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By: HISTORY.com Editors

1936

Rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly is born

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: November 16, 2009Last Updated: May 27, 2025

On September 7, 1936, Charles Hardin Holley, later known as Buddy Holly, is born in Lubbock, Texas. The lanky, bespectacled musician would have an outsize influence on rock and roll that would far outlast his tragically shortened career.

By 1956, Buddy Holly was still an unknown, but he was blazing a trail that future giants like the Beatles would follow by writing, performing and eventually producing his own material. Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones would draw heavily on the Buddy Holly catalog either for cover material or direct songwriting inspiration, and Holly would be a tremendous formative influence on the young Bob Dylan, among many others.

In a recording career that lasted little more than 18 months, Holly contributed an astonishing number of classic songs to the rock-and-roll canon, including "That’ll Be The Day,” “Peggy Sue,” “Not Fade Away,” It’s So Easy,” “Everyday,” “Oh Boy!” and “Maybe Baby.” Born on this day in 1936, he died in 1959 at the age 23 in rock 'n' roll’s most famous plane crash.

The 1950s

The 1950s were about more than just poodle skirts and rock and roll.

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HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica.

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Citation Information

Article Title: Rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly is born
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-7/buddy-holly-is-born

Date Accessed: October 21, 2026
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: May 27, 2025
Original Published Date: November 16, 2009