Description
The first Buddy Holly Week was held in the UK, organized by his fans in London. Holly had visited the UK only once, during a tour in March 1958.
Related events
- A statue of Buddy Holly was unveiled in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas.
- Buddy Holly and the Crickets performed at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., as part of a tour featuring Clyde McPhatter, The Cadillacs, Edna McGriff, Otis Rush, Lee Andrews & The Hearts, Oscar & Oscar, and The G-Clefs. “That'll Be the Day” was at No. 2 on the U.S. chart at the time, and the tour marked Holly’s first major tour.
- Buddy Holly was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His widow Maria Elena, longtime friend Phil Everly and Gary Busey, who portrayed Holly in the 1978 film, attended the ceremony.
- Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was born in Lubbock, Texas. His name was misspelled on his first recording contract, and he decided to keep the spelling. Holly, singer and songwriter with The Crickets, was one of the pioneers of rock'n'roll and had a major influence on The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other stars of the 1960s. The Crickets had the US No. 1 hit “That'll Be The Day” in 1957, while Holly had the UK No. 1 single “It Doesn't Matter Anymore” in 1959 and more than 15 other UK Top 40 hits. He died at the age of 22 in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, alongside The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. Don McLean's song “American Pie” is about his death.