Theater of the Stars stages “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” at the Fox Theatre on July 9-14.
From Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin to Jeff Buckley and Kurt Cobain, Americans have always had a special place in their hearts for rock stars taken before their time. Few have been mythologized more than Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holley, who has been described as “the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll.” More than 50 years after his death in a plane crash at the age of 22, the man Rolling Stone magazine ranked No. 13 among the 100 greatest artists of all time remains a fascination. Here’s a brief historical timeline of The Buddy Holly Story — the man, the myth and the musical.
1936: Holley, with that spelling, is born in Lubbock, Texas, the youngest of three. Older brothers Larry and Travis teach him to play a variety of musical instruments.
1952: Holley meets Bob Montgomery at Hutchison Junior High School. The two become friends thanks to their mutual love of music, and form a bluegrass duo (Buddy & Bob) to perform in local talent shows.
1955: After seeing Elvis perform live, Holley adopts a rockabilly-influenced sound. He, Montgomery and Larry Welborn are hired to open for Presley in Lubbock. They catch the eye of a Nashville talent scout.
1956: Decca Records signs the 19-year-old to a contract, but misspells his name “Holly.” Thus, Buddy Holly becomes his stage name. Nashville recording sessions end badly after Decca insists he sound more country and less rock-influenced. Two singles fail and Holly is released from his contract.
1957: Signs with Decca subsidiaries Brunswick Records (with the Crickets) and Coral Records (as a solo artist) and scores his first hit, “That’ll Be the Day.” The band wins over audiences with breakthrough performances on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and at New York’s Apollo Theater.
1958: Marries Puerto Rican receptionist Maria Elena Santiago, has two hit records (“Peggy Sue” and “Oh, Boy!”), tours the UK and Australia, moves to New York and breaks up the Crickets, all in one year.
1959: After an Iowa performance on the three-week Winter Dance Party tour, Holly charters a small plane to take him, “La Bamba” singer Ritchie Valens and “Chantilly Lace” singer J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson to their next stop, in Minnesota. The pilot isn’t qualified to fly only by instruments, and the plane crashes in a heavy snowstorm, killing everyone aboard.
1960: John Lennon and Paul McCartney change their band’s name to the Beatles as an homage to the Crickets, and cite Buddy Holly as a primary influence.
1971: Folk-rock singer-songwriter Don McLean releases the hit song “American Pie,” which recalls the tragedy known as “The Day the Music Died.” He dedicates the album to Holly.
1978: The biographical film The Buddy Holly Story is released in theaters. Gary Busey is nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Holly.
1988: Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story is conceived in London by Laurie Mansfield, who pitches the idea to producer Greg Smith and writer Alan Janes. Paul McCartney, who owns the copyrights to Holly’s music and took issue with inaccuracies in the film, supports what becomes one of the first “jukebox musicals.”
1989: The musical opens in London’s West End, with Paul Hipp in the title role. It’s nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award as best new musical. Hipp is nominated for outstanding performance by an actor in a musical.
1990: The show opens at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway, with Hipp as Holly and Jill Hennessy as Maria Elena. Hipp earns Tony and Drama Desk award nominations for best actor in a musical.
2002: The show closes in the West End after more than 5,000 performances, making it one of the longest-running stage musicals in London history.
2009: An Australian tour of Buddy is launched in Sydney on Feb. 3 to mark the 50-year anniversary of “The Day the Music Died.” The opening-night audience includes Peggy Sue Gerron (wife of Crickets drummer Jerry Allison, for whom the song was named) and Holly’s original partner, Bob Montgomery.
