Charles Hardin "Buddy” Holley was born in Lubbock on September 7, 1936, to Ella Pauline (Drake) and Lawrence Odell "L.O.” Holley. The youngest of four children, he grew up in a musical household, with his mother and siblings singing and playing instruments. He showed musical aptitude, taking violin, piano and steel guitar lessons, and took up the acoustic guitar after his brother Travis bought a $15 Harmony model. With other young Lubbock "pickers,” he formed several country groups. In 1955, after seeing Elvis Presley in concert and being impressed by Presley's rhythm and performance style, he and his friends were opening for big country acts at the Fair Park Coliseum when agent and manager Eddie Crandall saw a performance and helped him broker a Decca recording contract. His last name was misspelled on the contract, changing "Holley” to "Holly.” His relationship with Decca was short-lived because his early recording sessions failed to produce a hit. In 1957, he and his new band, The Crickets, began working with producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico. On February 25, 1957, they recorded "That'll Be The Day,” the first of several hits on the Brunswick label. Their success led the band to tour widely in the United States and Canada. In 1958, Buddy Holly and the Crickets toured England, where the group had a profound influence on rock and roll from their sound to his distinct look. On February 3, 1959, during a three-week tour of the Midwestern United States, his chartered plane crashed after takeoff due to bad weather, and there were no survivors. Buddy Holly was 22 years old.