Buddy Holly

1936 - 1959

Location	Lubbock Texas
Age	22 years
Cause of Death	Accident
Date of Birth	07/09/1936
Date of Death	03/02/1959
Visitors	545 since 04/02/2009
Creator	Jean Cavanagh

Buddy Holly died when the plane he was travelling crashed shortly after take off in Iowa USA. Buddy
failed his draft physical because of his poor eyesight but he also had a stomach ulcer. His favorite
style of dress was tee shirt and jeans although as a professional he was never seen performing on
stage without a suit and tie or, in some cases, a tuxedo. Buddy Holly was the mentor of a Lubbock
disc jockey named Waylon Jennings and even produced Waylon's very first record and got his career
started. "PEGGY SUE": Yes, she was an actual person and the song was named after her. Peggy Sue
Gerron attended Lubbock High School and was the girlfriend and eventual wife of Jerry Allison, Buddy
Holly's drummer. THE LAST TOUR: Buddy married on August 15, 1958 and was living in New York City at
the time he signed to headline the Winter Dance Party tour. He had recently split (amicably) with
the Crickets and, for this tour, formed a new band consisting of Tommy Allsup (guitar), Waylon
Jennings (bass) and Carl Bunch (drums). Following the performance at the Surf Ballroom in Iowa on 2
February 1959 Buddy chartered a Beechcraft Bonanza to take him and his new Crickets Band, Tommy
Allsup and Waylon Jennings to Fargo, North Dakota. JP Richardson(The Big Bopper), came down with flu
and didn't feel comfortable on the bus, so Jennings gave his plane seat to him. Valens had never
travelled on a small plane and requested Allsups seat. They flipped a coin, Valens called heads and
won the toss. The 4 passenger plane took off into a snow storm and crashed into a cornfield several
miles after takeoff. The crash killed Holly, Valens and Richardson and the 21 year old pilot Roger
Peterson, leaving Holly's pregnant bride Maria Elena a widow. She miscarried soon after. His music
was said to have incluenced British artists such as The Beatles, Eric Clapton and The Rolling
Stones. Don McLeans American Pie was famously written about Buddy's death. God Bless and Rest In
Peace Buddy.

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Recent Tributes

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A long long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

So Bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Did you write the Book of Love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Do you believe in rock 'n roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died

Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the King and Queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the King was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lennon (Lenin?) read a book of Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The Byrds (birds) flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul out on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the Sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died

Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation Lost in Space
With no time left to start again
So come on,
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died

They were singing bye-bye,
Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die.