The 100 Greatest Bands of all time - #65 Buddy Holly & the Crickets

Buddy Holly, in less than two years time, wrote and recorded some of rock’s most influential songs, set the standard for what a rock and roll band would become, and left a legacy that would influence important rock artists from Dylan to the Beatles to the Stones to Springsteen. He did all this before his tragic death in a plane crash when he was only 22 years old. Buddy and the Crickets; guitarist Niki Sullivan, bassist Joe B. Mauldin, and drummer Jerry Allison released their first single in 1957 and quickly took the world by storm. One wonders what directions rock would have gone had he lived to continue to influence it. His loss is arguably the greatest in all of musical history.

Buddy's first big hit.

Words of Love. The Beatles did a great cover of this one.

The classic. Peggy Sue. Easily one of the top five songs of the whole 1950s.

Here he is playing Oh Boy on the Ed Sullivan show. Get a load of that growly way he's singing. Awesome.

Buddy Holly - Oh Boy by jolber

Maybe Baby, I'll have you
Maybe Baby, you'll be true
Maybe Baby, I'll have you for me.

Rave on, it's a crazy feeling
I know you've got me reelin'
When you say I love you-oo
Rave on

A classic example of the Bo Diddley beat. This song was famously covered by The Stones and the Dead among many others. I prefer Buddy's original. I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be. bop bop bop bop.

This is absolutely one of the prettiest things that has ever been recorded. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

Well All Right was covered by Blind Faith, but again, I prefer the original.

and we conclude our look at Buddy Holly & the Crickets with this lovely cover of Mickey & Sylvia's classic "Love is Strange".