On This Day in 1957, Buddy Holly Re-Recorded a Classic No. 1 Song His Label Initially Refused To Release—Inspired by John Wayne

On this day (February 25) in 1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets entered the Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, and recorded a new version of “That’ll Be the Day.” Holly had previously recorded the song with The Three Tunes. However, Decca Records refused to release it. The re-recorded version became an international chart-topping hit.

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Technically, “That’ll Be the Day” is credited to The Crickets. They recorded it and released it as a single from their debut album, The “Chirping” Crickets. Holly is singing lead on the recording, though. This is all due to record label politics.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1958, Buddy Holly Stepped Into the Studio for the Final Time and Recorded His Last No. 1 Song]

Holly initially recorded “That’ll Be the Day” with the Three Tunes for Decca Records in 1956. However, Decca decision-makers weren’t happy with his previous singles or the material he laid down in that 1956 session. As a result, the original cut of the can was shelved. At the same time, his contract with Decca prohibited him from re-recording any of his previous material for any other label for five years.

The re-recorded version of “That’ll Be the Day” was released by Brunswick Records. To get around Holly’s contractual limitations, producer Norman Petty credited the recording to the Crickets, who were signed to Brunswick. This move caused Decca to push Holly to Coral Records. Interestingly, both Coral and Brunswick were subsidiaries of Decca.

After the Crickets’ rendition of “That’ll Be the Day” became a hit, Decca released the original recording as a single. It didn’t see the same level of success.

John Wayne Inspired Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison to Write This Hit

Buddy Holly and drummer Jerry Allison went to the local theater to see the now-classic 1956 Western film The Searchers, starring John Wayne. Throughout the movie, Wayne’s character replied, “That’ll be the day,” when he doubts another character’s prediction or proclamation, according to Songfacts.

One evening, while hanging out at Allison’s house, Holly said he wished their band could record a hit song. Doing his best John Wayne impression, Allison replied, “That’ll be the day.” With that, their wheels started turning. Before long, they had penned what would become their breakout single.

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