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On the basis of simply counting heads, rock music surpasses even film as the 20th century's most influential art form. By that reckoning, there is a case for calling Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash 50 years ago next Tuesday, the century's most influential musician. Holly and Elvis Presley are the two seminal figures of 1950s rock 'n' roll, the place where modern rock culture began. Virtually everything we hear on CD or see on film or the concert stage can be traced back to those twin towering icons – Elvis with his drape jacket and swivelling hips...

Some accidents are burned into memory even decades after they happened. The sinking of the Titanic, the explosion of the Hindenburg, the accident at Tenerife, and the Challenger crash all bring back remembrances of unforgettable tragedies. “The day the music died,” wrote singer/songwriter Don McLean for his hit song, American Pie, in 1971 commemorated the loss of singer Buddy Holly in an aircraft accident. Charles Hardin Holley, better known as Buddy Holly, was and remains one of the giants in the music business. His may be the most-discussed pop music star aircraft accident in history. The impact on the music...

51 years ago this coming Wednesday, three rock n' roll pioneers were lost way too soon, Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson aka 'The Big Bopper' and Ritchie Valens. I was only a kid but I knew something heartbreaking had occurred, and it was only later on that I began to fully appreciate the musical genius that was Buddy Holly. I came to love the music of that man, I tried to imagine the grief of Waylon Jennings, who gave his seat on that ill fated flight to J.P. Richardson, and the last words between him and Buddy, who said (paraphrased) "So...

In one of music's most tragic accidents, a light plane carrying three people who changed the face of Rock forever crashed in an Iowa field shortly after leaving a concert on Feb. 3, 1959. Buddy Holly had chartered the plane to take his band to their next gig in North Dakota while other artists and staff took the usual means of tour bus....

The boy that was born two months after his famous father died in a tragic accident saw his father's face for the first time fifty years after the fatal day that stole the elder from our world. How is that, you ask? Well, it may seem like one of those riddles or some exercise in logic but, no, I assure you it's quite true. And the truth of the matter makes for a fascinating story. Jay Perry Richardson was born the same year that his father died in a horrible plane accident. In fact, Jay was still peacefully floating in...

The rickety old bus pulled out of the Duluth Armory late on Saturday, Jan. 31, 1959, and headed across St. Louis Bay into the frigid Wisconsin night. On board were some exhausted, stinky rock 'n' rollers and their harried manager. The Winter Dance Party tour had just finished its ninth gig in as many days and was headed east for Appleton and Green Bay, for shows 10 and 11 on Sunday. But as the temperature plunged to around 30 below and the wind howled, fate intervened. The southbound bus creaked to a stop as it struggled up an incline on...

Anyone who's strolled through a record show or taken a cursory glance through eBay knows there's a flourishing, recession-proof market in rock 'n' roll memorabilia out there. Rare vinyl albums and singles, autographs, promotional discs, posters, books, backstage passes, concert programs, you name it. Even if you had the same bank balance as Bill Gates, you could spend eight hours a day collecting it and still not hope to get it all. Sometime soon, it's been reported, there's going to be a piece of rock 'n' roll memorabilia going up for sale on eBay that's certainly unique. No one would...

...It was about 1 a.m., Feb. 3, 1959, when a light plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. (The Big Bopper) Richardson crashed near Mason City, Iowa. The trio had just finished a concert in Clear Lake and was headed to Fargo, N.D., the next stop on their tour, when the plane went down in bad weather. All three were hitmakers on the music scene at the time, Valens with the song “La Bamba” and Richardson with “Chantilly Lace.” But the real star of the group was Holly. He was the creator of songs which are now considered to...

LUBBOCK, Texas — Buddy Holly's widow is trying to keep the woman whose name was made famous by the hit song "Peggy Sue" from selling a book about her friendship with the late rock 'n' roll star. Maria Elena Holly said Friday that Peggy Sue Gerron's "Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?" is unauthorized and will harm Holly's name, her reputation and that of her company, Holly Properties.

This is just to observe that Buddy Holly, the true King of Rock 'n' Roll (and multitalented musician, singer, producer, songwriter) would have been seventy years old today. I have the complete Buddy Holly collection. Unfortunately, it's on vinyl.

NEW YORK - Forget religion and politics. When it comes to controversial subjects, the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll is the topic du jour. For many people, that milestone will occur this year on July 5, the day five decades ago when a young Southerner named Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right (Mama)" in a Memphis studio. That city is planning a year-long celebration in honor of the event, calling Elvis's single "the first rock and roll song ever recorded, making Memphis the birthplace of a musical revolution." But even after 50 years of gyrating hips, not everyone agrees...

Rock icon's siblings perturbed at his portrayal in lyrics LUBBOCK, Texas A reference to late rock and roller Buddy Holly on the new Dixie Chicks album is drawing criticism from his brothers. In "Lubbock or Leave It," Natalie Maines of Lubbock sings: "I hear they hate me now/Just like they hated you./Maybe when I'm dead and gone/I'm gonna get a statue, too." Holly was born in Lubbock and his statue is downtown. He died in a 1959 plane crash in Iowa. Larry Holley doesn't know of anyone who hated his late sibling. Travis Holley says his late brother was proud...

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