70 Years Ago: Buddy Holly Opens for Elvis Presley

70 years ago, a young Buddy Holly stepped onto a small stage in Lubbock, Texas, opening for a rising star named Elvis Presley. It was a moment that would change everything.

Earlier that year, Buddy, Bob Montgomery, Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis found a way backstage after Elvis played the Fair Park Coliseum. The group spent time with him, struck up a friendship, and Buddy never missed another Elvis show in Lubbock for the rest of that year.

Their connection became a source of inspiration, both musically and creatively. Buddy was so captivated by a guitar he’d seen Elvis play in Nashville that he hand-crafted a bespoke leather case for his own 1942 Gibson J-45.

This shared admiration led to one of the most personal design elements in our Deluxe edition of Buddy Holly: Words of Love – each book is quarter-bound in apple leather and housed in a handcrafted facsimile box modelled on Buddy’s own guitar case.

The night before Buddy opened for Elvis at the Cotton Club, he also performed alongside Bill Haley and the Comets. In the audience that evening was Nashville agent Eddie Crandall, who was so impressed he immediately reached out to Lubbock’s KDAV radio, convinced Buddy was destined for greater things. With encouragement from Colonel Tom Parker and Marty Robbins, doors began to open.

By early 1956, Buddy was offered a songwriting contract and lined up for a potential recording deal. When signing, he noticed that his surname, Holley, had been misspelt — but rather than risk delaying the opportunity, he kept it. That simple moment gave the world the name Buddy Holly as we know it today.

'Peggy Sue' Performed Live - Alister Atkin & Pete Allen

See above for a performance of Buddy Holly's iconic 'Peggy Sue' by Alister Atkin and Pete Allen. Alister and Pete created nine custom leather-tooled guitars and book covers for the Words of Love Luthier Edition (now fully subscribed). The guitars are exact, handcrafted replicas of Buddy's own customised J-45.

With Deluxe copies available and shipping ahead of the holiday season, secure your copy today at TheBuddyHollyBook.com.