BUDDY HOLLY, NIKI SULLIVAN and JERRY ALLISON. Signatures: "Jerry Allison", "Niki Sullivan" in pencil and "Buddy/Holly", 4½x4 ruled sheet. BUDDY HOLLY (lead guitar and vocals), NIKI SULLIVAN (guitar), JERRY ALLISON (drums) and Joe Maudlin (bass, who did not sign) were members of the original Buddy Holly and the Crickets (1956-1958). Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (1936-1959) began performing in 1956; later that year, Holley and his band acquired a Decca record contract (on which his name was misspelled as "Holly"). In 1957 and 1958, Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded several hit songs, most of which written by Holly. Their first hit, "That'll Be the Day", reached No. 5 on the charts in 1957. That success was followed by the now-classic rock 'n' roll tunes of "Peggy Sue", "Maybe Baby", "Oh Boy!" and "Rave On". In 1958, Holly moved from his native Lubbock, Texas to New York, where he met and married Maria Elena Santiago. It was at this time that Holly discovered that his manager claimed to be the composer of his songs, causing a split between Holly, his manager and the Crickets. In New York, Holly formed a new group with Tommy Allsup, Charlie Bunch and Waylon Jennings. They were all on the Winter Dance Party Tour with the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) and Ritchie Valens, when Holly, Richardson and Valens chartered a plane that would crash near Mason City, Iowa on February 3, 1959, killing all on board. The tragic accident was immortalized in Don McLean's hit, "American Pie" as "the day the music died." Light surface crease (barely visible) at the "s" of Allison. Minor show through of lines on verso at the "so" of Allision and the "v" in Sullivan. Fine condition. Framed in the Gallery of History style: 31½x19½.