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Rave On
Draws on interviews with many of Holly's associates, as well as his widow, to create a portrait of the young man who took the American music scene by storm and then died in a tragic plane crash
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 9, 2018
Besides being a fan of Holly's music - though his career was a regrettably brief two years, there are more than a dozen of his rockabilly-style (that pleasing blend of R&B and country-western) songs I will enjoy until I draw my last breath - I think I also dove into Rave On for similar reasons that I read books about John and Bobby Kennedy: simply but sincerely wanting to believe that, had their lives not been abruptly cut short, they would have really amazed us with their further work.
Norman does an admirable job with his well-researched bio on the Lone Star state's original rock star - who could have predicted a slim, bespectacled, unruly-haired working-class young adult would actually became the early, rare 'triple-threat' of singer / songwriter / instrumentalist in the American pop / rock music scene? What is also refreshing is that, by the accounts documented here, Holly was a genuinely decent guy as well - barring one brief fling with a married woman, he's otherwise presented as a good son, brother, friend, musician, and (even at his young age) show-biz mentor. His life story is not boring, but thankfully the standard sleaze and scandal - Stones and Zeppelin, I dig you guys, but this note's for you - is absent and not missed at all, at least by me.
Norman does an admirable job with his well-researched bio on the Lone Star state's original rock star - who could have predicted a slim, bespectacled, unruly-haired working-class young adult would actually became the early, rare 'triple-threat' of singer / songwriter / instrumentalist in the American pop / rock music scene? What is also refreshing is that, by the accounts documented here, Holly was a genuinely decent guy as well - barring one brief fling with a married woman, he's otherwise presented as a good son, brother, friend, musician, and (even at his young age) show-biz mentor. His life story is not boring, but thankfully the standard sleaze and scandal - Stones and Zeppelin, I dig you guys, but this note's for you - is absent and not missed at all, at least by me.
July 1, 2019
❤️❤️❤️
My dudes, I am near tears. This is easily the best biography I have ever read.
Since discovering Buddy Holly’s music at the age of 16 thanks to my 11th grade Music History class in early 2015, I have said time and time again how grossly underrated Buddy’s music — and Buddy himself — truly is. I am 20 years old, turn 21 this September (just a few days before Buddy’s birthday), and among my generation, names like The Beatles and Elvis Presley are still highly recognized and iconic (which is ironic, considering The Beatles literally named themselves after Buddy Holly & the Crickets)... and yet the name ‘Buddy Holly’ is almost unrecognizable. Why?
Rereading this book, which was originally a graduation gift when I graduated high school in 2016, has only refueled my love for Buddy and my belief that he is one of the greatest singers/songwriters in history. Had he not been killed in a plane crash at the age of 22, he EASILY would have rivaled the likes of Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and it is my belief that Buddy himself might have been more widely recognized, instead, as “the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Unlike Elvis, who could sing but do little else, Buddy could play his own instruments and write his own songs, and was *lightyears* ahead of his time in regards to music experimentation. He seemed unafraid to try new things, and that went BEYOND music — according to multiple sources, he wanted to launch his own record company, expressed interest in acting AND writing music scores, and took dance lessons to further improve his ability on stage.
Now, I fully recognize the fact that Buddy Holly was a product of his time — a white male born in the Deep South in 1936. It would not surprise me in the slightest if some of his beliefs reflected that era and upbringing. However, from what I could tell, he seemed *very* progressive considering his background. He seemed — I use ‘seemed’ because, once again, I am only going off of what modern research provides me — mindful of women, didn’t care about race (often seeking to tour with and work with black artists during a time in which America — and especially the Deep South — was still extremely segregated), and seemed polite and *generous* to everyone around him. Also, while there is no way this can be confirmed, it is rumored that he was aware of Little Richard’s sexuality (homosexual or pansexual, depending on the source), and was completely okay with it. Like. When did acceptance like that EVER happen in that era?
Again, I am aware that Buddy was, despite what the written word may say, imperfect, but he was young and, therefore, among the age-group that is — and was — the most accepting of societal change.
However, in the end, it seems like some of that politeness and generosity is what essentially fucked him over. After reading “Rave On,” it seems to me that the SOLE reason Buddy even had to go on the tour that inevitably led to his death was because his manager, Norman Petty, was — to put it frankly — manipulative as fuck and, overall, just a downright scumbag. If the author’s sources can be trusted (he literally sat down with everyone who knew Buddy personally, so I’m assuming they can be), Buddy had to leave a young and pregnant wife to go on a cold, dangerous tour because Petty — quite living up to his name — held back ALL off the money Buddy earned in his career after he was fired as Buddy’s manager. Had Norman Petty been a decent fucking human being, there is a strong possibility that Buddy would have NEVER gone on the Winter Dance Party Tour, and very well may have lived beyond what he did. Hell, he was born in 1936 — he could, potentially, be alive today and turning 83 three days after I turn 21.
Might I just say — fuck you, Norman Petty!
This book is absolutely enchanting and transports you to a whole new world, like time travel. Buddy Holly, despite being in his prime in the late ‘50s, is a figure that can definitely be seen as fresh and relatable today, and I wish more people among my generation were aware of his artistry. His songs are light and fun and, I think, are as completely enjoyable today as they were sixty years ago. Unlike some other ‘50s stars — *cough* Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis *cough* — he never had any big controversies despite his youth, and... man, I just wished more people would recognize Buddy as the truly talented, groundbreaking performer he was.
Buddy Holly, both his career and his person, deserved SO much better, and this is a hill I am willing to die on.
My dudes, I am near tears. This is easily the best biography I have ever read.
Since discovering Buddy Holly’s music at the age of 16 thanks to my 11th grade Music History class in early 2015, I have said time and time again how grossly underrated Buddy’s music — and Buddy himself — truly is. I am 20 years old, turn 21 this September (just a few days before Buddy’s birthday), and among my generation, names like The Beatles and Elvis Presley are still highly recognized and iconic (which is ironic, considering The Beatles literally named themselves after Buddy Holly & the Crickets)... and yet the name ‘Buddy Holly’ is almost unrecognizable. Why?
Rereading this book, which was originally a graduation gift when I graduated high school in 2016, has only refueled my love for Buddy and my belief that he is one of the greatest singers/songwriters in history. Had he not been killed in a plane crash at the age of 22, he EASILY would have rivaled the likes of Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and it is my belief that Buddy himself might have been more widely recognized, instead, as “the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Unlike Elvis, who could sing but do little else, Buddy could play his own instruments and write his own songs, and was *lightyears* ahead of his time in regards to music experimentation. He seemed unafraid to try new things, and that went BEYOND music — according to multiple sources, he wanted to launch his own record company, expressed interest in acting AND writing music scores, and took dance lessons to further improve his ability on stage.
Now, I fully recognize the fact that Buddy Holly was a product of his time — a white male born in the Deep South in 1936. It would not surprise me in the slightest if some of his beliefs reflected that era and upbringing. However, from what I could tell, he seemed *very* progressive considering his background. He seemed — I use ‘seemed’ because, once again, I am only going off of what modern research provides me — mindful of women, didn’t care about race (often seeking to tour with and work with black artists during a time in which America — and especially the Deep South — was still extremely segregated), and seemed polite and *generous* to everyone around him. Also, while there is no way this can be confirmed, it is rumored that he was aware of Little Richard’s sexuality (homosexual or pansexual, depending on the source), and was completely okay with it. Like. When did acceptance like that EVER happen in that era?
Again, I am aware that Buddy was, despite what the written word may say, imperfect, but he was young and, therefore, among the age-group that is — and was — the most accepting of societal change.
However, in the end, it seems like some of that politeness and generosity is what essentially fucked him over. After reading “Rave On,” it seems to me that the SOLE reason Buddy even had to go on the tour that inevitably led to his death was because his manager, Norman Petty, was — to put it frankly — manipulative as fuck and, overall, just a downright scumbag. If the author’s sources can be trusted (he literally sat down with everyone who knew Buddy personally, so I’m assuming they can be), Buddy had to leave a young and pregnant wife to go on a cold, dangerous tour because Petty — quite living up to his name — held back ALL off the money Buddy earned in his career after he was fired as Buddy’s manager. Had Norman Petty been a decent fucking human being, there is a strong possibility that Buddy would have NEVER gone on the Winter Dance Party Tour, and very well may have lived beyond what he did. Hell, he was born in 1936 — he could, potentially, be alive today and turning 83 three days after I turn 21.
Might I just say — fuck you, Norman Petty!
This book is absolutely enchanting and transports you to a whole new world, like time travel. Buddy Holly, despite being in his prime in the late ‘50s, is a figure that can definitely be seen as fresh and relatable today, and I wish more people among my generation were aware of his artistry. His songs are light and fun and, I think, are as completely enjoyable today as they were sixty years ago. Unlike some other ‘50s stars — *cough* Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis *cough* — he never had any big controversies despite his youth, and... man, I just wished more people would recognize Buddy as the truly talented, groundbreaking performer he was.
Buddy Holly, both his career and his person, deserved SO much better, and this is a hill I am willing to die on.
October 3, 2008
I admit I have a big bias when it comes to anything that concerns Buddy Holly being the fan I am. Having seen the stage play and movie, I thought I knew a lot about Buddy Holly, but this book completely destroyed those and threw me into the real world of Buddy. You get to see the good,bad,happy, and sad life that was Buddy's short visit to us. This author did a excellent job of researching everybodies point of view who got to know Buddy. I am going to make it a point of mine to get my own copy of this book for my own personal library. If I had to say anything bad about this book, I'd have to say I wish it had more photos, but even that is a stretch because I know so few exist out there. I love this book!
September 15, 2007
Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly - just tragic and all three of them were brilliant. I also love the thought of him in New York going to all the jazz clubs before he passed away. If he lived he would have made MORE great music. The guy just had that 'genius' element in his DNA.
A very well researched biography on the man. And again, it's heartbraking. Like the Gene Vincent bio, I just wanted to cry in the end.
A very well researched biography on the man. And again, it's heartbraking. Like the Gene Vincent bio, I just wanted to cry in the end.
March 2, 2019
This biography has plenty of great information about Buddy Holly's life, but to get that information you'll have to deal with the author.
And by that I mean you have to slog through overblown claims, sloppy (and unnecessary) argumentation, and a sadly common perspective that treats the work of black musicians as source material, or raw material, that is later perfected by white musicians. For instance, Norman claims that Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly are "the two seminal figures of fifties rock 'n' roll, the place where modern rock culture began." He continues: "Virtually everything we hear on recordings and see on video or the concert stage can be traced back to those twin towering icons." Sure, Presley and Holly were pivotal figures, but how about Chuck Berry, for one? Norman seems so intent on arguing for Holly's importance that he makes a series of ridiculous statements that minimize or erase the work of black musicians like Berry. While trying to argue that Holly influenced most top artists in 1963, he makes the absurd claim that a group called the Rockin' Berries "could have had nothing but holly on their minds" when they chose their name. It's a stretch that seems almost implausibly obtuse; "Berries," after all, is the plural of "Berry."
It's hard to trust an author who makes so many upsetting statements so confidently. His peppy, simplistic characterization of the fifties is so blinded by nostalgia that it seems like it must be a joke (it isn't):
"That spring was a customarily brilliant and busy one in an America where every day still represented another measurable step toward perfection. The U.S. Supreme Court had just ordered the Southern states to end racial segregation, although neglecting to specify a date when this should come to pass.... Ike was in the White House, Ricky loved Lucy, a dollar was a dollar, and Pepsodent toothpaste made you wonder where the yellow went. To be sure, in the whole VistaVision expanse of progress, stability, enlightenment, and shiny chromium plating, the only unsightly blot was this thing called rock 'n' roll."
He didn't need to prove that rock was the "only unsightly blot" in America, but for some reason he wants to overreach, and in doing so he flippantly ignores the real oppression and pain that led to the civil rights movement. And it isn't that he doesn't talk about race; he does. He tries to discuss race, and sometimes he does alright with it, but more often he treats it uneasily or clumsily, and his efforts to prove how exceptional Buddy Holly was often minimize the work of black musicians.
There are other baffling choices: frequently calling Norman Petty "Clovis Man," a reference to an indigenous culture and a joke that isn't funny the first time and certainly isn't when stretched over 200 pages; a skin-crawling excuse for a (possibly true, possibly false) account of Holly hitting a girlfriend after finding out she was pregnant ("hundreds of young men down the centuries have found themselves in the same predicament and behaved no better and no worse," Norman writes); an account of "Rave On" that describes the "backup vocals with the threatening 'walla-walla' chant of comic book redskins"; and a whole lot of sighing and trembling over Buddy Holly. Norman goes over the top with it, and it's frustrating to read passages in which he rhapsodizes about how Buddy Holly gave nerdy white boys the hope they so desperately needed, saved them from being "excluded" from rock. He adds: "Until then, rock 'n' roll had been aimed principally at girls. It was something that made girls scream while their boyfriends stood by, fuming with impotent jealousy. Buddy Holly may not have been the first rock 'n' roller British boys liked, but he was the first they could admit they liked." Well, it's a little tiresome, and it plays into a lot of the tired storylines of rock criticism (elevating white musicians, for instance, and insinuating that women were there for the potential boyfriends, not because they had musical interest or taste).
If only Norman didn't get in the way of his subject, because once he gets down to details of Holly's music, this book is pretty alright. You can put on the complete studio recordings as you read and get a decent walkthrough of the songs and their context. And in terms of Holly's own biography, it feels pretty comprehensive. I got what I was looking for, but unfortunately I got a whole lot of other things, too.
And by that I mean you have to slog through overblown claims, sloppy (and unnecessary) argumentation, and a sadly common perspective that treats the work of black musicians as source material, or raw material, that is later perfected by white musicians. For instance, Norman claims that Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly are "the two seminal figures of fifties rock 'n' roll, the place where modern rock culture began." He continues: "Virtually everything we hear on recordings and see on video or the concert stage can be traced back to those twin towering icons." Sure, Presley and Holly were pivotal figures, but how about Chuck Berry, for one? Norman seems so intent on arguing for Holly's importance that he makes a series of ridiculous statements that minimize or erase the work of black musicians like Berry. While trying to argue that Holly influenced most top artists in 1963, he makes the absurd claim that a group called the Rockin' Berries "could have had nothing but holly on their minds" when they chose their name. It's a stretch that seems almost implausibly obtuse; "Berries," after all, is the plural of "Berry."
It's hard to trust an author who makes so many upsetting statements so confidently. His peppy, simplistic characterization of the fifties is so blinded by nostalgia that it seems like it must be a joke (it isn't):
"That spring was a customarily brilliant and busy one in an America where every day still represented another measurable step toward perfection. The U.S. Supreme Court had just ordered the Southern states to end racial segregation, although neglecting to specify a date when this should come to pass.... Ike was in the White House, Ricky loved Lucy, a dollar was a dollar, and Pepsodent toothpaste made you wonder where the yellow went. To be sure, in the whole VistaVision expanse of progress, stability, enlightenment, and shiny chromium plating, the only unsightly blot was this thing called rock 'n' roll."
He didn't need to prove that rock was the "only unsightly blot" in America, but for some reason he wants to overreach, and in doing so he flippantly ignores the real oppression and pain that led to the civil rights movement. And it isn't that he doesn't talk about race; he does. He tries to discuss race, and sometimes he does alright with it, but more often he treats it uneasily or clumsily, and his efforts to prove how exceptional Buddy Holly was often minimize the work of black musicians.
There are other baffling choices: frequently calling Norman Petty "Clovis Man," a reference to an indigenous culture and a joke that isn't funny the first time and certainly isn't when stretched over 200 pages; a skin-crawling excuse for a (possibly true, possibly false) account of Holly hitting a girlfriend after finding out she was pregnant ("hundreds of young men down the centuries have found themselves in the same predicament and behaved no better and no worse," Norman writes); an account of "Rave On" that describes the "backup vocals with the threatening 'walla-walla' chant of comic book redskins"; and a whole lot of sighing and trembling over Buddy Holly. Norman goes over the top with it, and it's frustrating to read passages in which he rhapsodizes about how Buddy Holly gave nerdy white boys the hope they so desperately needed, saved them from being "excluded" from rock. He adds: "Until then, rock 'n' roll had been aimed principally at girls. It was something that made girls scream while their boyfriends stood by, fuming with impotent jealousy. Buddy Holly may not have been the first rock 'n' roller British boys liked, but he was the first they could admit they liked." Well, it's a little tiresome, and it plays into a lot of the tired storylines of rock criticism (elevating white musicians, for instance, and insinuating that women were there for the potential boyfriends, not because they had musical interest or taste).
If only Norman didn't get in the way of his subject, because once he gets down to details of Holly's music, this book is pretty alright. You can put on the complete studio recordings as you read and get a decent walkthrough of the songs and their context. And in terms of Holly's own biography, it feels pretty comprehensive. I got what I was looking for, but unfortunately I got a whole lot of other things, too.
November 15, 2016
As I read Philip Norman's account of Buddy Holly's life, I thought I'd be depressed through the whole thing...but surprisingly, I wasn't. Norman's biography really shined a light on who Holly was as a private person rather than just the rock icon with horn rimmed glasses. Although he was by no means perfect, he was kind, generous, optimistic, and a musical genius whose work endures even today. Now when I listen to his music, I have so much more appreciation for the beautiful person behind it.
September 23, 2016
I just finished to read this book and I'm crying. I love it. But obviously it's so sad.
April 23, 2021
As the author admits in the intro there is not much left to discover about Buddy after 70 odd years, though he makes a valiant attempt at doing so in a well researched, easy to read book.
It is obvious that you need to be a fan to write or read any music bio but there is then that line most cross that makes it at time cringe worthy, although Norman does his best to show some of the uglier sides of Holly to balance that, his willingness to brush of violence against women, as a function of its time, is clumsy, and made finishing the book and liking the author harder.
It is obvious that you need to be a fan to write or read any music bio but there is then that line most cross that makes it at time cringe worthy, although Norman does his best to show some of the uglier sides of Holly to balance that, his willingness to brush of violence against women, as a function of its time, is clumsy, and made finishing the book and liking the author harder.
May 8, 2025
I always thought Holly was better than Elvis
September 17, 2024
This biography describes in detail about the short life of singer, songwriter Buddy Holly, who died at the age of 22 in a charter plane crash on February 3, 1959, along with pilot Roger Peterson, J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), and Richie Valens.
His birth name was Charles Hardin Holley and he was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. His nickname became Buddy. He always enjoyed music and his first musical instrument was a toy violin his parents bought him and he played it at a schoolhouse concert and won a five-dollar first prize.
At the age of ten, his father bought him his first guitar at a pawnshop. Buddy liked to play country music in his room, on the front steps of his house and on the bus taking him to school.
When in High School, Buddy and his friend Jack Neal would perform a program called “Buddy and Jack’s Sunday Party” on a new country radio station, KDAV.
Eventually Jack Neal decided to get married and stated that he could no longer play with Buddy on the radio as he had to be a responsible husband. Buddy now played with his friends, Bob Montgomery and Larry Welborn who took his place, and now the group called themselves, “Buddy and Bob.” A young farmer’s son, Sonny Curtis joined soon after and turned the trio into a quartet.
The boys loved listening to black music and wondered how they could ever be a part of it. KDAV played a recording of the song, “That’s All Right, Mama,” from Sun Studio from the singer by the name of Elvis Presley. The song wasn’t country and it was in the style of black music.
Buddy and his fellow performers were hooked and wanted to play music like Elvis. Buddy who usually just stood still when he played country, now began to move around on the stage as he played for audiences. The boys would meet Elvis in Lubbock when he performed at their home town, and they found him to be friendly, but quiet. KDAV was now the Elvis Presley station, alienating much of its country music audience.
Nashville talent agent, Eddie Crandell saw Buddy perform at Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock. Crandell got a demo of Buddy’s music and brought it to the Nashville talent agent, Jim Denny. Denny offered Buddy a songwriter’s contract and was able to get Buddy a record deal with Decca. The contract misspelled Buddy’s last name as Holly, instead of his given name, Holley. It was decided that Holly seemed a more professional name, so this is when Buddy Holley became Buddy Holly. His records with Decca were receiving just mild phase from sources such as Billboard magazine. So, in January, 1957, he received a letter from Decca terminating his contract. As part of the termination, Buddy was told that he could not record any of his songs that had been previously recorded with Decca for a minimum of five years.
In January 1957, Buddy went to the Norman Petty Recording Studio in Clovis, New Mexico under recommendation from song writer, singer, Roy Orbison. With his friends, J.I. Allison and Larry Welborn, it was here that he recorded two of his own songs, “I’m Looking for Someone to Love,” and “That’ll Be the Day.” The latter song had been previously recorded by Decca. Decca said that if the song was released without mentioning Buddy’s name and under a group name instead, they would be okay with the release. Soon after discussing a new name, it was decided on calling the group, “The Crickets.”
Norman Petty brought the new single to the attention of Murray Deutch, who agreed to try and get The Crickets a record deal. Coincidentally, Decca was interested and didn’t realize that Buddy Holly was part of the group. The three who were part of the group signed the contract: Joe Benson Maulden (aka “Joe B.”), who replaced Larry Welborn who claimed that he had to drop out of the group, Niki Sullivan, and J.I. Allison. Buddy would not sign the contract and would remain anonymous.
On May 16, 1957, Buddy signed a contract with the Decca subsidiary, Coral Records, under his own name where he would release some other songs.
“That’ll Be the Day,” ended up on Billboard’s Top 100 chart as number 3. Norman Petty now officially became manager of the Crickets.
The Crickets went on a nationwide tour organized by the powerful talent agent Irving Feld which also featured other performers. The pay was not a lot, but it gave the Crickets exposure and a chance to generate more record sales. They traveled by bus with other performers, including Paul Anka. Chuck Berry and Fats Domino chose to follow the bus in their own vehicles. Most of the acts were one-nighters causing the performers to sleep on the bus instead of a hotel. But it was an exciting adventure for the Crickets, before returning to Lubbock.
“The Chirping Crickets” was the first long-playing record (LP) – not yet called an “album” - released by the Crickets in November 1957. Soon, thereafter, on December 1, 1957, Niki Sullivan left the Crickets. He said that he was exhausted after three months on the road. Additionally, he had not been getting along with J.I. Allison. The Crickets did not replace him, and now they were a trio with Buddy Holly, J.I. Allison and Joe B. remaining.
The remaining Crickets toured Hawaii and Australia and they had more hits, including “Oh Boy” and “Peggy Sue.” The Crickets would next tour in England in February 1958. Buddy’s stage presence was friendly and funny. The Crickets went through three weeks of one-night shows in England. Unlike in the U.S., the distances were not far apart, so they did manage to stay in hotels. Three days after the British tour, the Crickets were back on tour in America.
Finally, when back to Lubbock, the group could rest awhile and then return to Clovis, New Mexico to the Norman Petty Recording Studio to record more music.
Whenever the Crickets were in New York, they were sure to visit Murray Deutch, who was now Vice President of Peer-Southern Music. His receptionist was Maria Elena Santiago, a native Puerto Rican who initially came to America for a better education. At one point, she moved in with her father’s sister, Provi Garcia, who lived in Greenwich Village and ran the Latin American division at Peer-Southern Music. Maria originally worked in the company as a temporary receptionist and became an employee, eventually working outside Murray Deutch’s office. It was here that she met Buddy Holly one morning on June 1958, as he tried to engage in conversation with her while he, Joe B and J.I. Allison were waiting for their meeting to begin with Murray Deutch.
Buddy then secretly arranged for Deutch’s secretary Jo Harper to bring Maria to the nearby Howard Johnson’s so they could all have lunch together. Buddy then asked Maria to dinner that evening. Despite their four-year age difference wherein Maria was older, they hit it off and both seemed to be very comfortable with each other. Buddy told her that he wanted to marry her. Maria’s aunt felt that they should wait and get to know each other better, but she did give her blessing.
Buddy had told Maria how he had to go to Norman Petty every time he needed money. Maria told Buddy that she needed Buddy to resolve these conditions before they married as she did not want them waiting for monetary handouts from Petty. Buddy and Marie married on August 15, 1958 in Lubbock.
The marriage was not publicized and the general public would not even know of Maria’s existence until after Buddy’s death. Buddy would begin his married life in Manhattan. He had money from royalties from his record sales. The honeymooners found an apartment at the new Brevoot building on Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, close to Provi’s apartment.
Despite problems with Petty, Buddy continued to record at Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Buddy would have Maria at his sessions. When they went on tour, to keep the illusion that Buddy was still single, Maria was presented to others as the Crickets’ secretary. However, she did have good business sense. The money was not sent to Petty. Maria would handle the money and the finances.
Buddy finally decided to fire Petty as his manager and no longer record at his studio. J.I. Allison and Joe B. were going to join Buddy, but Petty talked them out of it. Buddy would now record music under his own name. However, he was still fighting with Petty over royalty payments so his financial situation was not good. He realized that he needed to go on tour again, but this time he would be a solo act without the Crickets. His three-week tour, “Winter Dance Party” would feature him, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, Dion and the Belmonts, and Franki Sardo, and open on January 23, 1959 at George Divine’s Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup would join his band, replacing J.I. Allison and Joe B.
Maria was newly pregnant and she and Buddy decided that they would share the news with his parents after Buddy returned from the tour. Maria wanted to travel with Buddy on the tour, but since she was having morning sickness and nausea from her pregnancy, Buddy did not want her traveling.
The tour was scheduled with appearances in three Midwest states in the order they were booked, which would mean for the groups to crisscross back and forth with one night stands approximately 400 miles apart. There would be no time to rest in hotels. They would have to travel through the evenings on a bus to arrive in time for their next appearance. To save on expenses, a charter bus company was used. The problem was that the buses kept breaking down causing the groups to wait long periods for replacement buses, cutting into their rest times.
Buddy decided to charter a plane out of their Clear Lake, Iowa appearance so he and some others could have some time to rest at a hotel before their next show. He also planned to have the plane carry the entire crew’s dirty laundry so they could be laundered once they reached their destination. They planned to take off from the Mason City Municipal Airport and land in Fargo, North Dakota. However, not too long after takeoff, there was a wreckage in the snow. It was determined that the crash must have happened no more than five minutes after takeoff, but the cause of the crash which killed all aboard was never solved. It was assumed that the cause of the crash was weather and/or pilot error.
News of the deaths spread quickly on the radio and on television, and friends and family found out about the tragedy through the media. Two days after Buddy’s death, Maria had a miscarriage and lost her baby due to shock and sorrow. Buddy’s funeral took place at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas which drew 1,500 people. The church did not have the capacity for so many people, so many had to stand outside in the parking lot. This tragedy would be memorialized in Don McLean’s 1971 popular song “American Pie” as the day the music died.
His birth name was Charles Hardin Holley and he was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. His nickname became Buddy. He always enjoyed music and his first musical instrument was a toy violin his parents bought him and he played it at a schoolhouse concert and won a five-dollar first prize.
At the age of ten, his father bought him his first guitar at a pawnshop. Buddy liked to play country music in his room, on the front steps of his house and on the bus taking him to school.
When in High School, Buddy and his friend Jack Neal would perform a program called “Buddy and Jack’s Sunday Party” on a new country radio station, KDAV.
Eventually Jack Neal decided to get married and stated that he could no longer play with Buddy on the radio as he had to be a responsible husband. Buddy now played with his friends, Bob Montgomery and Larry Welborn who took his place, and now the group called themselves, “Buddy and Bob.” A young farmer’s son, Sonny Curtis joined soon after and turned the trio into a quartet.
The boys loved listening to black music and wondered how they could ever be a part of it. KDAV played a recording of the song, “That’s All Right, Mama,” from Sun Studio from the singer by the name of Elvis Presley. The song wasn’t country and it was in the style of black music.
Buddy and his fellow performers were hooked and wanted to play music like Elvis. Buddy who usually just stood still when he played country, now began to move around on the stage as he played for audiences. The boys would meet Elvis in Lubbock when he performed at their home town, and they found him to be friendly, but quiet. KDAV was now the Elvis Presley station, alienating much of its country music audience.
Nashville talent agent, Eddie Crandell saw Buddy perform at Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock. Crandell got a demo of Buddy’s music and brought it to the Nashville talent agent, Jim Denny. Denny offered Buddy a songwriter’s contract and was able to get Buddy a record deal with Decca. The contract misspelled Buddy’s last name as Holly, instead of his given name, Holley. It was decided that Holly seemed a more professional name, so this is when Buddy Holley became Buddy Holly. His records with Decca were receiving just mild phase from sources such as Billboard magazine. So, in January, 1957, he received a letter from Decca terminating his contract. As part of the termination, Buddy was told that he could not record any of his songs that had been previously recorded with Decca for a minimum of five years.
In January 1957, Buddy went to the Norman Petty Recording Studio in Clovis, New Mexico under recommendation from song writer, singer, Roy Orbison. With his friends, J.I. Allison and Larry Welborn, it was here that he recorded two of his own songs, “I’m Looking for Someone to Love,” and “That’ll Be the Day.” The latter song had been previously recorded by Decca. Decca said that if the song was released without mentioning Buddy’s name and under a group name instead, they would be okay with the release. Soon after discussing a new name, it was decided on calling the group, “The Crickets.”
Norman Petty brought the new single to the attention of Murray Deutch, who agreed to try and get The Crickets a record deal. Coincidentally, Decca was interested and didn’t realize that Buddy Holly was part of the group. The three who were part of the group signed the contract: Joe Benson Maulden (aka “Joe B.”), who replaced Larry Welborn who claimed that he had to drop out of the group, Niki Sullivan, and J.I. Allison. Buddy would not sign the contract and would remain anonymous.
On May 16, 1957, Buddy signed a contract with the Decca subsidiary, Coral Records, under his own name where he would release some other songs.
“That’ll Be the Day,” ended up on Billboard’s Top 100 chart as number 3. Norman Petty now officially became manager of the Crickets.
The Crickets went on a nationwide tour organized by the powerful talent agent Irving Feld which also featured other performers. The pay was not a lot, but it gave the Crickets exposure and a chance to generate more record sales. They traveled by bus with other performers, including Paul Anka. Chuck Berry and Fats Domino chose to follow the bus in their own vehicles. Most of the acts were one-nighters causing the performers to sleep on the bus instead of a hotel. But it was an exciting adventure for the Crickets, before returning to Lubbock.
“The Chirping Crickets” was the first long-playing record (LP) – not yet called an “album” - released by the Crickets in November 1957. Soon, thereafter, on December 1, 1957, Niki Sullivan left the Crickets. He said that he was exhausted after three months on the road. Additionally, he had not been getting along with J.I. Allison. The Crickets did not replace him, and now they were a trio with Buddy Holly, J.I. Allison and Joe B. remaining.
The remaining Crickets toured Hawaii and Australia and they had more hits, including “Oh Boy” and “Peggy Sue.” The Crickets would next tour in England in February 1958. Buddy’s stage presence was friendly and funny. The Crickets went through three weeks of one-night shows in England. Unlike in the U.S., the distances were not far apart, so they did manage to stay in hotels. Three days after the British tour, the Crickets were back on tour in America.
Finally, when back to Lubbock, the group could rest awhile and then return to Clovis, New Mexico to the Norman Petty Recording Studio to record more music.
Whenever the Crickets were in New York, they were sure to visit Murray Deutch, who was now Vice President of Peer-Southern Music. His receptionist was Maria Elena Santiago, a native Puerto Rican who initially came to America for a better education. At one point, she moved in with her father’s sister, Provi Garcia, who lived in Greenwich Village and ran the Latin American division at Peer-Southern Music. Maria originally worked in the company as a temporary receptionist and became an employee, eventually working outside Murray Deutch’s office. It was here that she met Buddy Holly one morning on June 1958, as he tried to engage in conversation with her while he, Joe B and J.I. Allison were waiting for their meeting to begin with Murray Deutch.
Buddy then secretly arranged for Deutch’s secretary Jo Harper to bring Maria to the nearby Howard Johnson’s so they could all have lunch together. Buddy then asked Maria to dinner that evening. Despite their four-year age difference wherein Maria was older, they hit it off and both seemed to be very comfortable with each other. Buddy told her that he wanted to marry her. Maria’s aunt felt that they should wait and get to know each other better, but she did give her blessing.
Buddy had told Maria how he had to go to Norman Petty every time he needed money. Maria told Buddy that she needed Buddy to resolve these conditions before they married as she did not want them waiting for monetary handouts from Petty. Buddy and Marie married on August 15, 1958 in Lubbock.
The marriage was not publicized and the general public would not even know of Maria’s existence until after Buddy’s death. Buddy would begin his married life in Manhattan. He had money from royalties from his record sales. The honeymooners found an apartment at the new Brevoot building on Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, close to Provi’s apartment.
Despite problems with Petty, Buddy continued to record at Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Buddy would have Maria at his sessions. When they went on tour, to keep the illusion that Buddy was still single, Maria was presented to others as the Crickets’ secretary. However, she did have good business sense. The money was not sent to Petty. Maria would handle the money and the finances.
Buddy finally decided to fire Petty as his manager and no longer record at his studio. J.I. Allison and Joe B. were going to join Buddy, but Petty talked them out of it. Buddy would now record music under his own name. However, he was still fighting with Petty over royalty payments so his financial situation was not good. He realized that he needed to go on tour again, but this time he would be a solo act without the Crickets. His three-week tour, “Winter Dance Party” would feature him, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, Dion and the Belmonts, and Franki Sardo, and open on January 23, 1959 at George Divine’s Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup would join his band, replacing J.I. Allison and Joe B.
Maria was newly pregnant and she and Buddy decided that they would share the news with his parents after Buddy returned from the tour. Maria wanted to travel with Buddy on the tour, but since she was having morning sickness and nausea from her pregnancy, Buddy did not want her traveling.
The tour was scheduled with appearances in three Midwest states in the order they were booked, which would mean for the groups to crisscross back and forth with one night stands approximately 400 miles apart. There would be no time to rest in hotels. They would have to travel through the evenings on a bus to arrive in time for their next appearance. To save on expenses, a charter bus company was used. The problem was that the buses kept breaking down causing the groups to wait long periods for replacement buses, cutting into their rest times.
Buddy decided to charter a plane out of their Clear Lake, Iowa appearance so he and some others could have some time to rest at a hotel before their next show. He also planned to have the plane carry the entire crew’s dirty laundry so they could be laundered once they reached their destination. They planned to take off from the Mason City Municipal Airport and land in Fargo, North Dakota. However, not too long after takeoff, there was a wreckage in the snow. It was determined that the crash must have happened no more than five minutes after takeoff, but the cause of the crash which killed all aboard was never solved. It was assumed that the cause of the crash was weather and/or pilot error.
News of the deaths spread quickly on the radio and on television, and friends and family found out about the tragedy through the media. Two days after Buddy’s death, Maria had a miscarriage and lost her baby due to shock and sorrow. Buddy’s funeral took place at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas which drew 1,500 people. The church did not have the capacity for so many people, so many had to stand outside in the parking lot. This tragedy would be memorialized in Don McLean’s 1971 popular song “American Pie” as the day the music died.
December 20, 2017
This was a comprehensive and well-written account of a central figure in the history of modern popular music. The book was particularly good when it came to describing Buddy Holly’s ambivalent relationship with the music scene of his time. Rock music was only a short step away from devil worship for many people in the 1950s. We see Buddy, the dutiful son of a religiously conservative Texan family, walking a tight rope between the expectations of his particular culture, and his desire to explore new music created by black musicians. Thinking of a name for his band, Buddy used as a starting point the name of his favourite black R&B group, the Spiders. Searching through reference books on entomology, he eventually found his way towards a much less threatening kind of insect, the cricket. Crickets are harmless little creatures who under the cover of darkness, fill the night with their chirpy music. The story of Buddy Holly is something similar, the story of a young man using a kind of camouflage to make forbidden music.
The aspect of the book I was not so keen on was the repeated referral to portents of doom; a constitutional impatience, for example, which was supposed to indicate that Buddy Holly knew he didn’t have much time. Do I assume that someone tailgating me on the A20 is only behaving that way due to a mysterious sense that an early demise lies ahead? If impatience does point to early demise, then it does so in the sense that it increases the likelihood of risky behaviour. Impatience would encourage driving at high speed – the Buddy Holly driving style. Impatience would also help persuade someone to avoid a long, uncomfortable bus journey by taking a trip in a light aircraft on a freezing cold night when it’s snowing. But beyond that… In effect, this portent of doom thing is a way to give the narrative some tension, like foreshadowing in a novel. In a biography you have to reverse engineer facts to get this effect. I suppose that’s why this whole aspect of the book came over as forced. People do not live their lives going backwards. They live them going forwards. Buddy Holly certainly lived his life going forwards. He was energetic, ambitious, valued the world of his upbringing while wanting to leave behind its limitations. This was not a young man dwelling on an early death. He was too busy living for that.
The aspect of the book I was not so keen on was the repeated referral to portents of doom; a constitutional impatience, for example, which was supposed to indicate that Buddy Holly knew he didn’t have much time. Do I assume that someone tailgating me on the A20 is only behaving that way due to a mysterious sense that an early demise lies ahead? If impatience does point to early demise, then it does so in the sense that it increases the likelihood of risky behaviour. Impatience would encourage driving at high speed – the Buddy Holly driving style. Impatience would also help persuade someone to avoid a long, uncomfortable bus journey by taking a trip in a light aircraft on a freezing cold night when it’s snowing. But beyond that… In effect, this portent of doom thing is a way to give the narrative some tension, like foreshadowing in a novel. In a biography you have to reverse engineer facts to get this effect. I suppose that’s why this whole aspect of the book came over as forced. People do not live their lives going backwards. They live them going forwards. Buddy Holly certainly lived his life going forwards. He was energetic, ambitious, valued the world of his upbringing while wanting to leave behind its limitations. This was not a young man dwelling on an early death. He was too busy living for that.
January 17, 2014
I've been a Buddy Holly fan for years and I couldn't consider myself someone who knew about his brief life and music career so I decided it was time to read a biography. I chose this one because of the higher rating and because of the author writing many other biographies of famous musicians.
I did learn things about Holly that I hadn't known, how his material came to be, his rock 'n roll friendships, his management endeavors, and the financial struggle he faced towards the end of his life. Even his possible child that may be alive today, though the violent outburst he supposedly committed on the mother seems shockingly out of character, but at the same time not unbelievable.
I had trouble with the Norman's metaphors and writing style, particularly in the beginning with, for example, comparing the quarrels of young Elvis fans with elders to the United States Civil War, and comparing Norman Petty to the ancient fossilized Clovis Man. Saying Peggy Sue influenced the rap generation, and my personal favorite, "...a Buddy solo gleaming out of it like a diamond in oatmeal." Norman also kept on comparing Lennon and McCartney to Holly which just seemed unfair, and under different circumstances.
This book made me think that the possibility of Holly continuing his career into the 60s quite uncertain, the change of the music scene more than likely would have swept him under the rug especially since he wasn't having any hits towards the end of his life. Holly had big dreams that I also didn't know about, but at the same time I think were only dreams. Maybe his death was meant to be, to leave him as a legacy, and a martyr for 50s rock 'n roll. Yet thinking this just makes his death easier for me, as a fan, to deal with.
I did learn things about Holly that I hadn't known, how his material came to be, his rock 'n roll friendships, his management endeavors, and the financial struggle he faced towards the end of his life. Even his possible child that may be alive today, though the violent outburst he supposedly committed on the mother seems shockingly out of character, but at the same time not unbelievable.
I had trouble with the Norman's metaphors and writing style, particularly in the beginning with, for example, comparing the quarrels of young Elvis fans with elders to the United States Civil War, and comparing Norman Petty to the ancient fossilized Clovis Man. Saying Peggy Sue influenced the rap generation, and my personal favorite, "...a Buddy solo gleaming out of it like a diamond in oatmeal." Norman also kept on comparing Lennon and McCartney to Holly which just seemed unfair, and under different circumstances.
This book made me think that the possibility of Holly continuing his career into the 60s quite uncertain, the change of the music scene more than likely would have swept him under the rug especially since he wasn't having any hits towards the end of his life. Holly had big dreams that I also didn't know about, but at the same time I think were only dreams. Maybe his death was meant to be, to leave him as a legacy, and a martyr for 50s rock 'n roll. Yet thinking this just makes his death easier for me, as a fan, to deal with.
October 6, 2023
This book only received a three-star rating from me, primarily due to the slow format of the writing. The book was fantastic in regards to reciting the highs and lows of Holly's life, but because of all the detail included, a large portion at the start of the book was incredibly slow-paced and difficult to enjoy. The primary focus of the start of the book was Buddy's early life and start into music. Although an interesting concept, the author seemed to have so much to say about it that the section lost its meaning. Every minute detail from the denomination of Christianity to the radio station that country music played on. The book would have flowed better I imagine if these sections were summarized a little more. I felt that the most interesting portion of the story was towards his late teens and twenties, when his career was just starting to take off and he had to balance what he wanted to do with what could build a future. The details at that point were refreshing and genuinely interesting to the point where I felt like I was flying through the book just so that I could read more about him. I would have given this book four or maybe five starts if this one part of the book was kept shorter.
The positives of this book are noticeable and plentiful. The start of the story was (as previously stated) slow to get rolling but picked up immense speed towards the middle and especially the end. The relationships between Holly and the other prominent musicians at the time were remarkable and incredibly interesting to read about. Seeing what famous surviving musicians thought about Buddy Holly put me into the period and helped me to see the important moments of his life and feel what he must have been feeling. A representation of the fantastic writing and imagery this book possesses. Parts of the book also happened to have pictures of Holly and his family and friends. A very interesting detail that further explained the relationships he had, even throughout his stardom. Seeing how "common people" who knew him described their encounters was a grounding idea that made him seem less like a deity and more like a talented human being. A final detail that makes this book worth reading is the blatant (and sometimes vulgar) honesty. There were very few details about Buddy Holly's short life that were spared in the story. Including some explicit content and phrases that sort of shocked me when I first began reading. Despite this, these lines lowered the "high and mighty" nature of Buddy Holly's name, which I felt when I started reading. It made the overall experience feel more natural and more personal, improving my takeaway from the story.
My favorite quote in the story was about Little Richard's influence on Buddy Holly. It was a simple line that felt like it encompassed the passion and abilities of Buddy Holly while showing that he could not do it alone. The text states, "'Well...all right!' Buddy turned the phrase into a gentle love song infused with all his special quality of patience and optimism and his developing ability to make personal sentiments into universal ones." The adjectives that described the phrase were powerful and emotional. They made me feel like Holly was a friend I had known forever, a friend who was patient and optimistic, as well as incredibly talented in the art of music. The comparison to Little Richard in this quote, an artist most people know of, made the context a bit easier to understand. This quote shows Buddy Holly as a person, a man who was almost always optimistic and patient, but at the same time a creative genius. An incredibly talented man who could make a catchy toon out of anything he wanted.
On September 7, 1936, Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas. Holly was the youngest and fourth child in his family, and his mother gave him the nickname "Buddy" because she thought his given name was too big for her small boy. A typo led to the misspelling of "Holly." Early on, Holly picked up the piano and fiddle, while his older brothers taught him guitar. Holly's outstanding singing voice is found in a 1949 home tape of "My Two-Timin' Woman". Holly's parents were very supportive of his musical abilities. They came up with song ideas and even sent a letter to the editor of the Lubbock newspaper to defend youngsters who loved rock 'n' roll. A difficult battle as racism was still very rampant at the time, and rock 'n' roll was considered a music genre of anarchy that no white boy should listen to. Holly started a band after graduating from high school, their main music genre was country played on a Lubbock radio station. They often performed as the opening act for touring national performers of greater stature. Holly was recognized by Sonny Curtis for his opening act in 1955 for Elvis Presley. Curtis recalls, "Buddy fell in love with Elvis when he came along, and we started to change. The following day, we duplicated Elvis. Holly's transition from country to rock 'n' roll did not go unnoticed. It caused an uproar in his home community due to the racist ideals of the genre. Soon after seeing him perform at a skating rink, a record company talent scout signed him to a deal. When Buddy's career started taking off, his band came up with the name Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes. Holly and his band started recording demos and singles in Nashville around 1965. The shifting of the band ended up with them choosing the name, "The Crickets." Buddy Holly then co-wrote and produced his first-ever hit, "That'll Be the Day," in 1957. Holly and the Crickets recorded seven different Top 40 singles between August 1957 and August 1958. Holly left The Crickets in October 1958 because of legal and financial issues. He eventually toured the Midwest in 1959 with The Winter Dance Party. Holly hired a private plane to take him from a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa, to the tour's next date in Moorhead, Minnesota, the icy weather caused many problems for their bus. Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly boarded the aircraft. Within minutes of taking off, the aircraft crashed, killing everyone on board. Buddy was only 22 years old. Not to mention recently married after proposing to Maria Elena Santiago on their first date. Santiago was pregnant before his death and suffered a miscarriage after the tragic accident. She could not bring herself to attend his funeral. "The Day the Music Died" memorialized the day of the three musicians' tragic demise and lives on in infamy today.
The positives of this book are noticeable and plentiful. The start of the story was (as previously stated) slow to get rolling but picked up immense speed towards the middle and especially the end. The relationships between Holly and the other prominent musicians at the time were remarkable and incredibly interesting to read about. Seeing what famous surviving musicians thought about Buddy Holly put me into the period and helped me to see the important moments of his life and feel what he must have been feeling. A representation of the fantastic writing and imagery this book possesses. Parts of the book also happened to have pictures of Holly and his family and friends. A very interesting detail that further explained the relationships he had, even throughout his stardom. Seeing how "common people" who knew him described their encounters was a grounding idea that made him seem less like a deity and more like a talented human being. A final detail that makes this book worth reading is the blatant (and sometimes vulgar) honesty. There were very few details about Buddy Holly's short life that were spared in the story. Including some explicit content and phrases that sort of shocked me when I first began reading. Despite this, these lines lowered the "high and mighty" nature of Buddy Holly's name, which I felt when I started reading. It made the overall experience feel more natural and more personal, improving my takeaway from the story.
My favorite quote in the story was about Little Richard's influence on Buddy Holly. It was a simple line that felt like it encompassed the passion and abilities of Buddy Holly while showing that he could not do it alone. The text states, "'Well...all right!' Buddy turned the phrase into a gentle love song infused with all his special quality of patience and optimism and his developing ability to make personal sentiments into universal ones." The adjectives that described the phrase were powerful and emotional. They made me feel like Holly was a friend I had known forever, a friend who was patient and optimistic, as well as incredibly talented in the art of music. The comparison to Little Richard in this quote, an artist most people know of, made the context a bit easier to understand. This quote shows Buddy Holly as a person, a man who was almost always optimistic and patient, but at the same time a creative genius. An incredibly talented man who could make a catchy toon out of anything he wanted.
On September 7, 1936, Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas. Holly was the youngest and fourth child in his family, and his mother gave him the nickname "Buddy" because she thought his given name was too big for her small boy. A typo led to the misspelling of "Holly." Early on, Holly picked up the piano and fiddle, while his older brothers taught him guitar. Holly's outstanding singing voice is found in a 1949 home tape of "My Two-Timin' Woman". Holly's parents were very supportive of his musical abilities. They came up with song ideas and even sent a letter to the editor of the Lubbock newspaper to defend youngsters who loved rock 'n' roll. A difficult battle as racism was still very rampant at the time, and rock 'n' roll was considered a music genre of anarchy that no white boy should listen to. Holly started a band after graduating from high school, their main music genre was country played on a Lubbock radio station. They often performed as the opening act for touring national performers of greater stature. Holly was recognized by Sonny Curtis for his opening act in 1955 for Elvis Presley. Curtis recalls, "Buddy fell in love with Elvis when he came along, and we started to change. The following day, we duplicated Elvis. Holly's transition from country to rock 'n' roll did not go unnoticed. It caused an uproar in his home community due to the racist ideals of the genre. Soon after seeing him perform at a skating rink, a record company talent scout signed him to a deal. When Buddy's career started taking off, his band came up with the name Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes. Holly and his band started recording demos and singles in Nashville around 1965. The shifting of the band ended up with them choosing the name, "The Crickets." Buddy Holly then co-wrote and produced his first-ever hit, "That'll Be the Day," in 1957. Holly and the Crickets recorded seven different Top 40 singles between August 1957 and August 1958. Holly left The Crickets in October 1958 because of legal and financial issues. He eventually toured the Midwest in 1959 with The Winter Dance Party. Holly hired a private plane to take him from a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa, to the tour's next date in Moorhead, Minnesota, the icy weather caused many problems for their bus. Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly boarded the aircraft. Within minutes of taking off, the aircraft crashed, killing everyone on board. Buddy was only 22 years old. Not to mention recently married after proposing to Maria Elena Santiago on their first date. Santiago was pregnant before his death and suffered a miscarriage after the tragic accident. She could not bring herself to attend his funeral. "The Day the Music Died" memorialized the day of the three musicians' tragic demise and lives on in infamy today.
July 23, 2022
A couple of weeks back, I caught The Buddy Holly Story on TBS. It was, at best, mediocre, but it got me wondering about the full story of Buddy Holly, and if it was possible to take a life that lasted just 22 years into an intriguing biography. Turns out, the answer is yes.
Philip Norman, the great rock biographer (Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix) found everything possible there is to say about Buddy Holly, and turned it into one of the best entertainment biographies I have ever read. Generally, nice guys don't make for great bios. But not in this case. Buddy lived up to his name; Norman couldn't find anyone who would say a bad thing about him. But he wasn't a saint. He was a good ol' Texas boy with typical young man urges and habits, but nothing to excess. He was also supremely talented, years ahead of the curve in the rock and roll biz, and a seminal influence on the likes of Lennon and McCartney and many others. The impact Buddy Holly had on rock and roll, in just two years, is still felt today, and Norman does him justice.
Philip Norman, the great rock biographer (Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix) found everything possible there is to say about Buddy Holly, and turned it into one of the best entertainment biographies I have ever read. Generally, nice guys don't make for great bios. But not in this case. Buddy lived up to his name; Norman couldn't find anyone who would say a bad thing about him. But he wasn't a saint. He was a good ol' Texas boy with typical young man urges and habits, but nothing to excess. He was also supremely talented, years ahead of the curve in the rock and roll biz, and a seminal influence on the likes of Lennon and McCartney and many others. The impact Buddy Holly had on rock and roll, in just two years, is still felt today, and Norman does him justice.
August 7, 2025
Not only is this the most comprehensive work composed on the brief and extraordinary life of Buddy Holly, but it also might be the most impressive rock and roll biography ever written.
This story is brilliantly researched, making the author (Philip Norman) as much the star as the subject that he's written about. Its remarkable that the author was able to get the paperwork of Norman Petty, Buddy's longtime manager and studio producer in Clovis, New Mexico. There's an enormous amount of comprehensive detail about Buddy's childhood, his rise to fame, his songwriting process, his live performances and his commercial slump that led him to the fateful Winter Dance Tour, which would ultimately lead to his tragic demise. Any fan of classic rock and roll will be amazed at how thorough this bio is. It feels like it brings Buddy back to life within these pages.
This story is brilliantly researched, making the author (Philip Norman) as much the star as the subject that he's written about. Its remarkable that the author was able to get the paperwork of Norman Petty, Buddy's longtime manager and studio producer in Clovis, New Mexico. There's an enormous amount of comprehensive detail about Buddy's childhood, his rise to fame, his songwriting process, his live performances and his commercial slump that led him to the fateful Winter Dance Tour, which would ultimately lead to his tragic demise. Any fan of classic rock and roll will be amazed at how thorough this bio is. It feels like it brings Buddy back to life within these pages.
August 9, 2025
Phenomenal writing, an added bonus is the obvious extensive research into the life of Buddy Holly. Knowing near zilch about Holly, his having died the year I was born, I was nevertheless curious. His music was near-over-reaching for the time period but quickly became accepted and enjoyed. The lyrics are vanilla, if there is underlying suggestiveness it goes over my head. I mainly enjoyed the time period and the evolution of music in an era before I knew anything about music.
Highly recommended for the history and culture. Holly's having been born and bred in TX means an added dimension to his story.
Highly recommended for the history and culture. Holly's having been born and bred in TX means an added dimension to his story.
December 11, 2025
As a big fan of BUDDY HOLLY I was really excited about reading it. Let me tell you that this was boring as he77! It drug on that I had to put it down over and over from fear of falling asleep. I guess the author is English and used terms from that country so I was constantly having to GOOGLE the word to know what he was trying to say! I would love to say how long it took me to read it but my brain is drained! It did get better toward the very end but most of that I already knew. I would not recommend this book at all.
August 7, 2024
This is a good, solid biography of the rock and roll star by a person who truly appreciates his music. It offers much information about Holly and his career with which I was unfamiliar. Yet somehow the book is a bit unfulfilling, perhaps because the truth is not quite as dramatic as the Buddy Holly story depicted in the movie or stage show. Holly's career was also amazingly brief, with many of his hits we know and love having been issued posthumously.
October 12, 2021
This is clearly the definitive biography and story of Buddy Holly's life. It is extremely well written and a must read for BH fans and Rock and Roll fans alike. I feel like I knew him. Such a sad story but we are blessed with an abundance of his work.
December 31, 2022
Very thorough book about one of the first rock and roll legends. It was really interesting reading about how & when his popular songs came to be, as well as details about how his career was started, tours, etc and details about that last doomed flight he took with The Big Bopper & Ritchie Valens.
August 14, 2021
Beautifully written bio of a true music pioneer. Written in the 1990's, the author had the opportunity to speak many of Buddy's family and close associates, giving an intimate look at Buddy.
June 22, 2025
Wonderfully written book!
September 1, 2025
Incredibly moving, couldn’t put it down.
December 8, 2016
Touching account of the life and tragic death of the original Rock and Roll Star.
June 6, 2011
After my mom died I got really into Buddy Holly. Or, rather, Buddy Holly just sort of showed up in my life all of a sudden. I don't know. I can't realy explain it without sounding like a complete nut, so I'll skip the details. Lets just say I freaked out and began to listen to the bespectacled rocker's music religiously, eagerly seeking out B-sides and rarities; anything, basically that he had touched. That hiccuppy croon of his was like a cool cool balm to my weary soul. Those three-chord tremolo rockabilly love ballads just fucking KILLED me, every single time. Without fail.
Holly's sudden apparition during this period of grief made sense to me at the time. My mom grew up in the American Southwest during the 50s and 60s---and that's the sort of mental landscape that Holly's music evokes: a time of innocence and idealism and sock hop balls. I listened to Holly's music all throughout that miserable year and it just took me there, you know? It took me to a bygone era where my grandpa and my mom were still alive and happy and wearing horn-rimmed glasses in Arizona, 1961.
So I was super excited to read this book because I was such a fan of Holly's and... the book was kind of a let down.
It turns out that Buddy Holly was not quite the saint I thought he was. "Rave On" does a good job of deflating the Buddy Holly Myth. As the book reveals, Holly was (gasp!) a mere man(well, a mere kid, really. He died at age 22). Yes, in life Charles Hardin Holley was like the rest of us mortals: confused, socially awkward, prone to greed, pride, sexual indiscretion and an often disturbing hunger for fame and recognition.
I don't know if I liked "Rave On." I don't know how I feel about having Saint Buddy Holly taken away from me. I'm glad to meet the real man, of course. But I think we need the myth, too. I know I do. I need both parts: I need the real Holly--- a gangly, near-sighted naive Texan kid with fucked-up teeth because I want to say, "Hey, he's like me. A human. I can relate."
But I know I also really REALLY need the tragic hero who died when his plane plowed into a frozen field, leaving a young pregnant wife in his wake. I need the immortal genius. I need the legend, too, because I want to say "Hey, he's not like me. He's so much better. What a tragic hero!"
I don't know. I just know that I'm choosing to forget all of the bad parts of Buddy Holly that I learned from this book. I will very ignorantly continue to believe in his myth because more and more in my adult life I find that I need to put on a dusty LP and travel back in time to the sweet sun-kissed innocence of Arizona, 1961. I need to be assured by Saint Buddy Holly that everything will be okay.
Holly's sudden apparition during this period of grief made sense to me at the time. My mom grew up in the American Southwest during the 50s and 60s---and that's the sort of mental landscape that Holly's music evokes: a time of innocence and idealism and sock hop balls. I listened to Holly's music all throughout that miserable year and it just took me there, you know? It took me to a bygone era where my grandpa and my mom were still alive and happy and wearing horn-rimmed glasses in Arizona, 1961.
So I was super excited to read this book because I was such a fan of Holly's and... the book was kind of a let down.
It turns out that Buddy Holly was not quite the saint I thought he was. "Rave On" does a good job of deflating the Buddy Holly Myth. As the book reveals, Holly was (gasp!) a mere man(well, a mere kid, really. He died at age 22). Yes, in life Charles Hardin Holley was like the rest of us mortals: confused, socially awkward, prone to greed, pride, sexual indiscretion and an often disturbing hunger for fame and recognition.
I don't know if I liked "Rave On." I don't know how I feel about having Saint Buddy Holly taken away from me. I'm glad to meet the real man, of course. But I think we need the myth, too. I know I do. I need both parts: I need the real Holly--- a gangly, near-sighted naive Texan kid with fucked-up teeth because I want to say, "Hey, he's like me. A human. I can relate."
But I know I also really REALLY need the tragic hero who died when his plane plowed into a frozen field, leaving a young pregnant wife in his wake. I need the immortal genius. I need the legend, too, because I want to say "Hey, he's not like me. He's so much better. What a tragic hero!"
I don't know. I just know that I'm choosing to forget all of the bad parts of Buddy Holly that I learned from this book. I will very ignorantly continue to believe in his myth because more and more in my adult life I find that I need to put on a dusty LP and travel back in time to the sweet sun-kissed innocence of Arizona, 1961. I need to be assured by Saint Buddy Holly that everything will be okay.
April 26, 2017
Not a fan.
July 27, 2017
Great read that captures just why Buddy Holly is so important in the history of rock and pop, and illuminates the tragedy of his early death.
Norman understands the history and sets Buddy's life against a background of the sudden explosion of rock'n'roll and Elvis with its equally rapid (partial) decline.
In addition, this book reveals the personal stories, in particular the complex and occassionaly sinister role of Norman Petty (Buddy's most prominent Producer and sort of Manager). Anyone who's read any stories about the music industry back in the 50's and 60's will see the same old theme of a young and passionate artist getting ripped off by the Manager.
Norman excels at his research with wide ranging sources from nearly everyone who was close to Buddy and the other characters, as well as exhaustive examination of every shred of documentation. There's a depth of accuracy which doesn't get overloaded and get in the way of the story.
If you love the Beatles and Stones, then delve into Buddy Holly and find out where they came from.
Norman understands the history and sets Buddy's life against a background of the sudden explosion of rock'n'roll and Elvis with its equally rapid (partial) decline.
In addition, this book reveals the personal stories, in particular the complex and occassionaly sinister role of Norman Petty (Buddy's most prominent Producer and sort of Manager). Anyone who's read any stories about the music industry back in the 50's and 60's will see the same old theme of a young and passionate artist getting ripped off by the Manager.
Norman excels at his research with wide ranging sources from nearly everyone who was close to Buddy and the other characters, as well as exhaustive examination of every shred of documentation. There's a depth of accuracy which doesn't get overloaded and get in the way of the story.
If you love the Beatles and Stones, then delve into Buddy Holly and find out where they came from.
October 4, 2023
I've read a number of major rock biographies by Philip Norman. This is my favourite. It's the biography Buddy Holly deserves, the one he would have hoped for. It ties everything together: rock 'n roll history, Buddy as an artist, Buddy as a human being, his family, a beautiful and vivid image of 1950s Texas, the 'Day the Music Died' and, last but not least, it paints a sharp and merciless picture of Norman Petty, Holly's producer/manager, who ripped Buddy off and sat on his royalties, which forced Buddy to embark on the tour that cost him his life. Philip Norman was a huge Buddy fan when he was a kid, which is why we get the story of Buddy in Britain as well (he was more successful there than he was in the U.S.), which is invaluable and a major part of the story. Philip Norman's love for Buddy is tangible - and I loved it.
April 9, 2016
Buddy Holly (born, Charles Hardin Holley), one of the founders of rock’n’roll, died tragically in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, at only 22 years old. He had a new wife of only 5 months, and they were expecting their first child.
Buddy was a charming, genuinely nice, down-to-earth guy, but he wasn’t perfect. He had had an affair with a married woman, and towards the end of his life, he was in a battle with his first manager over money that was never passed on. The book goes into great detail as the author was able to interview people who knew him, as well as get his hands on some primary source materials. I found it very interesting, as I did learn plenty of things I never knew about Buddy.
Buddy was a charming, genuinely nice, down-to-earth guy, but he wasn’t perfect. He had had an affair with a married woman, and towards the end of his life, he was in a battle with his first manager over money that was never passed on. The book goes into great detail as the author was able to interview people who knew him, as well as get his hands on some primary source materials. I found it very interesting, as I did learn plenty of things I never knew about Buddy.
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