Page "Buddy Holly" Paragraph 6

Following this performance, Decca Records signed him to a contract in February 1956, misspelling his name as " Holly ".

He thereafter adopted the misspelled name for his professional career.

Holly formed his own band, later to be called The Crickets, consisting of Holly ( lead guitar and vocals ), Niki Sullivan ( guitar ), Joe B. Mauldin ( bass ), and Jerry Allison ( drums ).

They went to Nashville for three recording sessions with producer Owen Bradley.

However, Holly chafed under a restrictive atmosphere that allowed him little input.

Among the tracks he recorded was an early version of " That'll Be The Day ", which took its title from a line that John Wayne's character says repeatedly in the 1956 film The Searchers.

( This initial version of the song played more slowly and about half an octave higher than the later hit version.

) Decca released two singles, " Blue Days, Black Nights " and " Modern Don Juan ", that failed to make an impression.

On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, insisting, however, that he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.