Discovering All Things “Buddy Holly” in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas proudly claims, Charles Hardin Holley (born September 7, 1936), or Buddy Holly, as the community’s favorite son. The young man grew up in a fine musical family, became famous, and then tragically died at the age of 22 in a plane crash during a winter snowstorm in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 3, 1959. Music legends, most notably Beatle Paul McCartney, point to Holly as a founding member of a new form of music that began in the mid-1950s called “rock and roll”. McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly’s song catalog.
I can drive you around Lubbock to see Buddy’s Legacy that begins with his modest grave in the City of Lubbock Cemetery. We can visit the Buddy Holly Center that houses artifacts of this amazing singer and songwriter and is the very heart of the Buddy Holly story in our town. There, we can get a map that takes us to see the sites that mark his birth, home-life, schooling, and where he showcased his love for music. It began by singing with his family in church. He embraced all forms of music – gospel, country and western, and rhythm and blues.
Buddy was first featured on local television and radio stations programs in 1952, and then, in 1955, his band of longtime friends, became the opening act for the most famous of rock and roll legends, Elvis Presley. Buddy left West Texas, found his name shortened from “Holley” to “Holly” in a contract typo, made his name in the music business worlds of Nashville and New York City, appeared on “American Bandstand” and “The Ed Sullivan Show”, married Maria Elena Santiago, toured the planet, and then he died. On that day, said to be “The Day the Music Died” by Don McLean in his hit song “American Pie,” young people from around the world, along with his family and friends in Lubbock, mourned the death of a truly remarkable young man and musician.
Two years before his death, Buddy and his band, The Crickets, were managed by legendary music producer, Norman Petty from Clovis, New Mexico, when they released one of the most recognizable songs in music history, “That’ll Be the Day.” The song topped the sales charts in America and in the United Kingdom. Everyone loved Buddy Holly and the Crickets, even the girl memorialized in their follow-up hit, “Peggy Sue”!
Buddy Holly’s playing and singing style were new and innovative. Holly is also credited for his “staging” for his rock and roll bands – two guitars, a standup bass, and a drum set. In 1986, Holly was honored to be among the first artists inducted into Cleveland, Ohio’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other rock and roll legends that credit Buddy Holly’s influence on their careers, include The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. In 1997, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Holly a Lifetime Achievement Award. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Buddy Holly as Number 13 on its “100 Greatest Artists” list in 2010.
The Buddy Holly Center celebrates “Everything Buddy” with love and happiness twice a year, on his birthday and on his death day, when visitors are invited to experience music, and art, in all their glory. Center Director Jacqueline Bober was kind enough to tell us about the plans for this year’s February event.
“February 3, 2024, marks the 65th anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and pilot Roger Peterson. The Buddy Holly Center commemorates this date each year with a special remembrance called “The Day the Music Died.” This year’s event, on the first Saturday in February, the Center will offer free admission from 10 am to 5 pm. Guests can take a guided tour of the Buddy Holly Gallery led by Curator Sebastian Forbush and view screenings of Larry Holley’s documentary “The Buddy I Knew” featuring his memories of his youngest brother.” “Tours are also available of the boyhood home of Jerry Allison, drummer with The Crickets, which sits adjacent to the Center. Children’s activities will also be offered throughout the day. The event serves to honor Buddy and the rich musical legacy he left behind.”
Director Boder added more celebratory news. “This year (2024) also marks the 25th anniversary of the Buddy Holly Center. Opened in September of 1999 in the historic Railway Depot, the Buddy Holly Center not only preserves, collects and promotes the legacy of Buddy Holly, but the music and art of Lubbock and West Texas. We provide exhibitions on contemporary visual arts and music to educate and entertain the public. Our visitors from virtually every country learn about Buddy’s life, his music and its lasting inspiration that can be felt to this day.”
An additional Buddy Holly legacy building can be found across downtown in the new Lubbock Arts-Cultural District. The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences is an amazingly beautiful performing arts venue. It has given Lubbock residents and visitors, young and old, a stunning venue for celebrated musical/dance groups, famous comedians, children programs, and Broadway Touring Companies.
