
Early Recording of Buddy Holly
and the Three Tunes
1955
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This year marks the 50th
Anniversary of Buddy Holly's tragic death
in an air crash. Buddy only
performed rock and roll for two
short years, but in that time he left a
lasting legacy to the world
of popular music. Buddy was the
first singer songwriter, arranging and
producing his own sounds exploiting such
advanced studio techniques as
double-tracking. He introduced the world
to the now-standard rock-band lineup of
two guitars, bass and drums. Towards the
end of his life, he was the first to
intermix orchestral sounds with rock
guitars. His songs are just as fresh
today and the MerseyBeat owed much to his
style and influence. His creativity was
the motivation for the sounds of the
sixties and without him perhaps the
Liverpool sound wouldn't have happened.
Holly was a big influence on the
Beatles and the
Hollies (both of whom
derived their names from his). Even the
Rolling Stones had their
first major British hit with Holly's
"Not Fade
Away."
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Buddy's Telephone Conversation with
Decca
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He was born Charles
Hardin Holley (later amended to
"Holly") on September 7th, 1936, in Lubbock,
Texas. He learned to play guitar, piano and
fiddle at an early age. After high school, he
formed the Western and Bop
Band, a country-oriented act that
performed regularly on a Lubbock radio station
and opened for acts that came through town.
After being noticed by a talent scout, Holly
was signed to Decca in early
1956, recording demos and singles for the label
in Nashville under the name Buddy Holly
and the Three Tunes. Back home, Holly
opened a show at the Lubbock Youth Centre for
Elvis Presley, an event
that converted him overnight from
country and western to rock and roll. "We owe
it all to Elvis," he
said.
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"Midnight Shift" Studio
Recording
1956
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Home Recording of
"That's What They
Say"
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Visit http://www.buddyhollyonline.com/
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