The "Chirping" Crickets

There are few musical one-two punches more powerful than the fired-up "Oh Boy!" and the Bo Diddley-influenced "Not Fade Away". The unbridled exuberance of these tunes—on Buddy Holly's first album (albeit credited to his band, The Crickets)—is what rock 'n' roll is all about. And the level of songwriting invention at work on songs like the twangin’ "Maybe Baby" and the bluesy swing of "That'll Be the Day" makes an inarguable case for Holly as one of '50s rock's most vital creative forces.