John Mellencamp described Buddy Holly as “one of the first great singer-songwriters”, praising his independence as a writer, performer and producer. The assessment matters because Holly’s brief career helped establish a model for rock musicians creating their own material rather than simply recording songs chosen by others.

Mellencamp highlighted the strength and economy of Holly’s songs, noting that some lasted only around a minute and 25 seconds while still feeling complete. Holly rose to prominence with the Crickets in 1957 through ‘That’ll Be the Day’ and also recorded enduring hits including ‘Peggy Sue’; he died in a plane crash in 1959 aged 22.