Not Fade Away

by Gabe Downey

It was unfortunately 52 yeas ago today that the world bid farewell to one of it’s finest musical creations to date. Charles Hardin Holley (known to the general public as his stage name Buddy Holly) arguably changed the musical landscape (not just in the United States but around the world) as much as any hip-swiveling southern gospel boy, or head-shaking lads from Liverpool. His unique and unapologetic brand of true Rock and Roll helped to define a music genre in it’s infancy, while inspiring those many brilliant artists who came after him to push further and deeper into the most expressive, personal and accessible genre of music yet played by the hands of man.

Buddy Holly, for his time, was quite literally on the front edge of the Zeitgeist and his vision helped transform not only music, but also the music business from a record company controlled dictatorship, to artists and musicians beginning to have a voice in the direction of their careers. Not only was Holly unique for writing without question some of the greatest songs we’ve ever heard, but he fought to play and control his own music and for his band to be able to play their own instruments on his recordings, against the wishss of the powers that be. Revolutionary in not only sound, but principle as well, Buddy Holly changed everything.

It’s sometimes said that people come to earth to do what they’re sent here to do and leave, all in such a short amount of time. I don’t really buy into that thought process, but it’s clear that in his short 22 years of conciseness, Buddy Holly exhibited a talent and a foresight that perhaps only comes along once. His music is his legacy. A finer rock and roll song than That’ll Be The Day has never been written. A finer love song than True Love Ways has never been sung. A finer talent than that of Charles Hardin Holley has never graced our airwaves. Today, and everyday through the brilliance of his music, we remember him fondly.