The Buddy Holly Center in Buddy’s home town of Lubbock, Texas is also marking the occasion by opening its doors free of charge from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm this evening. The permanent exhibition includes photographs, clothing, report cards, a pair of Holly’s trademake glasses and his Fender Stratocaster guitar.

Let’s step back in time for an example of how the media reacted to the tragedy in 1959. Ren Grevatt had this to say in his February 9, 1959 “On the Beat” column for Billboard Magazine:

Moving up to date, Dion DiMucci, who also played on the Winter Dance Party tour, has paid tribute to the three on his Facebook page:

Related items:
“Listen to Me: Buddy Holly” – tribute album
Test your knowledge of Buddy Holly

“Buddy Holly: Listen To Me/The Ultimate Buddy Party” includes performances from a Buddy Holly 75th Birthday tribute concert that took place at the Music Box in Hollywood on September 7. Among the artists featured in the special are Stevie Nicks, Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, Raul Malo, Graham Nash, Paul Anka, Phil Everly, Patrick Stump and James Burton. There are also taped messages from big name fans of Holly, including Ringo Starr, Keith Richards, Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne and Eric Idle.

“Buddy Holly: Listen To Me” promo

“Buddy Holly: Listen To Me” will debut on December 3 on most PBS stations. Check your local listings at pbs.org/tvschedules.

A number of the artists featured on the television special were also on the “Listen To Me” tribute album that was released last month. Here’s the track list:

1. “Not Fade Away” – Stevie Nicks
2. “Maybe Baby” – Pat Monahan
3. “Listen To Me” – Brian Wilson
4. “I’m Lookin’ For Someone To Love” – Imelda May
5. “True Love Ways” – Jackson Browne
6. “Peggy Sue” – Cobra Starship
7. “Take Your Time” – The Fray
8. “Think It Over” – Ringo Starr
9. “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” – Chris Isaak
10. “That’ll Be The Day” – Linda Ronstadt
11. “Words Of Love” – Jeff Lynne
12. “Well All Right” – Lyle Lovett
13. “Learning The Game” – Natalie Merchant
14. “Everyday” – Patrick Stump
15. “It’s So Easy” – Zooey Deschanel
16. “Raining In My Heart” – Eric Idle.

A DVD of the television special will be available exclusively from PBS, but the CD can be ordered now from:

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Buddy Holly would have been 75-years-old today if he hadn’t died tragically in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, aged just 22. To mark the occasion, the latest Classic Pop Icons “Rock and Pop Quiz” is devoted to the life and career of Buddy Holly. For each of the 20 questions, you are asked to choose the correct answer from four possibilities. Once all 20 have been selected, click the “Show Results” button to find out how well you did.

See also: Stars pay tribute to Buddy Holly

“That’ll Be The Day” was released on single in May 1957, backed with “I’m Looking For Someone to Love,” and also appeared on The Crickets’ first album “The Chirping Crickets” a few months later.

“That’ll Be The Day” was the song that launched Buddy Holly’s career. Decca Records had signed Buddy in February 1956, but dropped him in January 1957 after his first couple of singles failed to chart. Undeterred, the future star began recording with Norman Petty the following month at a session that would produce the hit record “That’ll Be The Day.” This was in fact Buddy’s second recording of the song and would not have been released if Buddy had strictly observed the terms of his Decca contract. Under that contract, Buddy was prohibited from re-recording any songs that he had done at his Decca sessions for a period of five years. To get round this inconvenience, “That’ll Be The Day” was released under the group name “The Crickets.”

After the new version of “That’ll Be The Day” became a hit, Decca released the original recording on the B-side of the single “Rock Around with Ollie Vee” in September 1957, and then on the album “That’ll Be The Day” in April 1958.

Buddy Holly – “That’ll Be The Day” (original recording)

The changes introduced during the later recording were well judged. The new key of ‘A’ was much better suited to Buddy’s voice than the original key of ‘D’, and the bluesy intro and background vocals were also strong additions to the hit recording.

The Crickets – “That’ll Be The Day”

“That’ll Be The Day” was also a huge hit in the UK and helped make him a favourite among the nation’s youth, including both John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Before the Quarrymen became the Beatles, they recorded a demonstration disc of “That’ll Be The Day” which followed the original arrangement very closely. The recording was released on The Beatles’ “Anthology 1” in 1995.

“That’ll Be The Day” rightly takes its place alongside the likes of “Hound Dog,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Great Balls Of Fire” as one of the true classics of early rock ‘n’ roll.

Authorship

“That’ll Be The Day” was written by Buddy Holly and drummer Jerry Allison. Norman Petty was also given a writing credit for his work during the production of the song.

The song title was inspired by the movie “The Searchers,” in which John Wayne said the phrase “That’ll be the day” on a number of occasions.

Recording date/location

The hit version of “That’ll Be The Day” was recorded on February 25, 1957 at Norman Petty Recording Studios, which was located at 1313 West 7th Street in Clovis, New Mexico.

The original version was recorded at Bradley’s Barn, Nashville on July 22, 1956.

Musicians

The following musicians appeared on “That’ll Be The Day”:

• Buddy Holly – lead guitar and vocals
• Larry Welborn – bass
• Jerry Allison – drums
• Niki Sullivan – backing vocals
• Gary Tollett – backing vocals
• Ramona Tollett – backing vocals
• June Clark – backing vocals.

Larry Welborn had been a member of the “Buddy, Bob and Larry” trio with Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery. His position on bass was subsequently taken by Joe B. Maudlin, who together with Allison and Holly made up the classic Crickets line up.

Chart performance

“That’ll Be The Day” had been out for four months when it finally reached number one on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart on September 17, 1957. This was Buddy Holly’s only number one single in the US.

The song hit the top spot in the UK on November 1, 1957.

Other notable recordings

As a classic rock ‘n’ roll song, “That’ll Be The Day” has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Cliff Richard, The Hollies, Connie Francis and The La’s. Here’s two notable covers:

The Everly Brothers – “That’ll Be The Day”

“That’ll Be The Day” was one of a number of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll covers to feature on the Everly Brothers’ 1965 album “Rock ‘N Soul.” This is an interesting and highly successful cover, with the Everlys’ trademark harmonies backed by a slower, more R&B-influenced arrangement than the Holly original. The Everlys released “That’ll Be The Day” on single in 1965, backed with “Give Me a Sweetheart.” The single reached number 30 in the UK but failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Linda Ronstadt – “That’ll Be The Day”

Linda Ronstadt included “That’ll Be The Day” on her tenth album, “Hasten Down The Wind,” in 1976. This is an an appealing country rock interpretation, with a solid vocal and good guitar work from Andrew Gold and Waddy Wachtel.

“That’ll Be The Day” was the first single from the album and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. She would hit number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year with a cover of Holly’s “It’s So Easy.”

Here’s Linda with a live version from the period.

Linda Ronstadt’s cover of “That’ll Be The Day” is featured on the new Buddy Holly tribute album “Listen To Me: Buddy Holly.”

There will be a new Song of the Week on September 12.

Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be The Day” appears on a number of compilation albums, including the 2-CD “The Very Best Of Buddy Holly And The Crickets.” Both versions of “That’ll Be The Day” feature on the impressive 6-CD box set “Not Fade Away – The Complete Studio Recordings and More.”

Buddy Holly’s 75th Birthday has been marked with two tribute albums featuring cover versions of his classic hits – “Rave On Buddy Holly” and “Listen To Me: Buddy Holly.” Modest Mouse’s cover of “That’ll Be The Day” features on the former and, as noted above, Linda Ronstadt’s cover is included on the latter.

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The Very Best Of Buddy Holly And The Crickets (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Not Fade Away – The Complete Studio Recordings and More (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Rave On Buddy Holly(CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

“Listen to Me: Buddy Holly” celebrates what would have been Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday on September 7. The rock ‘n’ roll legend died on February 3, 1959 in a tragic airplane crash that also claimed the lives of Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper and the pilot.

Here’s a taste of what to expect, with a great rendition of “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” from Chris Isaak, courtesy of Rolling Stone:

“Listen to Me: Buddy Holly” tracklist:

1. “Not Fade Away” – Stevie Nicks
2. “Maybe Baby” – Pat Monahan
3. “Listen To Me” – Brian Wilson
4. “I’m Lookin’ For Someone To Love” – Imelda May
5. “True Love Ways” – Jackson Browne
6. “Peggy Sue” – Cobra Starship
7. “Take Your Time” – The Fray
8. “Think It Over” – Ringo Starr
9. “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” – Chris Isaak
10. “That’ll Be The Day” – Linda Ronstadt
11. “Words Of Love” – Jeff Lynne
12. “Well All Right” – Lyle Lovett
13. “Learning The Game” – Natalie Merchant
14. “Everyday” – Patrick Stump
15. “It’s So Easy” – Zooey Deschanel
16. “Raining In My Heart” – Eric Idle.

“Listen To Me: Buddy Holly” promo

If you think the concept sounds familiar, that is because a very similar project was released in June titled “Rave On Buddy Holly.” “Rave On Buddy Holly” featured an interesting mix of old and new artists, including Paul McCartney, Florence and the Machine, Cee-Lo Green and Lou Reed.

“Rave On Buddy Holly” tracklist:

1. “Dearest” – The Black Keys
2. “Every Day” – Fiona Apple and Jon Brion
3. “It’s So Easy” – Paul McCartney
4. “Not Fade Away – Florence and the Machine
5. “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care” – Cee-Lo Green
6. “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” – Karen Elson
7. “Rave On” – Julian Casablancas
8. “I’m Gonna Love You Too” – Jenny O.
9. “Maybe Baby” – Justin Townes Earle
10. “Oh Boy” – She & Him
11. “Changing All Those Changes” – Nick Lowe
12. “Words of Love” – Patti Smith
13. “True Love Ways” – My Morning Jacket
14. “That’ll Be the Day” – Modest Mouse
15. “Well…All Right” – Kid Rock
16. “Heartbeat” – The Detroit Cobras
17. “Peggy Sue” – Lou Reed
18. “Peggy Sue Got Married” – John Doe
19. “Raining in My Heart” – Graham Nash.

“Listen to Me: Buddy Holly” is released on September 6. Both titles can be ordered from:

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Listen to Me: Buddy Holly (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Rave On Buddy Holly (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

Here’s the tracklist for “Rave On Buddy Holly”:

1. “Dearest” – The Black Keys
2. “Every Day” – Fiona Apple and Jon Brion
3. “It’s So Easy” – Paul McCartney
4. “Not Fade Away – Florence and the Machine
5. “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care” – Cee Lo Green
6. “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” – Karen Elson
7. “Rave On” – Julian Casablancas
8. “I’m Gonna Love You Too” – Jenny O.
9. “Maybe Baby” – Justin Townes Earle
10. “Oh Boy” – She & Him
11. “Changing All Those Changes” – Nick Lowe
12. “Words of Love” – Patti Smith
13. “True Love Ways” – My Morning Jacket
14. “That’ll Be the Day” – Modest Mouse
15. “Well…All Right” – Kid Rock
16. “Heartbeat” – The Detroit Cobras
17. “Peggy Sue” – Lou Reed
18. “Peggy Sue Got Married” – John Doe
19. “Raining in My Heart” – Graham Nash.

“Rave On Buddy Holly” will be released on June 28 in CD and vinyl formats:

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Rave On Buddy Holly (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Rave On Buddy Holly – vinyl (2 LPs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

See if you can identify these stars before they were famous. Click on the images to enlarge and scroll down for the answers.

1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24

Leave a comment below to tell us how many you guessed correctly.

“Words of Love” was released on June 20, 1957, backed with “Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues.”

Recording date/location

“Words of Love” was recorded on April 8, 1957 at the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, New Mexico.

Authorship

The song was written solely by Buddy Holly.

Musicians

“Words of Love” featured Buddy on lead guitar and lead vocals, Jerry Allison on drums and Joe B. Maudlin on bass.

Chart performance

As incongruous as it seems now, given how well loved the song is, “Words of Love” failed to chart. This would have been particularly disappointing, given the number one success of Buddy’s previous single “That’ll Be the Day.” However, Holly would soon be back in the top 10 with “Peggy Sue” (#3) and “Oh Boy!” (#10).

Covers

The Diamonds – “Words of Love”

The Diamonds, who are most well known for their cover of the Gladiola’s “Little Darlin’” reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their version of “Words of Love” in July 1957. The doo-wop arrangement lacks the subtlety of the original.

The Beatles – “Words of Love”

This was one of several covers on The Beatles’ “Beatles for Sale” album. They recorded the track in October 1964, but had been playing it live for several years. The Beatles were fans of Buddy Holly and stuck close to the original arrangement with their version.

Paul McCartney revisted “Words of Love” for the television show “The Real Buddy Holly Story” in 1985.

The Beatles

The band went through various names before becoming The Beatles. Stuart Sutcliffe suggested changing the name from The Quarrymen to The Beetles, as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and because a motorcycle gang in the Marlon Brando movie “The Wild One” was called The Beetles.

A number of other names were used briefly before settling on The Beatles, including The Beatals, Johnny and the Moondogs, Long John and the Beetles, and The Silver Beatles.

It was Lennon who had the idea of combining Beetles and Beat to form the most famous band name of all time. He did once claim to have had a vision as a child of a flaming pie in the sky that said ‘You are Beatles with an “A,” but that’s likely an example of his quirky sense of humour.

The Bee Gees

The BG either comes from “Brothers Gibb” or the name of two friends that helped them launch their careers – Bill Goode and DJ Bill Gates. The former seems more likely.

David Bowie

Bowie was born David Jones, but decided to change his name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees. The name Bowie was inspired by the Bowie Knife that he had as a child.

Chubby Checker

Ernest Evans was given the name Chubby Checker during an audition for American Bandstand host Dick Clark. Evans told Clark’s wife that he was sometimes called Chubby and, inspired by the name Fats Domino, she came up with Chubby Checker which he used from that point on.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

The band was originally called the Golliwogs by their label. The name change was inspired by a logo on an Olympia beer can.

The Crickets

Buddy Holly’s backing band was informally known as The Three Tunes before becoming The Crickets in 1957. They had first considered being named after a type of bird, before moving on to consider insects. The Beetles was one possibility considered, before settling on The Crickets.

Dion and the Belmonts

The Belmonts were named after a street in the Bronx, New York where they would hang out and sing.

Doobie Brothers

The band was originally called PUD. Doobie is slang for a marijuana joint and was thought to be a better name.

The Doors

The Doors were originally called the Psychedelic Rangers. The name change was inspired by Aldous Huxley’s book on drug experimentation – “The Doors of Perception.” Huxley had taken the phrase from a line in the William Blake poem “Marriage of Heaven”:

Bob Dylan

Dylan’s real name was Robert Allen Zimmerman but he had it legally changed in August 1962 to Bob Dylan. He considered the name Robert Zimmerman to be too long and chose Dylan in homage to author Dylan Thomas.

Grateful Dead

The name derives from a series of English folk tales, whereby a stranger pays the debts of a dead man to enable him to be given a decent burial, and then his own life is later saved by a mysterious event. This is attributed to the grateful spirit – hence the Grateful Dead.

The band was originally called The Warlocks, but had to change its name because that was already being used by another band.

Engelbert Humperdinck

Humperdinck was born Arnold George Dorsey and performed for around a decade as Gerry Dorsey before his manager Gordon Mills advised him to change his name in 1966. Dorsey named himself after the German composer of “Hansel and Gretel.” Would he have done so if he’d known he’d be stuck with the name for the next 40+ years?

Jefferson Airplane

Founding member of Jefferson Airplane, Jorma Kaukonen, said that a friend came up with the name as a homage to bluesman “Blind Lemon” Jefferson.

Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull were named for the 18th century agriculturalist who invented the seed drill and initiated a number of other agricultural improvements. The band changed its name several times to get gigs on the London club circuit, but stuck with Jethro Tull after a strong performance led to a repeat booking.

Led Zeppelin

The Who’s Keith Moon had joked with Jimmy Page and Keith Entwistle about how a collaboration between them would go down like a “lead balloon” with the other members of The Who. Jimmy remembered this when putting his new band together and came up with the name “Lead Zeppelin,” and then “Led Zeppelin” to avoid any pronounciation mistakes.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

The band had been called “Noble Five” and “One Percent” but changed their name to Lynyrd Skynyrd. This step immortalised a gym teacher from high school called Leonard Skinner who had punished band members Gary Rossington and Bob Burns for their dress code and long hair.

O’Jays

Originally called The Mascots, the band changed its name to The O’Jays in homage to Cleveland DJ, Eddie O’Jay, who helped them out in their early days.

Pink Floyd

The name came from Georgia bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

The Pretenders

The Pretenders were named after the classic Platters hit “The Great Pretender.”

Procul Harum

This was taken from the pedigree name (Procul Harun) of a Siamese cat that belonged to a friend of the band’s manager, Guy Stevens. Procul Harun is latin for “Beyond these things.” Someone wrote it down wrong and the band became Procul Harum.

The Righteous Brothers

The pair were performing in a group called The Paramours in Los Angeles when an enthusiastic audience member called out “That’s righteous, brothers.” The compliment was remembered when they decided to begin their career as a duo shortly afterwards.

Rolling Stones

Brian Jones suggested this name in recognition of the band’s blues roots and, specifically, Muddy Waters’ song “Rollin’ Stone,” which is also known as “Catfish Blues.”

Small Faces

The band chose the name to reflect the small stature of the members and in recognition of Mod slang, where Face meant a cool and stylish guy.

Steppenwolf

The band’s producer, Gabriel Mekler, suggested the name “Steppenwolf” after the novel of the same name by Hermann Hesse, which he had just read.

Thin Lizzy

The Beano comic character Tin Lizzy was the inspiration for the band’s name. Guitarist Eric Bell had purchased a copy of the Beano after seeing Clapton reading the comic on the front of a John Mayall album cover.

Velvet Underground

The band was named after a book about sadomasochism by Michael Leigh, which a band member had found on a sidewalk in New York.

The Who

The band had been called The Detours before changing their name to The Who. The name resulted from a brainstorming session during which people kept saying “The Who?” when they couldn’t hear suggestions. The band chose The Who, but then briefly became The High Numbers before settling on The Who for good.

Wings

The name came to Paul McCartney while he was waiting in a hospital wing for his wife Linda to give birth.

The Yardbirds

Lead singer Keith Relf wanted a new name for his Metropolitan Blues Quartet when band members changed in 1963. He formed the name “Yardbirds” from jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker’s nickname “Bird” and from the American slang for a prisoner.

“To Be Loved” – Jackie Wilson

Jackie Wilson was an outstanding performer with a brilliant voice and impressive stage presence. Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson were among his fans. “To Be Loved” was one of nine hit singles composed for Jackie Wilson by Berry Gordy, Jr., Gordy’s sister Gwen and Roquel Davis. Others included the fabulous “Reet Petite” and “Lonely Teardrops.” “To Be Loved” was a top 20 hit in the US and UK.

“True Love Ways” – Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly’s finest ballad was co-written with Norman Petty and recorded with the Ray Ellis orchestra in October 1958. “True Love Ways” was released posthumously on the album “The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2″ and was also a hit single in the UK (b/w “Moonbeams” and US (b/w “That Makes it Tough”.)

“Can’t Help Falling In Love” – Elvis Presley

This is one of Elvis Presley’s best loved ballads. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” was recorded for the Blue Hawaii soundtrack in 1961 and has since featured on countless compilations. Many artists have covered this song, including U2 and UB40, but Elvis’ remains the definitive performance. It was later used to close Elvis’ shows throughout the ’70s.

“Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” – The Shirelles

The Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” was one of the truly great pop songs of the early 1960s. It was recorded in 1960 and in 1961 became the first song by an all-girl group to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The Shirelles were Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Beverly Lee and Addie ‘Micki’ Harris.

“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” was one of many classic songs written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, including “Up On the Roof” (the Drifters), “One Fine Day” (the Chiffons), and “I’m Into Something Good” (Herman’s Hermits).

“And I Love Her” – The Beatles

We conclude with a 1964 classic from The Beatles. “And I Love Her” featured in the movie “A Hard Day’s Night” and the soundtrack album for that movie, and was also released as a single (b/w “If I Fell”). The song was written mainly by Paul McCartney, but John Lennon possibly had input on the middle eight. This is a stand out ballad from The Beatles in a period where they were churning out one classic song after another.