Charles Hardin Holley was born on 7 September 1936, in Lubbock, Texas USA, and was a musician, singer, and songwriter, best known for being part of the 1950s revolution of rock ‘n’ roll. He made many television appearances, and would be responsible for numerous hit songs. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich was Buddy Holly? As of mid-2016, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $1 million, mostly earned through a successful career in music. He had numerous chart topping hits, and would tour around the country, sometimes as a front act for Elvis Presley, and all of these ensured the position of his wealth.
Buddy Holly Net Worth $1 million
Holly was born into a family very interested in music, and every one of them had musical hobbies. As a child, he would perform at local competitions, and at the age of 11 started taking piano lessons. He then decided to switch to the guitar, and his brother Travis taught him how to play it, and growing up, he was influenced by the music of Hank Williams, Bob Wills, and Hank Snow. He became friends with Bob Montgomery, and the two would start playing music together. While in high school, he also met other musicians such as Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison. Soon Buddy and Montgomery would play together as “Buddy and Bob”, performing on various radio stations, and after matriculating from high school in 1955, Buddy decided to fully pursue a career in music.
He incorporated Larry Welborne and Allison into his band and then switched to rock ‘n’ roll. Eventually, after sending a demo to Paul Cohen, the band was signed to Decca Records. 1956 was the year they had their first recording session, and it would produce the album “Blue Days, Black nights”. They would tour to promote the album, and were eventually named “Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes”. In 1957, Holly’s contract would not be renewed, but inspired by other artists who made their own records, he would go with Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, and Niki Sullivan to record in New Mexico. They recorded the demo “That’ll Be the Day” and since they could not use their name, they called the band The Crickets. With the recording company impressed, they released the song without making a newer recording.
The Crickets started touring, and were booked to play in various locations around the US. Holly would appear in “American Bandstand”, and soon the song “That’ll Be the Day” would become a US best seller. Later on, they would release more songs including “Peggy Sue” and “Everyday”. The band was now called “Buddy Holly and the Crickets” and they would record the album “The “Chirping” Crickets” in 1957. It would chart highly once again with songs such as “Oh, Boy!” and “Not Fade Away”. In 1958, their popularity would lead them to perform internationally including in the UK, and they would create more songs including “Reminiscing” and “Come Back Baby”. Eventually, due to disagreements with their manager, Holly left the Crickets.
He assembled a new band consisting of Carl Bunch, Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings. They then went on The Winter Dance Party Tour in 1959, however, travelling in the winter proved to be problematic for all of them. Due to difficulties travelling by bus, they decided to take an airplane to their next venue in Moorhead, Minnesota. The plane took off in inclement weather despite not being cleared to fly. They crashed in a corn field outside Mason City, Iowa killing all of the passengers.
For his personal life, it is known that Holly married Maria Elena Santiago, actually proposing to her on their first date. Their manager disapproved of the marriage, and Santiago had to pretend to be his secretary to avoid disappointing female fans. Santiago would later blame herself for not convincing Holly to stay, after she discovered he died in the ‘plane crash.
