Buddy Holly’s Influence on Rock n’ Roll Music

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The music industry during the 1940s was filled with many talented artists who impacted the music industry and the history of rock n’ roll forever. But one of the very well known and talented artists was Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly was the first to pioneer new music genres and progressive music. Charles Hardin Holley (1936-1959) was an American musician and artist whose creative career began in 1956. The family name is correctly spelled “Holley” but his first recording contract from Decca Records in 1956 spelled his last name “Holly” and he kept it that way for the rest of his career (Griggs 1). Holly took a very influential position in the music industry and built an audience for his Rock and Roll music very quickly due to his unique voice and advanced knowledge of music. Buddy Holly is a prime example of a musical pioneer who blended resources from various music genres including a variety of popular genres such as rhythm and blues (RNB), oriental, and African (Schinder and Schwartz 85). He also was known to influences experimental new music and electronic music. Although he spent a good part of his life in the recording studio, he also performed live. In addition to being one of the greatest vocalists in the 1950s, Holly played guitar, a variety of percussion instruments, and electric bass. Although Holly’s music career was short lived, the amount of music he produced is very impressive. As a songwriter, he is famous for developing his own material. It is in his songs and his band, The Crickets, that we truly see Buddy Holly’s unique musical personality. Holly also appeared to be a vocalist and instrumentalist, playing bass and guitar on almost all his songs. “Buddy Holly played rock and roll for only a few short years, but the wea... ... middle of paper ... .... Buddy Holly. 2014. 3 April 2014 . Leigh, Spence. Oh boy: Why Buddy Holly still matters today . 23 January 2009. 3 April 2014 . Pflaumer, Alicia. "Buddy Holly honored on 75th birthday." Christian Science Monitor 07 Sept. 2011: N.PAG. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Buddy Holly Biography. 2014. 3 April 2014 . Schinder, Scott and Andy Schwartz. Icons of rock : an encyclopedia of the legends who changed music forever. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. The Crickets. The Crickets - Bios. 2013. 3 April 2014 .

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