The Crickets

The reasoning was simple — and it worked: a disc jockey could refuse to play the same artist twice, but had no problem playing two different groups. Some announcers even combined the names and referred to Buddy Holly and the Crickets, although record labels did not officially use that name until after Holly's death. In December 1957, the band performed on the television show The Ed Sullivan Show, and by then they already had their first big hit: That'll Be the Day, a single released that same year.In 1958, Holly cut ties with Petty and moved to New York, closer to the publishing business and studios. Allison and Mauldin chose not to follow him and returned to Lubbock.

Holly continued recording under his own name, with session musicians Tommy Allsup and Carl Bunch, and Waylon Jennings joined shortly after as part of his tour. In the meantime, Allison and Mauldin were waiting to reunite with Holly after finishing a winter tour in the Midwest. Alongside Sonny Curtis, they began recording new songs with Earl Sinks on vocals. It was during these sessions that the news arrived: Holly had died in a plane crash, along with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. The moment was etched into popular culture with the name The Day the Music Died.The lineup that ultimately became the most recognized of the group included Glen Hardin on piano, Jerry Allison on drums, Joe B.

Mauldin on bass, and Sonny Curtis on guitar. Among their former members are also Albert Lee and Jerry Nailor. Their music reached The Beatles, The Hollies, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, and Bob Dylan, among others — a chain that says a lot about what they sowed from Lubbock.