Buddy Holly

When you're growing up, you don't appreciate your parents' record collection. To me, it was just a pile of dusty old 7" vinyl crammed together in a cardboard box at the far end of the living room. It's only when you get older, and dare to delve into this treasure trove of music made before you were a twinkle in their eyes, that you realise that maybe they also had decent music taste.

This was certainly the case with my father's collection of rock 'n' roll and pop from the late fifties and early sixties. One lost summer, drained of energy and bored to tears, I decided to revamp these lost souls and store them neatly in blue record cases. Of course, the completist in me had to listen to all these records to somehow feel I'd done a proper job. What an education it was. There was the dire, the dodgy, even the delectable amongst the familiar tones of Elvis, Cliff and the Beatles. However, the ones that stood out to me then, and are still as relevant today, were the songs of Buddy Holly and the Crickets. This geek, was way ahead of his time and accomplished so much at such a tender age. The uniqueness of his voice and guitar technique together with a creative zest helped to produce a catalogue of songs that have stood the test of time. Never prepared to stand still, Buddy continually sought new ways of writing that perfect pop song. His was the blueprint that John and Paul followed with such fervour in The Beatles. As with all beauty it was the sheer simplicity of Buddy's compositions that shone through. That flame still burns brightly to this day.