BUDDY HOLLY AND FRIENDS

A boulder dropped into a pond is similar to the impact that Lubbock native Buddy Holly made in music. The musician hit the charts in the 1950's with hits such as "Peggy Sue", "Maybe Baby" "True Love Ways," and "Oh Boy." Lubbock honors Buddy Holly with a larger than life-sized statue, a park bearing his name and a Buddy Holly Walk of Fame. Inductees into the Walk of Fame are actors and musicians from the Lubbock area. Among the celebrities are Waylon Jennings, Mac Davis, G.W. Bailey, Jimmy Dean, Barry Corbin, Tanya Tucker, Joe Ely and Roy Orbison.

BUDDY HOLLY: THE INFLUENCE

Buddy Holly -- The Influence opened at the Museum of Texas Tech University on Thursday, September 7, 1995, with on opening celebration and ribbon cutting that began at 10:00 a.m. This exhibition features approximately 25 item from the City of Lubbock’s Buddy Holly collection. Mayor David Langston and members of the Lubbock City Council, Maria Elena Holly, the Holly family, and official from DECCA Records were in attendance.

The City of Lubbock purchased the largest single collection of Buddy Holly memorabilia for $175,000 and in a partnership with the Museum of Texas Tech University, a portion of the collection will be exhibited through May 10, 1996. The collection includes Buddy Holly’s Fender Stratocaster guitar, an original itinerary from his last tour (The Winter Dance party), a pair of maroon and black stage shoes, and the singer/songwriter’s lyric book with handwritten lyrics and sketch notes. The notebook includes his classic 1957 hit, "That’ll Be the Day."

"We are thrilled at the announcement for the opening of the Holly exhibit in Lubbock," states DECCA Record’s Senior Vice President/General Manager, Sheila Shipley Biddy. "This exhibit, coupled with the December release of our "Not Fade Away: Remembering Buddy Holly" album, will serve to celebrate the life and music of an extraordinary man, The album is a compilation of various country and contemporary artists whose respect for Holly’s music influenced their own careers."

The renaissance of Buddy Holly and his music coincides with the City of Lubbock’s initiative to create a renaissance in the downtown district. The enterprise includes the creation of the Lubbock Center for the Arts. This unique facility will house a permanent exhibition of the entire Buddy Holly collection along with a Visitor Information Center and a Fine Arts Gallery and related programs. Approximately one-third of the money has been raised to create the $1.6 million center.

Carolyn McCormick-Aliamus, Managing Director of Culture & Leisure Services for the City of Lubbock explained that, "The opening of Buddy Holly -- The Influence on September 7, will inaugurate the Year of Buddy Holly and will begin the City of Lubbock’s crusade to make Lubbock the heart of culture and entertainment on the South Plains."

Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas, on September 7, 1936. He recorded over 100 songs during his short career including hits like "Peggy Sue", "Not Fade Away", "Oh Boy", and "Rave On". Buddy Holly has influenced virtually every aspect of the musical entertainment industry from rock and roll to country to rock-a-billy. He continues to inspire artists, musicians and song writers to this day. At the age of 22, Buddy Holly died while traveling on a light aircraft after a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa.

The partial exhibition of Buddy Holly memorabilia is funded in part by Southwest Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The exhibition is free to the public. For more information about Buddy Holly -- The Influence call 806-767-2241.

Lubbock residents converged on the unveiling of the new Buddy Holly exhibit at the Texas Tech Museum that was held on September 7, 1995. Fans from as far away as England came to Lubbock for the festive occasion. Other notable attendees were brothers Larry and Travis, sister Pat Kaiter and representatives from Decca Records. Robert Draper, a writer for Texas Monthly Magazine was also in attendance. Mr. Draper will have an article about Buddy Holly and Lubbock in October's issue of Texas Monthly. Another guest was Bob Phillips of The Texas Country Reporter. The television show will be highlighting Lubbock in a few weeks to come. Maria Elena Holly was there to cut the ribbon that officially opened the exhibit. Through tears Maria Holly said "It's always hard for me to talk at things like this. I miss the man every second of my life. But I know in my heart that Buddy would love knowing that Lubbock, Texas was paying this tribute to him."

A focal point of the exhibit is Buddy's Fender Stratocaster guitar. The musician's brother, Larry, said he bought Buddy his first Stratocaster. "This isn't that guitar. That first one was stolen, and this guitar was bought to replace it."