Question 1

True or false: Buddy Holly wrote 'That'll Be the Day' after hearing a line from the movie 'The Searchers'.

Accepted Answer

False. The line 'That'll be the day' came from the John Wayne film, but Holly co-wrote it with Allison and Petty.

Question 2

True or false: Buddy Holly's backing band, the Crickets, included a young Bob Dylan on rhythm guitar.

Accepted Answer

False. Dylan never played with the Crickets; the band consisted of Niki Sullivan, Joe B. Mauldin, and Jerry Allison.

Question 3

True or false: Buddy Holly produced his own records, often using innovative multitrack recording techniques.

Accepted Answer

True. He experimented with overdubbing and vocal double-tracking at Norman Petty's studio, ahead of his time.

Question 4

True or false: Buddy Holly was the first musician to use the Fender Stratocaster on a hit record.

Accepted Answer

True. He popularized the Stratocaster with hits like 'Peggy Sue,' influencing countless guitarists, though others used it earlier.

Question 5

True or false: Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley, legally dropping the 'e' from his surname.

Accepted Answer

True. A misspelling on a contract led him to use 'Buddy Holly' professionally, but his birth name had the 'e'.

Question 6

True or false: Buddy Holly's song 'Everyday' features a celesta, a keyboard instrument that sounds like bells.

Accepted Answer

True. The celesta gives the song its distinctive tinkling melody, an unusual choice for 1950s rock and roll.

Question 7

True or false: Buddy Holly's final concert took place in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, 1959.

Accepted Answer

False. His last concert was actually in Duluth, Minnesota, on February 1, 1959; the Clear Lake show was the next night.

Question 8

True or false: After his death, Buddy Holly's posthumous hit 'Wake Up Little Susie' topped the charts.

Accepted Answer

False. 'Wake Up Little Susie' was a hit by the Everly Brothers, not Holly; his posthumous hits include 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore.'

Buddy Holly Trivia Questions