September 7

September 7 is the birthdate of Charles Hardin Holley, known professionally as Buddy Holly, singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. In the 1950s he and his band The Crickets provided a template for a standard rock and roll band: two guitars, bass and drums. He was one of the first in the genre to write, produce and perform his own songs. Holly’s success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, but his musical innovations influenced a variety of musicians, including The Beatles, Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. Holly was in the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.