| Biography | The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 100 chart.
The sleeve of their first album, The "Chirping" Crickets, shows the band line-up at the time: Holly on lead vocals and lead guitar, Niki Sullivan on rhythm guitar, Jerry Allison on drums, and Joe B. Mauldin on bass. The Crickets helped set the template for subsequent rock bands, such as the Beatles, with their guitar-bass-drums line-up and the talent to write most of their own material. After Holly's death in 1959 the band continued to tour and record with other band members into the 21st century. |