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Buddy Holly
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Lubbock's claim to world fame is as the birthplace of Charles Hardin Holley on September 7, 1936. Inspired by the blues and country music of his childhood - and a seminal encounter with the young Elvis Presley, gigging in Lubbock at the
Cotton Club
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Buddy Holly
was one of rock'n'roll's first singer-songwriters. The Holly sound, characterized by steady strumming guitar, rapid drumming and his trademark hiccuping vocals, was made famous by hits such as
Peggy Sue, Rave On, Not Fade Away, Oh Boy
! and
That'll Be the Day
; but Buddy himself was killed at the age of 22 by the Iowa plane crash of February 3, 1959 ("the day the music died") that also claimed the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.
In September 1999, the city opened the Buddy Holly Center at 19th Street and Avenue G (Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am-6pm; tel 806-767-2686, ), an impressive space that holds Lubbock's collection of Holly memorabilia (contracts, clothes, rare records, autographed items, and yes, those glasses) plus the Texas Music Hall Of Fame and various temporary exhibition galleries. All exhibits are free except for the Holly collection ($3). An 8ft bronze Buddy Holly Statue , on Eighth Street and Avenue Q, towers over a Walk of Fame of plaques to local performers like Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings (the bassist for Buddy's final concert). Buddy's birthplace , at 1911 Sixth St, is now a vacant lot, but more substantial sites around town include: J.T. Hutchinson Junior High School 3102 Canton Ave. Buddy and friend Bob Montgomery performed here in the sixth grade. Lubbock High School 2004 19th St. Buddy and Bob, who graduated in 1955, won the school's "Westerners Round Up" with Flower of My Heart . Souvenirs are on sale. Tabernacle Baptist Church 1911 34th St. A percentage of Buddy's royalties still go to the church that saw his baptism, wedding and funeral. Radio Station KRLB 6602 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Opened in 1953, this was the first full-time country music station in the US. Buddy and bandmate Jack Neal had their own show. Fair Park Coliseum 10th St and Ave A. Where Buddy opened shows for Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. His "discovery" here in 1955 led to a contract with Decca.
Buddy's grave
, in Lubbock cemetery at the end of 34th St. Take the right fork inside the gate, and the grave, decorated with flowers and guitar picks, is on the left. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United States,
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