The connection between Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley

 

Young Buddy Holly was a nineteen-year-old aspiring musician in Lubbock Texas when he first met Elvis.  It happened at the local Cotton Club on October 15, 1955.  Buddy and his friend Bob Montgomery opened the show as Buddy and Bob, before Elvis came out and took over.  Buddy Holly also opened for Elvis that year at the Fair Park Coliseum. 

Here is an interesting legend to come out of these meetings, according to Elvis – His Life from A to Z by Fred L. Worth and Steve D. Tamerius:

"According to legend, Elvis told Holly and Montgomery that if they came down to the 'Louisiana Hayride,' he'd get them on the show, but when they did show up, Horace Logan [ed. note: station manager at KWKH, which produced the Louisiana Hayride] turned them away, and Elvis wasn't there."

In spite of this, Holly has been quoted, "Without Elvis, none of us would have made it.

 

 

 

Here's a little-known nugget.  Elvis' band, Scottie Moore, Bill Black and DJ Fontana, caused almost all West Texas Rockabilly bands to change their style, including the Crickets playing behind Buddy Holly, and Roy Orbison's band.

 

Elvis and Buddy Holly must have liked a lot of the same songs, because they both recorded these songs by other popular singers:

Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Hamilton)
Reddy Teddy   (Little Richard)
Blue Suede Shoes  (Carl Perkins)
Shake, Rattle and Roll (Joe Turner / Bill Haley)
Rip It Up   (Little Richard)

Elvis never recorded any songs released by Buddy Holly, and Holly never recorded any Elvis songs except one.  He once said, "(You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care" was his favorite Elvis song.  He recorded it as a demo during a visit to a radio station in 1956.  To my knowledge, it was never released during his life.

After his death, all sort of rare Buddy Holly music was released.  Because Holly's career was cut so short, the total number of songs he recorded was much less than Elvis accumulated.  But that didn't prevent historians and record producers from finding every scrap of tape with Holly playing and singing on them.  Then they put out albums like this.  He was the undisputed king of the lost-basement-tapes, until they started digging for Jimi Hendrix material a decade later..

 

It is generally known that Waylon Jennings was part of the Crickets on that fateful night fifty years ago.  He was supposed to be on the charter plane with Holly, but gave up his seat to the Big Bopper.  There are few photos of Jennings with Holly, but here is one:

 

There is one last Elvis and Buddy Holly connection.  Both Elvis and Holly are charter members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  In 1986,when the first ten inductees to the Hall were named, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly were chosen.   Two rock icons, for sure.