a performer, appearing on national television programs and package tours. On February 3, 1959, a small plane carrying Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper (aka J.P. Richardson) crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa immediately following a concert. His studio recordings, which essentially fit on one compact disc, have been released in many editions since his death. | 
| | The Big Bopper Article From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. | | Jiles Perry (J.P.) Richardson, Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), called Jape by friends but commonly known as The Big Bopper, was a disc jockey who parlayed a big voice and exuberant personality into a career as an early rock and roll star. He is best known for his hit song "Chantilly Lace". Early years
Richardson was born in Sabine Pass, Texas, the oldest son of Jiles Perry, Sr. and Elise (Stalsby) Richardson. His father was an oil field worker and driller. He had two younger brothers, Cecil and James. Within a short time the family moved to Beaumont, Texas. He graduated from Beaumont High School in 1947 and was a member of the "Royal Purple" football team, wearing number "85" as a defensive lineman.
Richardson later studied pre-law at Lamar College, and was a member of the band and chorus. During this time he worked part time at KTRM radio, where in 1949 he was hired full-time and left school. On April 18, 1952, Richardson married Adrianne Joy Fryou from Montegut, Louisiana; in December 1953 their daughter, Debra Joy, was born. Earlier that year Richardson was promoted to Supervisor of Announcers at KTRM. In March 1955 he was drafted into the United States Army. His basic training was at Fort Ord, California after which Richardson spent two years as a radar instructor at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Upon his discharge at the rank of Corporal in March 1957, Richardson returned to KTRM radio, where he held down the "Dishwashers' Serenade" shift from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
One of the station's sponsors wanted Richardson for a new time slot and suggested a gimmick for the show. Richardson noticed all the college kids doing a dance called The Bop, so he decided to become known as "The Big Bopper". He kicked off a new radio show from 3 to 6 p.m., and soon The Big Bopper became the station's program director.
In May of 1957, he broke the record for continuous on-the-air broadcasting by eight minutes. He went a total of five days, two hours and eight minutes, playing 1,821 records and taking showers during five-minute newscasts. During the marathon, he lost 35 pounds (16 kg). KTRM paid Richardson $746.50 for his overtime and he quickly hit the sack for 20 hours.
According to the Internet Accuracy Project website, Richardson is credited with coining the term "rock video". | 
| Musical career
Around this time, Richardson -- who played guitar -- started writing more songs. George Jones later recorded Richardson's "White Lightning", which became Jones' first #1 country hit in 1959 (#73 on the pop charts). Richardson also wrote "Running Bear" for Johnny Preston, his friend from Port Arthur, Texas. Inspiration for the song came from Richardson's childhood memory of the Sabine river, where he heard stories about Indian tribes. Jape sang background on "Running Bear", but it wasn't released until September 1959, after his death. Within several months it went to #1.
The man who launched Richardson as a recording artist was Harold "Pappy" Dailey from Houston. Dailey was promotion director for Mercury and Starday records and signed Richardson to Mercury. Richardson's first single, "Beggar To A King", had a country flavor, but failed to gain any chart action. He soon cut "Chantilly Lace" as "The Big Bopper" for Pappy Dailey's D label. Mercury bought the recording and released it during the summer of 1958. It reached #6 on the pop charts and spent 22 weeks on the national Top 40. It also inspired an answer record by Jayne Mansfield titled "That Makes It". In "Chantilly Lace", Richardson pretends to have a flirting phone call with his girlfriend; the Mansfield record suggests what his girlfriend might have been saying at the other end of the line.
With the success of "Chantilly Lace," Richardson took some time off from KTRM radio and joined Buddy Holly and The Crickets, Ritchie Valens and Dion & the Belmonts for a "Winter Dance Party" tour. On February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly chartered a Beechcraft Bonanza to take him and his new Crickets band (Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings) to Fargo, North Dakota. Richardson came down with the flu and didn't feel comfortable on the bus, so Jennings gave his plane seat to Richardson. Valens had never flown on a small plane and requested Allsup's seat. They flipped a coin, and Valens called heads and won the toss.
Death
In the early morning of February 3, after a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, the small four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza took off from the Mason City airport during a blinding snow storm and crashed into Albert Juhl’s corn field several miles after takeoff at 1:05 a.m. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson and the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson. This event would become known as "The Day the Music Died".
Richardson, 28 when he died, left behind his wife, Adrianne, and 4-year-old daughter Debra Joy; a son, Jay Perry Richardson, was born in April of 1959. At the time of his death, Richardson had been building a recording studio in his home in Beaumont, Texas, and was also planning to invest in the ownership of a radio station. In addition, he had written 20 new songs with plans to record by himself and with other artists. Richardson was a well-loved figure who was known to care deeply about his family.
Son Jay P. Richardson took up a musical career inspired by his late father and is known professionally as "The Big Bopper, Jr." He has performed at venues around the world. Notably, he has toured on the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly impersonator John Mueller on some of the very same stages as his father.
In film, Richardson has been portrayed by Gailard Sartain in The Buddy Holly Story and Stephen Lee in La Bamba.
Tributes
In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the ’50s era, erected a stainless steel monument depicting a steel guitar and a set of three records bearing the names of each of the three performers. It is located on private farmland, about one quarter mile west of the intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue, approximately eight miles north of Clear Lake; this is where the plane crash occurred. He also created a similar stainless steel monument to the three musicians near the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That memorial was unveiled on July 17, 2003.
J.P. Richardson's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
The Big Bopper is fondly remembered not only for his distinctive singing and songwriting, but also as a humorist who combined the best elements of country, R&B and rock'n'roll.
Quotation
* "Helllloooo baby!"
* "Oh, baby, you know what I like!" (both from "Chantilly Lace")
Cover versions of songs by The Big Bopper
* "White Lightning" was released as a single by The Fall in 1990, and is also included on the CD version of their album Shift-work.
* A 1960 recording by Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent doing a duet of "White Lightning" has also been released.
* "Running Bear" is often performed by the comedy duo Williams and Ree.
* Rocket From The Crypt recorded a semi-cover of "Chantilly Lace". "Chantilly Face", which appears on "All Systems Go!" features RFTC singer Speedo, talking over the phone, answering the Big Bopper's questions, and playing guitar over the chorus.
* Jerry Lee Lewis recorded a version of "Chantilly Lace".
* Sammy Hagar borrowed "Chantilly Lace"'s opening line of "Hello, baby!" for "Good Enough", the opening track of his first album with Van Halen, 5150. | This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from "Wikipedia article "The_Big_Bopper" |
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