Buddy Holly is a musician.
Buddy Holly ( born Charles Hardin Holley ; September 7 , 1936 -- February 3 , 1959 ) was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll . In early 1959 , Holly assembled a new band , consisting of future country music star Waylon Jennings ( bass ) , famed session musician Tommy Allsup ( guitar ) , and Carl Bunch ( drums ) , and embarked on a tour of the midwestern U.S. . The `` Chirping '' Crickets is the self-titled debut album from the American rock and roll band The Crickets , led by Buddy Holly .