The Day The Music Died?

Buddy Holly's influence has been well-documented. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and Bob Dylan are only a few of the big names in the rock and roll pantheon that owe him a debt of gratitude, and there are scores of others.

For example, note the background singing at about 1:06 into Oh Boy! and how the Beach Boys incorporated it into their sound.

The Beatles covered Holly's Words Of Love on their late 1964 release Beatles For Sale. Here, the influence isn't just the song itself, but the double tracking used on the lead vocal. John Lennon employed this technique numerous times throughout his career.

Plus, pay attention to the depth of the rhythm track. It's buried a bit in the mix, but there's more going on than initially meets the ear. Again, another recording trick that has been utilized on countless rock and roll songs.

Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper (JP Richardson) and Richie Valens died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. That tragic date in the history of rock and roll is often referred to as "the day the music died". In reality, their music, especially Holly's, lives on in the artists who put on their shoes and followed in their footsteps.