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Buddy
Holly

1986

John Fogerty

Rock & roll as we know it wouldn’t exist without Buddy Holly. The bespectacled ’50s teen idol roughed up familiar musical influences—rhythm & blues, rockabilly, country & western—with upbeat tempos, a jittery vocal approach, and youthful lyrics filled with edgy declarations of love, lust and heartbreak.

Impact

That voice and guitar came over the PA every night - I went out and bought it the next day.

John Fogerty

1986 Hall of Fame Essay

From an autobiographical high-school essay by Buddy Holly: “My life has been what you might call an uneventful one, and it seems there is not much of interest to tell…I have many hobbies...

Written By Michael Hill

sealed with a signature

This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.

Buddy Holly

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