Today in 1958: Buddy Holly's Final UK Appearance

In March 1958, Buddy Holly and The Crickets made history as one of the first American rock ‘n’ roll acts to tour the UK. For a month, they played to thousands of adoring fans, bringing hits like 'That’ll Be the Day', 'Peggy Sue', and 'Oh Boy!' to British shores for the first time.

The tour concluded with a spectacular final show at the Gaumont Theatre in Hammersmith, where they shared the bill with Gary Miller, The Tanner Sisters, Des O'Connor, The Montanas, and Ronnie Keene and His Orchestra. 

The Crickets’ tight harmonies and Buddy’s effortless charisma mesmerised music fans in the UK, proving that rock music was not just a passing trend, but a movement that would shape generations to come.

'Buddy was a really sweet, fun guy. We'd sometimes have to share a hotel bedroom and I'd be responsible for getting him out of bed in the morning... I'd get a hold of his feet and just pull. 'Don't do that, Des,' this Texan voice would say to me from under the blankets. 'I'm tall enough already.'' – Des O'Connor

With Words of Love commencing shipping very soon, we thought it'd be a great chance to share some of the quotes from those who were inspired by his only UK tour.

Quotes from the Book

'Everybody was unique at that time, but the Crickets were above them all. When they appeared at the London Palladium, it was so inspirational – they were just three guys. We hadn't heard anything like that before.' – Cliff Richard

'The music scene in England revolved around falling in love with American culture... Buddy became part of our pantheon; we all performed his songs.' – Peter Asher

'Buddy Holly was more popular in England than he was in the States, and by the time he came over he was a god. I saw his performance with the Crickets on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, and it was incredible. It was all completely live. The bass, guitar, drums – there was no orchestral accompaniment, yet they were stupendous. I was too young to go to his shows because I was just a boy, but I would have loved to see him live.' – Brian May

'He was a huge influence on a lot of us. He influenced Eric Clapton, and obviously he was a big influence on The Beatles, which Paul recognised when he bought Buddy's catalogue.' – Albert Lee

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