Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley September 7 1936 February 3 1959 known as Buddy Holly was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid1950s rock and roll His style was influenced by gospel music country music and rhythm and blues acts In 1955 after opening for Elvis Presley he decided to pursue a career in music After a show in Clear Lake Iowa he chartered an airplane to travel to his next show in Moorhead Minnesota Soon after takeoff the plane crashed killing Holly Ritchie Valens The Big Bopper and the pilot in a tragedy later referred to by Don McLean as The Day the Music Died in his song American Pie During his short career Holly wrote and recorded many songs He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rockandroll lineup of two guitars bass and drums He was a major influence on later popular music artists including Bob Dylan The Beatles The Rolling Stones Eric Clapton The Hollies who named themselves in his honor Elvis Costello Dave Edmunds Marshall Crenshaw and Elton John He was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of 100 Greatest Artists