Remembering Buddy Holly

Fifty years ago rock pioneer Buddy Holly died when his plane crashed in an Iowa cornfield. The media retrospectives have reprised Don McLean's "Day the Music Died." I for one am not a fan of McLean's allegorical whine against Sixties rock, so it's just the day Buddy Holly (and Richie Valens and The Big Bopper) died.

Most noteworthy about this sad day is the remarkable extent to which Holly's music didn't die. By his death at 22 he had created a body of work that changed rock forever -- mostly thanks to legions of reverential Brits who started Invading five years later. Everything from early Beatles to todays alt.country would sound much different -- and probably poorer -- if he had never picked up a guitar.

The iconic Holly video is the Crickets performing "Peggy Sue" on Ed Sullivan. I found this video of the band on Arthur Murray Dance Party on YouTube. The video and sound is better than the Sullivan kinescope and the intro is hilarious.

Rest in peace, Buddy.

And thanks.