![]() I discovered Roddy Jordan, a record collector and author from Australia, who knows more about Buddy Holly and the Crickets’ 1958 Australia tour with Jerry Lee Lewis and Paul Anka than anyone I have ever known. I was introduced to Chris Rees from England, and soon learned that Chris is an expert on Buddy Holly-related photos. Through Bill Griggs, I had the opportunity to befriend other Buddy Holly fans and collectors. ![]() ![]() Bill was producing “Reminiscing” newsletters and magazines and I bought everything he published. I discovered that Buddy Holly historian Bill Griggs lived in Lubbock, and we became fast friends. I spent a great deal of time with Travis, studying Buddy’s history. I was hooked.Īfter that night at Travis’ house, I became obsessed with learning about Buddy. I had the chance to see Buddy’s guitar, his boots, clothing, wallets, and caps, and as the saying goes, the rest is history. My roommate told Travis about my love for Buddy’s music and Travis invited me over. The homeowner was Buddy’s brother, Travis Holley. He approached a home and requested to use their telephone. In 1986, my college roommate was riding around town on his bike and had a flat tire. I drove past Lubbock High School and visited the Buddy Holly statue many times. I could not believe that I was living in Buddy Holly’s hometown. In 1983, I moved to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University. There are some fans who don’t like the movie because of its extreme poetic license but for me, it brought Buddy Holly back to life! I appreciated the movie then and now. In 1978, “The Buddy Holly Story” was released on the silver screen, starring Gary Busey. ![]() When I heard Don McLean sing “American Pie” in 1971 about “the day the music died” and I learned part of the song was about Buddy Holly, I really wanted to know more. I purchased “The Chirping Crickets” album and relished all of those songs, too. I can remember listening to 45-rpm records of the Crickets singing “That’ll Be The Day,” and I loved the song. I became a fan of Buddy Holly and the Crickets in the early 1970s. Most early rock-and-roll fans can recite the “quick facts” about Buddy Holly … he was born in Lubbock, Texas, made some of the best hits of the 1950s era, he died in a plane crash in 1959, and there’s a movie that tells you all about it. There are countless musicians and artists who list Buddy as a driving influence to their own careers. The influence of Buddy Holly is so enormous that it is almost impossible to calculate. His musical career spanned a mere 18 months, and yet his legacy continues to grow, even six decades later. Buddy Holly, a rock-and-roll legend and favorite son of Lubbock, Texas, lived only 22 years before his life was cut tragically short due to a plane crash outside of Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb. ![]()
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