Buddy Holly

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Arts & Culture

Buddy Holly

American musician

Also known as: Charles Hardin Holley

Written by Marshall H. Crenshaw

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 5, 2024 • Article History

Buddy Holly

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Category: Arts & Culture

Byname of:: Charles Hardin Holley

Born:: Sept. 7, 1936, Lubbock, Texas, U.S.

Died:: Feb. 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa (aged 22)

Awards And Honors:: Grammy Award (1997); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1986)

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Apr. 4, 2024, 4:36 AM ET (MSN)

Mario Van Peebles to Direct 'That'll Be the Day,' Drama About Buddy Holly and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll (EXCLUSIVE)

Buddy Holly (born Sept. 7, 1936, Lubbock, Texas, U.S.—died Feb. 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa) American singer and songwriter who produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music. Holly (the e was dropped from his last name—probably accidentally—on his first record contract) was the youngest of four children in a family of devout Baptists in the West Texas town of Lubbock, and gospel music was an important part of his life from an early age. A good student possessed of infectious personal charm, Holly was declared “King of the Sixth Grade” by his classmates. He ...(100 of 788 words)

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