The Crickets
The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed in January 1957 by Buddy Holly. The original lineup was Buddy Holly (lead vocals and guitar), Niki Sullivan (rhythm guitar), Jerry Allison (drums), and Joe B. Mauldin (bass). Sullivan left after about a year, and the group continued as a trio. They helped create the classic guitar-bass-drums band setup and wrote much of their own material.
Their first big hit was "That’ll Be the Day" (May 1957), which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top 100. Their debut album, The "Chirping" Crickets, featured Holly on lead vocals and guitar with Sullivan, Allison, and Mauldin. The Crickets became influential for future rock bands, including the Beatles, who were inspired by their style.
Producer Norman Petty sometimes released records under two names to boost radio play: some songs credited to Buddy Holly solo, others to The Crickets with backing vocals. The Crickets were billed in some places as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets," though labels didn’t use that phrasing publicly until after Holly’s death. In August 1957, they made history as the first white act to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem since it had become a venue focused on African American entertainment.
In 1958 Buddy Holly split from Petty and moved to New York to work more in publishing and production. Allison and Mauldin stayed in Lubbock. Holly recorded with new studio players, while the Crickets continued with other members, including Sonny Curtis and Earl Sinks. A 1960 single, "Dont Cha Know"/"Peggy Sue Got Married," featured David Box as lead vocalist after Sinks. Box later died in a 1964 plane crash while touring.
The Crickets had continued activity through the early 1960s with various lineups. In 1962 their version of "Don’t Ever Change" (featuring Jerry Naylor on lead) reached the British top five, and they released Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets. In the UK they toured; Ally members rotated, and Alison briefly left to serve in the Air Force. They had additional UK hits in 1963 with "My Little Girl" and "Don’t Try to Change Me," and the 1964 surf-rock single "California Sun."
In 1970, Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis contributed backing vocals to Eric Clapton’s first solo album. The lineup continued to shift, with 1971’s Rockin’ 50s Rock n’ Roll featuring Curtis, Allison, and Doug Gilmore; 1973’s Bubblegum, Bop, Ballad and Boogies with Curtis, Allison, Glen D. Hardin, and Ric Grech; and later additions like Steven Krikorian (Tonio K.), Albert Lee, and Nick van Maarth. The 1973 Remnants and 1974 A Long Way from Lubbock albums showcased a larger Crickets lineup.
The 1978 film The Buddy Holly Story altered the band’s early history for dramatic effect, prompting the Crickets to criticize the portrayal. In the 1980s, Waylon Jennings invited them to open for him on tour; Gordon Payne joined as lead guitarist when Sonny Curtis was unavailable at times. Paul McCartney even recorded the Crickets’ single "T Shirt" in his studio and played piano on the track.
A 1994 revival saw Payne leave and Sonny Curtis return with Glen D. Hardin, restoring a four-piece lineup. The 2004 album The Crickets and Their Buddies featured many famous artists, with Allison, Curtis, and Mauldin joined by other musicians such as Albert Lee and Glen D. Hardin, and Tonio K. singing on two tracks. On October 28, 2008, the Crickets were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, performing with guest guitarist Keith Richards.
In 2012 the Crickets were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by a special committee that recognized the band’s early work with Buddy Holly; Mauldin, who was ill, could not attend. Jerry B. Mauldin died of cancer on February 7, 2015. The Crickets performed their final planned show as “The Crickets & Buddies” in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 6, 2016, after which Buddy Holly’s band retired from touring. Jerry Allison died of cancer on August 22, 2022, and Sonny Curtis later passed away on September 19, 2025.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:28 (CET).