Buddy Holly was arguably the most notable musician from Lubbock, Texas, known as one of the most important artists in rock and roll history. He started his music career locally in Lubbock performing with friends before opening for Elvis Presley and achieving great success, though his life was tragically cut short in a plane crash at age 22. The Crickets, a band Holly helped found in Lubbock, produced the hit "That'll Be the Day" and influenced many legendary artists. Joe Ely and the Josh Abbott Band are two other acclaimed musicians who began their careers in Lubbock across different genres including rock, country, and Americana.

1. Notable musicians from
Lubbock
Peter Stevens

2. Buddy Holly
Arguably the most notable musician
hailing from Lubbock is Buddy Holly, who
many would cite as the most important
artist in rock and roll history. Holly was
born in Lubbock in 1936, to a musical
family fighting for survival amidst the
Great Depression. His music career
started in the city as he performed locally
with high school friends. Soon, Holly
scored gigs opening for none other than
Elvis Presley, and his career only climbed
from there, spawning hits like “Peggy
Sue.”
Unfortunately, Holly’s life came to a
tragic and abrupt end when he was killed
in a plane crash in 1959. He was only 22
years old, but his legacy was already
solidified.

3. The Crickets
Naturally, Lubbock also spawned The
Crickets, a band that Buddy Holly
helped found. The band became active in
1957, just two years before Holly’s death,
and produced the classic “That’ll be the
Day,” which shot to number one on the
Billboard Hot 100. Perhaps the band’s
biggest contribution is the aural
template it formed for succeeding
legendary artists (most notably, the
Beatles).
The Crickets continued to tour well into
the 2010s, commonly billed as “The
Crickets and Buddies.” In 2016, it was
announced the band had played its final
show.

4. Joe Ely
Covering genres from rockabilly and
heartland rock to americana and
country, Joe Ely stands as one of
Lubbock’s most versatile singer-
songwriters. Ely attended Monterey
High School in Lubbock, forging his
musical creativity by playing in local
rock bands. Eventually, Ely landed
gigs performing alongside the Clash,
which led to a guest vocal track on the
legendary punk band’s hit single
“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”
Ely remains musically active to this
day, releasing “Panhandle Rambler”
in 2015.

5. Josh Abbott Band
Jumping ahead to 2008, Lubbock also
served as a proving ground to modern
country band the Josh Abbott Band. Led
by their namesake singer and guitarist,
the band was formed in the Lubbock area
as Abbott was attending Texas Tech
University.
Since then, the band has gone as high as
number five on the US Country Charts
(for its album “Small Town Family
Dream”) and is currently touring in
support of its most recent release, “Until
My Voice Goes Out.”