The History of Rock and Roll

Show Topic: The Birth of Rock & Roll – Celebrating Buddy Holly at 90

This Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, we’re going back to where it all began with a special look at the Birth of Rock & Roll and the revolutionary sounds of the 1950s.

We’ll hear rock and roll, pop, doo-wop, and rockabilly from the artists who helped create a musical revolution, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Ritchie Valens, The Platters, The Coasters, Dion and the Belmonts, Wanda Jackson, Buddy Knox, and many others.

At the heart of this special show, we’ll honor Buddy Holly, who would have celebrated his 90th birthday on September 7th, 2026. In a career that lasted only a few short years, Holly became one of rock and roll’s most important singer-songwriters and guitarists. With The Crickets and as a solo artist, recordings including “That’ll Be the Day,” “Peggy Sue,” “Everyday,” “Oh, Boy!” and “Not Fade Away” helped establish a sound and songwriting approach that would influence generations of musicians.

We’ll follow Holly’s remarkable story from The “Chirping” Crickets and appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show to tours of Australia and the United Kingdom and the final Winter Dance Party tour. His life ended tragically at only 22 years old in the February 3rd, 1959 plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, alongside Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson—a tragedy that Don McLean would later memorialize as “the day the music died” in “American Pie.” Yet Buddy Holly’s musical story was far from over.

We’ll hear plenty of Buddy Holly’s music and explore the extraordinary influence he left behind. Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Hollies, Elvis Costello, Elton John, and countless other artists followed paths that Holly helped open.

No guest featured for this episode. This special broadcast is dedicated to the Birth of Rock & Roll and to celebrating the music, life, and extraordinary legacy of Buddy Holly as we commemorate what would have been his 90th birthday.

Mark your calendars as we return to the roots of rock and roll and celebrate what would have been Buddy Holly’s 90th birthday. Don’t miss it!