Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas, was one of the founding figures of Rock & Roll in the mid-1950s. With his band The Crickets, he helped define the genre's early sound, pairing Country and R&B influences with a clean, hiccupping vocal style and pioneering the use of the Fender Stratocaster as a lead instrument in pop music. His self-penned songwriting and studio experimentation set him apart from many contemporaries who relied on outside writers.

Hits like «Peggy Sue», «That'll Be the Day», «Oh, Boy!» and «Everyday» showcased a versatility spanning uptempo rockers and tender ballads such as «True Love Ways». His melodic sensibility and use of double-tracking and orchestral strings in the studio influenced a generation of artists who came after him, from The Beatles to Bob Dylan.

Holly's career was cut short on 3 February 1959, when he died in a plane crash alongside Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, an event later immortalized as «The Day the Music Died» in Don McLean's «American Pie». Despite recording for barely two years, his influence on the development of Rock & Roll songwriting and guitar-based pop remains foundational.