Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly Recording Sessions

1936

September 7, 1936 Charles Hardin Holley is born to Ella and Lawrence Odell "L.O." Holley on Labor Day at the family's Sixth Street home in Lubbock, Texas.

1941

Five-year-old Buddy enters a talent contest along with his older brothers Larry and Travis. Though his brothers grease his toy violin to keep him from interrupting their performance, he won the $5 first-place prize singing "Down the River Of Memories."

1953

September 1953 Radio station KDAV in Lubbock begins broadcasting what is considered the first all-country music format in the United States. The Sunday Party aired by Hipockets Duncan, a disc jockey and talent scout, gives local musicians an opportunity to perform live. Buddy teams with Jack Neal to form the duo Buddy and Jack, and their show is broadcast live from KDAV during The Sunday Party.

November 10, 1953 Radio Station KDAV, Lubbock, TX (performing "I Saw The Moon Cry Last Night" & "I Hear The Lord Callin' For Me")

1954

February 19, 1954 Holley, Bob Montgomery, and Larry Welborn perform "Flower Of My Heart," a song written by Bob, for a contest at Lubbock High School. The song wins the competition and is chosen as the 1954 Senior Class Song.

After Jack Neal marries, Holley teams up with Bob Montgomery to form Buddy and Bob, who advertise themselves as Western and Bop performers. The Buddy and Jack Show is replaced by the Buddy and Bob Show on The Sunday Party.

1955

February 13, 1955 Fair Park Coliseum, Lubbock, TX (with Bob Montgomery, supporting Elvis Presley, Ferlin Husky, Bill Carlisle & Martha Carlson)

June 3, 1955 Buddy and Bob opened for a young Elvis at Connelly's Pontiac Showroom, in a free show to attract customers.

October 14, 1955 Fair Park Coliseum, Lubbock, TX (with Bob Montgomery & Larry Welborn, supporting Bill Haley and The Comets & Jimmy Rodgers Snow)

October 28, 1955 Fair Park Coliseum, Lubbock, TX (with Bob Montgomery & Larry Welborn, supporting Marty Robbins)

1956

May 6-10, 1956 Buddy joins Faron Young's Grand Ole Opry Show on its Oklahoma tour. Other performers included Ray Price, Carl Perkins, Tommy Collins, Jimmy & Johnny, Tom Pritchard, Red Sovine, and Joe Vincent.

October 20, 1956 American Legion Youth Center, Lubbock, TX

November 22, 1956 American Legion Youth Center, Lubbock, TX

1957

March 3, 1957 Elks Ballroom, Carlsbad, NM (Larry Welborn couldn't make the gig so was replaced by the Four Teens bass player Joe B. Mauldin)

The Crickets:
 * Buddy Holly - lead vocals and lead guitar
 * Jerry Allison - drums
 * Niki Sullivan - rhythm guitar
 * Joe B. Mauldin - bass

May 10, 1957 Village Theater, Lubbock, TX (The first concert by the Crickets was a Battle of the Bands against Tinker Carlen and the Cats, The Four Teens & Pat and Shirley Richardson)

May 11, 1957 KFDA Television Studios, Amarillo, TX (The Crickets audition for a chance to appear on the "Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts" TV program, but are turned down)

July 13, 1957 Elks Ballroom, Carlsbad, NM

August 2-8, 1957 Howard Theater, Washington, DC (with Clyde McPhatter, The Cadillacs, Edna McGriff, Otis Rush, Lee Andrews and The Hearts & Oscar and Oscar)

August 9-16, 1957 Royal Theater, Baltimore, MD

August 16-22, 1957 Apollo Theater, New York City, NY

August 23, 1957 New York City, NY ("Alan Freed Show")

August 26, 1957 Philadelphia, PA (US TV "Dick Clark's American Bandstand" performing "That'll Be The Day")

August 27, 1957 New York City, NY (US TV "Ted Steele TV Show")

August 30-September 8, 1957 Paramount Theater, New York City, NY (The Alan Freed "Great Holiday Rock'n Roll Show" with Little Richard, The Del Vikings, The Diamonds, Mickey & Sylvia, The Moonglows, The Five Keys, Larry Williams, Jo-Ann Campbell, Shaye Cogan, Ocie Smith, the ClefTunes, Jimmie Rodgers & King Curtis)

Biggest Show of Stars of 1957 Fall Edition an eighty-day, seventy-city Irving Feld rock tour, with Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly & Crickets, Everly Brothers, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Lavern Baker, Clyde McPhatter, Paul Anka, Spanials, The Drifters, Johnnie and Joe, The Bobbettes, Paul Williams Orchestra

September 6, 1957 Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA

September 7, 1957 The Mosque, Richmond, VA

September 8, 1957 Washington, DC (cancelled when city commissioners banned headliner Fats Domino from appearing because his behavior would lead to a riot requiring every policeman in the city)

September 8, 1957 Carr's Beach Ballroom, Annapolis, MD

September 9, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, Norfolk, VA

September 10, 1957 Akron Armory, Akron, OH

September 11, 1957 Garden, Cincinnati, OH

September 12, 1957 Fairgrounds Coliseum, Columbus, OH

September 13, 1957 Sports Arena, Hershey, PA

September 14, 1957 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON (Chuck Berry comes down with the flu and is unable to perform)

September 15, 1957 Forum, Montreal, QC (2 shows)

September 16, 1957 War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, NY

September 17, 1957 War Memorial Audiorium, Rochester, NY

September 18, 1957 Coliseum, Baltimore, MD

September 19, 1957 Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh, NC

September 20, 1957 Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC

September 21, 1957 Coliseum, Charlotte, NC

September 22, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, GA

September 23, 1957 New Auditorium, Columbus, GA

September 24, 1957 Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, TN (Starting today, Paul Anka, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and the Everly Brothers are dropped from the lineup for the next five shows since black performers and white performers cannot appear together in those cities)

September 25, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, Birmingham, AL

September 26, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, LA

September 27, 1957 Auditorium, Memphis, TN

September 28, 1957 Memorial Auditorium, Tulsa, OK (The Everlys, Buddy Holly and the Crickets and Paul Anka return to the lineup tonight)

September 29, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, Oklahoma City, OK (2 shows 4.00 & 8.00)

September 30, 1957 City Auditorium, Wichita Falls, TX

October 1, 1957 New Auditorium, Dallas, TX

October 2, 1957 Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, Ft. Worth, TX

October 3, 1957 Heart of Texas Coliseum, Waco, TX

October 4, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, TX (2 shows 7.30 & 10.00)

October 5, 1957 Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, TX (2 shows 7.00 & 10.30)

October 6, 1957 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX

October 7, 1957 City Coliseum, Austin, TX

October 8, 1957 City Auditorium, El Paso, TX

October 9, 1957 Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM

October 10, 1957 Calalina High School Gym, Tucson, AZ

October 11, 1957 Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ

October 12, 1957 Mission Beach Ballroom, San Diego, CA

October 13, 1957 Memorial Auditorium, Fresno, CA

October 15, 1957 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA (Starting with today's show and running the remainder of the tour, The Bobbettes, The Spaniels and Johnnie and Joe are dropped and replaced by Eddie Cochrane, Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen. Fats Domino also choses to close the first half of the show so he can have his evenings free for partying and socializing)

October 17, 1957 Civic Auditorium, San Jose, CA

October 18, 1957 Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, CA

October 19, 1957 Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

October 20, 1957 Civic Auditorium, Stockton, CA (matinee)

October 20, 1957 Auditorium, Oakland, CA (evening)

October 22, 1957 Paramount Theater, Portland, OR (2 shows 7.00 & 9.30)

October 23, 1957 Georgia Auditorium, Vancouver, BC (The Crickets were interviewed by DJ Red Robinson backstage. They talked about wanting to go home where the temperature wasn't so "cool". When questioned about the future of rock and roll, Buddy said that "it'll probably last about 1 1/2 more years")

October 24, 1957 Temple Theater, Tacoma, WA

October 25-26, 1957 Orpheum Theater, Seattle, WA

October 27, 1957 Coliseum, Spokane, WA

October 28, 1957 University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

October 29, 1957 Stampede Corral, Calgary, AB

October 30, 1957 Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton, AB

October 31, 1957 Exhibition Auditorium, Regina, SK

November 1, 1957 Arena Auditorium, Denver, CO (The Diamonds are added to the lineup, increasing the number of white artists to over half. Local DJ, Freeman Hover, interviewed Buddy and Eddie Cochran in Cochran's hotel room at the Albany Hotel in Denver, before the show)

November 2, 1957 Forum, Wichita, KS (2 shows 7.00 & 9.30)

November 3, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO

November 4, 1957 Music Hall City Auditorium, Omaha, NE

November 5, 1957 Arena Municipal Auditorium, Topeka, KS (The Crickets were interviewed backstage by Dale Lowery for Topeka, Kansas's radio station KTOP)

November 6, 1957 Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO

November 7, 1957 Indiana Theater, Indianapolis, IN (2 shows 7.30 & 9.45)

November 8, 1957 Coliseum, Ft. Wayne, IN

November 9, 1957 Fairgrounds Coliseum, Louisville, KY

November 10, 1957 Fox Theater, Detroit, MI (2 shows 2.30 & 8.30)

November 11, 1957 Sports Arena, Toledo, OH

November 12, 1957 Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA

November 13, 1957 Warner Theatre, Erie, PA (2 shows 7.00 & 9.15)

November 14, 1957 RPI Fieldhouse, Troy, NY

November 15, 1957 Boston Gardens, Boston, MA

November 16, 1957 State Theater, Hartford, CT

November 17, 1957 Forum, Montreal, QC

November 18, 1957 Auditorium Arena, Toronto, ON

November 19, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, Buffalo, NY

November 20, 1957 Arena, Philadelphia, PA

November 21, 1957 Paramount Theater, Brooklyn, NY

November 22, 1957 Municipal Auditorium, Norfolk, VA

November 23, 1957 Coliseum, Charlotte, NC

November 24, 1957 Mosque, Richmond, VA

December 1, 1957 New York City, NY (US TV "The Ed Sullivan Show" performing "That'll Be the Day" & "Peggy Sue")

December 4-5, 1957 Buddy Holly & The Crickets return to Lubbock. Niki Sullivan leaves the group, citing the harsh tour schedule as his reason. Norman Petty signs contracts for Buddy Holly & The Crickets to participate in three tours, including the Paramount Theater in New York, the America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars, and a short Florida tour.

December 23, 1957 Paramount Theater, Brooklyn, NY ("Holiday of Stars", start of a 12-day tour for Alan Freed, with Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, the Rays, Danny and the Juniors, Paul Anka, Lee Andrews and the Hearts, the Shepherd Sisters, Little Joe Dubs, Thurston Harris, the Teenagers, Jo Ann Campbell, the Twin Tunes, Terry Noland, Earl Warren & Sam "the man" Taylor)

December 28, 1957 New York City, NY (US TV "Arthur Murray Dance Party" performing "Peggy Sue")

1958

January 8, 1958 The Crickets start a 17-day tour called "America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars". Also on the tour are the Everly Brothers, Paul Anka, Danny and the Juniors, Jimmie Rodgers, Eddie Cochran, and others.

January 15, 1958 Stambaugh Auditorium, Youngstown, OH (2 shows 7.00 & 9.30)

January 19, 1958 Auditorium Theater, Rochester, NY (2 shows 3.30 & 8.30)

January 26, 1958 New York City, NY (US TV "The Ed Sullivan Show" performing "Oh, Boy!)

January 27, 1958 Civic Auditorium, Honolulu, HI (2 shows with Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Anka & Jodie Sands)

1958 Australian Tour with Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Anka, Jodie Sands with Johnny O'Keefe and the Dee Jays & Denis Collinson's Orchestra

January 30-31, 1958 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, AUS (2 shows each night, with Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Anka & Jodie Sands. The 31st was cancelled and moved to Newcastle due to poor bookings)

January 31, 1958 Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle, AUS (Was 2 shows but reduced to one due to poor bookings. Whilst in Newcastle, Buddy was interviewed by DJ Pat Barton for Radio 2KO)

February 1, 1958 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, AUS (3 shows)

February 3, 1958 Cloudland Ballroom, Brisbane, AUS (2 shows)

February 4-5, 1958 West Melbourne Stadium, Melbourne, AUS (2 shows each night)

February 5, 1958 Nurses Memorial Centre, St Kilda, AUS

The Big Gold Records Stars 1958 (Buddy Holly & The Crickets, the Everly Brothers, Bill Haley and The Comets, Jerry Lee Lewis, and The Royalteens)

February 20, 1958 Kellogg Auditorium, Orlando, FL (The Big Gold Records Stars 1958) February 21, 1958 Fort Hesterly Armory, Tampa, FL (The Big Gold Records Stars 1958) February 22, 1958 National Guard Armory, Jacksonville, FL (The Big Gold Records Stars 1958) February 23, 1958 Connie Mack Stadium, West Palm Beach, FL (The Big Gold Records Stars 1958) February 24, 1958 Dade County Auditorium, Miami, FL (The Big Gold Records Stars 1958) February 25, 1958 War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (The Big Gold Records Stars 1958)

UK Package Tour with Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Gary Miller, Tanner Sisters, Ronnie Keene's Orchestra & (compere) Des O'Connor

Buddy Holly (Guitar) Joe B. Mauldin (Bass) Jerry Allison (Drums)

March 1, 1958 Elephant & Castle Trocadero, London, ENG

March 2, 1958 London Palladium, London, ENG (UK TV "Sunday Night At The London Palladium", performing "That'll Be The Day", "Peggy Sue" & "Oh Boy". Special Gala Show to celebrate the 100th performance with Bob Hope top of the bill. Also appearing was the ballerina Dame Alicia Markova and compere Robert Morley)

March 2, 1958 Kilburn Gaumont State, London, ENG March 3, 1958 Gaumont, Southampton, ENG March 4, 1958 City Hall, Sheffield, ENG March 5, 1958 Globe Theatre, Stockton, ENG March 6, 1958 City Hall, Newcastle, ENG March 7, 1958 Gaumont, Wolverhampton, ENG March 8, 1958 Odeon, Nottingham, ENG March 9, 1958 Gaumont, Bradford, ENG March 10, 1958 Town Hall, Birmingham, ENG March 11, 1958 Paramount, Worcester, ENG March 12, 1958 Davis Theatre, Croydon, ENG March 13, 1958 East Ham Granada, London, ENG

March 14, 1958 Riverside TV Studio 2, London, ENG (UK TV "Off The Record" performing "Maybe Baby")

March 14, 1958 Woolwich Granada, London, ENG March 15, 1958 Gaumont, Ipswich, ENG (3 shows 2.30, 6.15 & 8.30) March 16, 1958 De Montfort Hall, Leicester, ENG March 17, 1958 Gaumont, Doncaster, ENG March 18, 1958 Ritz, Wigan, ENG or St. Georges Hall, Blackburn, ENG March 19, 1958 Regal, Hull, ENG March 20, 1958 Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, ENG (2 shows 6.15 & 8.30) March 21, 1958 Walthamstow Granada, London, ENG March 22, 1958 Gaumont, Salisbury, ENG March 23, 1958 Colston Hall, Bristol, ENG (2 shows 5.30 & 7.45) March 24, 1958 Capitol, Cardiff, WAL March 25, 1958 Hammersmith Gaumont, London, ENG (Before the second show, Joe B Mauldin knocks the caps off of Holly's two front teeth during a scuffle. Buddy repairs the damage with chewing gum and performs the second show with the gum spread over his front teeth)

Upon their return to the United States, Holly and the Crickets joined Alan Freed's Big Beat Show tour for 41 dates.

March 28, 1958 Paramount Theater, Brooklyn, NY (5 shows daily, The Big Beat Show)

March 31, 1958 Loew's Paradise Theater, Bronx, NY (The Big Beat Show)

April 2, 1958 Coliseum Theater, New York City, NY (The Big Beat Show)

April 11, 1958 Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener, ON (The Big Beat Show, 2 shows 7.00 & 9.45)

April 15, 1958 Keil Auditorium, St. Louis, MO (The Big Beat Show. Buddy's Stratocaster guitar is stolen and a replacement flown in from Manny's in New York.)

April 16, 1958 Municipal Theatre, Tulsa, OK (The Big Beat Show)

April 23, 1958 Orpheum Theatre, Madison, WI (The Big Beat Show, 3 shows 4.15, 7.00 & 9.30)

April 28, 1958 Hippodrome, Waterloo, IA

April 29, 1958 Coliseum, Evansville, IN (The Big Beat Show)

May 3, 1958 Boston Arena, Boston, MA (During the Big Beat show at the Boston Arena, a 19 year old Navy sailor is stabbed in the chest and others are injured. Arrests are made outside of the concert hall. Alan Freed, the tour's promoter, is charged with inciting a riot, but the charges are later dropped. The incident, which becomes know as the "Boston riot," results in the cancellation of scheduled shows in Troy, N.Y.; Providence, R.I.; New Haven, Conn.; and Newark, N.J.)

May 5, 1958 Lewiston, ME (The Big Beat Show)

May 7, 1958 Providence, RI (cancelled, The Big Beat Show)

May 8, 1958 New Haven Arena, New Haven, CT (cancelled, The Big Beat Show)

May 9, 1958 Hershey, Arena, Hershey, PA (last day of the Big Beat tour)

July 8, 1958 Electric Park, Waterloo, IA

July 12, 1958 Athletic Baseball Park, Wausau, WI (afternoon)

July 12, 1958 Rothschild Pavilion, Wausau, WI (evening)

Biggest Show of Stars of 1958 Fall Edition with Buddy Holly & Crickets, Clyde McPhatter, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin, The Coasters, The Elegants, The Olympics, Dion & Belmonts, Bobby Freeman, The Danleers, Jimmy Clanton, Jack Scott, Little Anthony & Imperials, Sil Austin Orchestra

October 2, 1958 Nola Studios, New York City, NY (Rehearsal) October 3, 1958 Worcester Auditorium, Worcester, MA

October 4, 1958 State Theater, Hartford, CT (Cancelled) October 4, 1958 Arcadia Ballroom, Providence, RI October 5, 1958 Forum, Montreal, QC October 6, 1958 Memorial Centre, Peterborough, ON October 7, 1958 Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener, ON October 8, 1958 Sports Arena, Toledo, OH October 9, 1958 Indiana Theater, Indianapolis, IN (2 shows) October 10, 1958 State Fair Coliseum, Louisville, KY

October 11, 1958 Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH October 12, 1958 Stambaugh Auditorium, Youngstown, OH (2 shows 7.00 & 9.30) October 13, 1958 Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA (2 shows 7.30 & 10.00)

October 14, 1958 Akron Armory, Akron, OH (2 shows 7.30 & 10.00)

October 15, 1958 War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, NY

October 16, 1958 Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, PA October 17, 1958 Municipal Auditorium, Norfolk, VA (2 shows) October 18, 1958 Park Center, Charlotte, NC October 19, 1958 The Mosque, Richmond, VA (2 shows) October ?, 1958 US TV Alan Freed TV show on WNEW-TV, where he was interviewed and lip-synched a performance of "It's So Easy."

October 28, 1958 Philadelphia, PA (US TV "Dick Clark's American Bandstand" lip-synching to "Heartbeat" & "It's So Easy.")

November 1, 1958 Buddy calls it quits with the Crickets and gives the group name to Jerry Allison and Joe B Mauldin.

1959

January 23, 1959 George Divine’s Million Dollar Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI (The Winter Dance Party tour starts with performances in Milwaukee. The tour will continue through Feb. 15 with scheduled stops in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio. Other performers include: Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Dion and The Belmonts, and Frankie Sardo)

January 24, 1959 Eagles Ballroom, Kenosha, WI (Debbie Stevens also performed) January 25, 1959 Kato Ballroom, Mankato, MN January 26, 1959 Fournier's Ballroom, Eau Claire, WI (setlist: "Gotta Travel On", "Peggy Sue", "That'll Be The Day", "Heartbeat", "Be Bop a Lulu", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore") January 27, 1959 Fiesta Ballroom, Montevideo, MN January 28, 1959 Prom Ballroom, St. Paul, MN January 29, 1959 Capitol Theater, Davenport, IA January 30, 1959 Laramar Ballroom, Fort Dodge, IA (On the way, the bus heater completely goes out and they make a stop in Tipton, Iowa) January 31, 1959 National Guard Armory, Duluth, MN (Just as they pull into town, the bus breaks down. Ritchie brings up chartering a plane, but a replacement bus is found, whose heater also goes out. Robert Zimmerman was in attendance)

February 1, 1959 Cinderella Ballroom, Appleton, WI (cancelled afternoon performance after the bus breaks down. With temperatures at 30 degrees below zero and no source of heat, the passengers burn newspapers in the aisles to keep warm. The Sheriffs' cars pick up the freezing entertainers and drummer Carl Bunch is taken to the Grand View Hospital in Ironwood, Minnesota, suffering from frostbite)

February 1, 1959 Riverside Ballroom, Green Bay, WI (To get to their evening performance in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the tour boards a train. Ritchie plays drums for Buddy, Buddy plays for Dion, and Dion plays for Ritchie. After the show, Buddy phones his mother. The repaired bus arrives to take the group to Clear Lake, Iowa)

February 2, 1959 Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA (Buddy, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup perform and serve as back-up musicians during the performance. Shortly after the performance Buddy, J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson & Ritchie Valens board a small aircraft chartered to take them to their next performance. Soon after take-off, the plane crashes, killing all aboard)

February 3, 1959 Moorhead Armory (15-year-old Robert Velline of Fargo, and his band (named at the last minute the Shadows) filled in at the show. Velline later became Bobby Vee)