50th Anniversary Of Buddy Holly's Death

(CBS)  Even today Buddy Holly's gangly, geeky look is unmistakable. His music: unforgettable.

It's so fresh that 50 years after his death, it still has the power to draw legions of fans to tiny Clear Lake, Iowa, the site of his last concert, CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports.

Holly was there at the birth of Rock & Roll, with Elvis and Chuck Berry.

But his death in a plane crash in a snowy Iowa field at the age of 22 with DJ-singer The Big Bopper, and Latin-Rock pioneer Ritchie Valens of "La Bamba" fame, was seared into pop consciousness as "The day the music died."

Only it didn't die.

Buddy Holly is perhaps more popular today than ever before.

Holly is living on in movies - another due out this year - and new CD releases. His music, part black and blues and rock-a-billy, helped ignite a revolution.

Bob Dylan, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones each call Holly a major inspiration.

Singer Graham Nash, who started the 1960s British group "The Hollies" before singing with Crosby & Stills, says Buddy Holly's 1958 tour of England helped launch an invasion.

"I think Buddy's influence on the British invasion was profound," said Nash. "We had soaked up a lot of his music. We had translated it into our English style and sent it back to America."

Can you hear his influence in music today?

"Absolutely," said Ken Luftig Viste, chief curator at the Grammy Museum. "It's high energy dance music. It was about getting out, getting crazy, getting in your car and running around, having a great time. That timeless feeling, especially for young people and people who want to feel that youth again in a way."

Holly's recording career lasted a year-and-a-half.

His popularity? A half century and counting.

[joxenham]

It says there is a new Buddy Holly movie coming out this year. Does anybody know what it will be called. I just looked all over the internet for anything about it and could find nothing.

Thanks

[musicrower]

Fifty years after his death, Buddy Holly is cemented in the public memory in a way that Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper are not. This is due to three factors: video footage (there is more archival film available of Holly than of J.P. Richardson and Valens), influence (The iconic Beatles and Rolling Stones claim Holly, rather than Valens and J.P. Richardson as musical influences), and Don McLean (American Pie, which speaks to Don''s admiration of Buddy simply got more airplay than "The Three Stars.")

Fairness requires that all Holly, Richardson and Valens be equally remembered, as they all are examples of unrealized potential.

Thanks to CBS'' evening news producers for continuing to remember the day the music died.

Stacy Harris
Publisher/Executive Editor
Stacy''s Music Row Report
http://www.geocities.com/stacy.harris/

[docpeter1953]

From the above article, ''Can you hear his influence in music today?

"Absolutely," said Ken Luftig Viste, chief curator at the Grammy Museum.''
-----------------

Evidently Ken Luftig never listened to Buddy Holly. I grew up listening to Buddy Holly and there is no influence in today''s BOOM...BOOM...BOOM... BOOM...BOOM...BOOM rap cr@p that was brought about by Buddy Holly''s music.

[fsw3]

I remember in high school, we''d sit up late at night getting into heavy discussions about the meaning of all the lyrics of AMERICAN PIE. That''s how I learned all about Buddy Holly. The man put out some great music.

[providence-7]

I wonder if he made a decision for Christ?

[edamos54]

Back in the 50''s I hung around with a guy who was
considered one of the toughest in high school. He came down to my house 50 years ago today to meet me
and to go ice skating - he sat on my back porch crying
his eyes out, learning of the death of Buddy Holly.