Buddy Holly

February 1959. In his brief time he recorded a hugely influential body of work that inspired future stars like the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Holly himself had been inspired at the age of 18 by seeing Elvis Presley perform, and had soon won himself a contract with Decca Records. With a backing band called The Crickets, Holly wrote hits like the chart-topping "That'll Be The Day", and "Peggy Sue". Despite his death, he had recorded so prolifically that Decca were able to continue releasing new Holly material for many years. This compilation features 50 digitally remastered tracks.

The "thoroughly fun . . . [and] crazy good" memoir about one man's life and how it was changed by the legacy of a rockabilly legend (Chicago Sun-Times).

He was lanky, he wore glasses and he sang as if permanently battling hiccups. Aesthetically, Buddy Holly might have been the most unlikely looking rock 'n' roll star of the 50s. But he was, after Elvis Presley, unquestionably the most influential.

On its face, Holly in the Hills was seemingly one of the more artistically dubious Buddy Holly albums to appear posthumously. Built around Holly's pre-Crickets recordings circa 1955, as part of the duo of Buddy & Bob, the familiar Holly voice is present and easy to appreciate, though he's sharing the spotlight with Bob Montgomery and doing a repertory that's steeped thoroughly in country music, complete with fiddle accompaniment ("Baby It's Love," "I Gambled My Heart").

Buddy Holly's career as a rock & roll star lasted only a year-and-a-half before he lost his life in a 1959 plane crash, but during that time, he wrote a batch of great songs and left behind a legacy of recordings that still sound fresh, heartfelt, and exciting 50 years later. The Very Best of Buddy Holly collects 50 songs from Holly's catalog, from hits to rare collectors' items, including recordings with his band the Crickets and later solo material. Selections include "Peggy Sue," "That'll Be The Day," "Not Fade Away," "It's so Easy," "Well … All Right," "Love's Made a Fool of You," and many more.