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Maddie Merker

Rock Radio

The Impact Has on Rock Music

On September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, a rock superstar was born into the world

(Biography.com editors). This boy, born Charles Hardin Holley but famously known as Buddy

Holly, was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who defined contemporary standards in rock music

(Biography.com; Wilson and Malone 250). During his short-lived career, he conveyed music that stood out virtually among all acts during the period. Buddy Holly transformed rock music and it would not have been how it is today without his essential contribution to the genre. Throughout this paper, I will discuss the ways in which he made a major impact on rock music.

Buddy Holly’s music was plainly unique and innovative. He had a solid tenor voice with recurring hiccupping hesitations in his singing and his music was beautifully melodic ("Buddy

Holly," Columbia Electronic). There was a childlike quality in his music, and this was shown in his lyrics and singing. He used fun phrases like, “oops-o-daisy” and “oh boy” in his songs, and he would swiftly alter his voice from singing in falsetto to deep bass (DeMain 94). He had a refreshing and new way of singing that wasn’t merely heard ever before. As mentioned by

DeMain, Buddy Holly’s drummer, , said that he hiccupped while singing because he wanted to sound different from what all other musical acts were doing (94). These elements of his singing conveyed to listeners that they can sing in a “less traditional way”, and that it could make your music more interesting.

Buddy Holly also simply wrote his own music and did so with his band that was called

The Crickets (Mellencamp). This was unique during this period when it was common for white musicians to cover black artists’ music, which meant they would not play songs that they wrote

2 themselves (Vyverman). As claimed by DeMain, “he was one of the first white rock stars [who relied on] his material” (95). Buddy Holly presented his inner ambition to his listeners by playing music he crafted from the heart. With this, he could connect with listeners, and as John

Mellencamp stated, “[He was able to] communicate directly, honestly with his audience.” Buddy

Holly and created the standard rock band format of having two guitarists, a bass and a drummer (“100 Greatest Guitarists”; Biography.com editors; "Buddy Holly," Columbia

Electronic). This is the common structure of a rock band today.

His major musical influences included bluegrass, blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and early rock n’ roll, most notably Elvis Presley ("Buddy Holly," Columbia Electronic; Crowther;

Wilson and Malone 250). Upon seeing Elvis Presley perform, after him and his band opened for

Presley at a concert in Lubbock, Buddy Holly’s music morphed to include more of a rock n’ roll sound (“Buddy Holly," Columbia Electronic; Biography.com editors; Wilson and Malone 251).

His music prior to then was country (Biography.com editors). This occurred in the mid-50’s and by the late 50’s, his music solidly became rock n’ roll (“Buddy Holly," Columbia Electronic). As mentioned by Sumrall, his style of rock n’ roll contradicted with other acts at the time because it combined country music sweetness with the rock n’ roll edginess (133). Rockabilly was usually a clear mix of country music with rock n’ roll, but Holly’s leaned heavily more on the rock n’ roll side than the country side (Sumrall 133). His style of music was completely distinctive and unmatchable among all 50’s rock performers, and it was completely revolutionary. This is what caused his music to stand out among music listeners. Sumrall noted that his voice was smooth to match well with his melodic songs, and it was more like that of hillbilly vocalists from the

1930’s and 40’s than it was to the R&B and other rock singers during his time (133). He contrasted with Elvis Presley in that his voice was subtle, relaxed and he dressed more easy-

3 going (Sumrall 133). According to Sumrall, “with his popularity, he proved that sleek, sexy looks were not essential for rock success” (133). Holly always wore his signature horn-rimmed glasses while performing, and he wore simple attire (DeMain 95). His most famous outfit was a button-down suit with pants and nice shoes. His fashion sense and music led many future musicians to imitate his style, with the most notable acts being Marshall Crenshaw, Elvis

Costello and the band Weezer (Wilson and Malone 250).

In 1958, on the evening of March 2nd, soon-to-be rock superstars Elton John, Paul

McCartney, Keith Richards and among millions of others witnessed Buddy Holly performing his hit “” on British television (DeMain 94). If it were not for Buddy Holly performing for such a massive audience, and in this case, by convenient means of people able to watch it from their home, much fewer people would have heard his music and known him. Viewers were completely agape with his performance, and they were instantly inspired to write their own simple music that was enjoyable and easily likable. In a similar fashion, John Mellencamp played Holly’s “Not Fade Away” with his band when he was in sixth grade, which was just when he heard Holly’s music for the first time. In a article, Mellencamp stated, “I was just a little kid when I first heard Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue.” You may not understand what it was like being about nine years old in 1957 or ’58, but it was quite a treat.”

Buddy Holly and the Crickets utilized innovative studio techniques while recording their music (“Buddy Holly," Columbia Electronic). A notable example of one is Buddy Holly double- tracking his voice in his music (DeMain 95). This introduced advanced studio techniques that would be utilized by various future musicians that include The Beatles and The Beach Boys

(Pete; Runtaugh). Buddy Holly himself was also the first rock star to include string instruments

4 in a record (DeMain 95), which was very novel and countless other musical acts would follow suit with including such instruments in their recordings.

During the final two years of his life from 1957 to 1959, Buddy Holly and the Crickets would release 11 charting singles and their first hit song was “That’ll Be the Day.”

(Biography.com editors; “Buddy Holly," Columbia Electronic; Wilson and Malone 251). His other hits included, “Peggy Sue”, “”, “It’s So Easy”, “Maybe Baby” and “Think It

Over” (Wilson and Malone 251). These songs have defined his career, and to this day they are his most famous songs. Linda Ronstadt, The Beatles, James Taylor and among many others have covered his songs (DeMain 95). The Rolling Stones’ scored their first Top 10 single with their cover of Holly’s “Not Fade Away” (Biography.com editors). According to Thompson, a compilation of various artists covering his music was released in 2011, and it is called

“Rave On Buddy Holly”. Some of the artists on the album are , CeeLo Green,

Modest Mouse, and (Thompson).

Buddy Holly’s music has gone on to influence countless acts, including The Beatles, The

Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Eric Clapton and Jeff

Beck (“100 Greatest Guitarists”; Biography.com editors). The Beatles’ name was apparently homage to The Crickets, and Bob Dylan at the age of 17 saw Buddy Holly perform while he was on his last tour (Biography.com editors).

Buddy Holly passed away on February 3, 1959, when the plane he was on crashed in

Clear Lake, Iowa very soon after takeoff (Wilson and Malone 251). The others who were on the plane were Richie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson (Wilson and Malone 251). Don

McClean’s acclaimed tune “American Pie” is a commemoration of this tragedy and in the song that event is regarded as “” (Biography.com editors; Wilson and Malone

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251-252). As noted by Wilson and Malone, the song “ensured posthumous renown for one of rock’s originals” (252), and it exposed Buddy Holly to new people who had not heard of him or his music before.

Buddy Holly changed the course of rock music and the direction it was going. Without his contribution to it, many (if not all) of the standards in rock music today would not have existed. There would not have been the standard rock band structure of having two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. Rock singers would not have been singing in light-hearted ways without

Holly’s music. White rock singers would not have commonly been singers and songwriters if

Holly were not one. Simple and non-pretentious music along with having a matching sense of personal fashion would not be acceptable for rock musicians today if it were not for Holly’s output. Unique studio techniques done by musicians in the studio (to enhance their music) would not have occurred if Buddy Holly did not exemplify it with his recordings. Simply, there would have also not been Don McClean’s “American Pie”! Buddy Holly transformed rock n’ roll for the best, and every single rock act that has existed since Buddy Holly traces back to what he did as a rock superstar. Rock music would not have been how it is today if it was not for Buddy

Holly. He revolutionized the genre globally.

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Works Cited

“100 Greatest Guitarists – Buddy Holly.” Rolling Stone, 18 Dec. 2015,

www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/buddy-holly-

20111122.

Biography.com editors. “Buddy Holly Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Television Networks,

www.biography.com/people/buddy-holly-9342186. Accessed 8 March 2017.

"Buddy Holly." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition, Apr. 2016, EBSCOhost,

ezproxy.depaul.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9

h&AN=39011994&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Crowther, Linnea. “Becoming Buddy Holly.” Legacy.com, 13 Oct. 2016,

www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/article/becoming-buddy-holly.

DeMain, Bill. "Buddy Holly." Performing Songwriter, vol. 13, no. 93, May 2006, pp. 94-95.

EBSCOhost,

ezproxy.depaul.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9

h&AN=20776312&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Mellencamp, John. "100 Greatest Artists – Buddy Holly." Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2010,

www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/buddy-

holly-20110420.

Pete. “What’s That Sound? Beatles Production Tricks: Part 1. “ADT”.” Of Buckley and Beatles,

7 Nov. 2010, ofbuckleyandbeatles.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/whats-that-sound-beatles-

production-tricks-part-1-adt/.

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Runtagh, Jordan. “Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’: 15 Things You Didn’t Know.” Rolling Stone, 16

May 2016, www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beach-boys-pet-sounds-15-things-you-

didnt-know-20160516.

Sumrall, Harry. “Buddy Holly.” Pioneers of Rock and Roll: 100 Artists Who Changed the Face

of Rock, 1994, pp. 132-134.

Thompson, Stephen. “First Listen: ‘Rave On Buddy Holly’.” NPR, 19 June 2011,

www.npr.org/2011/07/03/137220161/first-listen-rave-on-buddy-holly.

Vyverman, Scott. Winter 2017, DePaul University, Chicago, IL. Lecture.

Wilson, Charles Reagan; Malone, Bill C. “Holly, Buddy.” The New Encyclopedia of Southern

Culture: Music, vol. 12, Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2014, pp.

250-252. Ebook Library, carli.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1663486.