On This Day in 1964, The Rolling Stones Recorded the Buddy Holly Cover That Officially Introduced Them to an American Audience

Precious few rock bands are still going strong after six decades. But then again, precious few rock bands are the Rolling Stones. However, in January 1964, the Londoners were still trying to find their footing in the United States after gaining traction in their home country. On this day (Jan. 10) of that year, the Rolling Stones recorded their first U.S. single, “Not Fade Away.”

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Like most of the Stones’ early work, “Not Fade Away” was a cover, initially recorded in 1957 by rockabilly pioneer Buddy Holly and his band the Crickets. The song’s rhythmic pattern, based on R&B icon Bo Diddley’s trademark beat, was familiar to the group, who got their start playing covers by Muddy Waters, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry.

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«Not Fade Away» acreditada a Buddy Holly y Norman Petty. La versión de Holly se encuentra en el puesto 107 en la lista de las 500 mejores canciones de todos los tiempos según Rolling Stone por la revista Rolling Stone. La versión de The Rolling Stones de «Not Fade Away», con un fuerte ritmo al estilo Bo Diddley, fue un gran éxito en el Reino Unido en 1964. En marzo de 1964 fue también el primer sencillo de la banda lanzado en Estados Unidos, bajo el sello London Records junto con «I Wanna Be Your Man» como el lado B Fue un pilar de los conciertos de la banda en sus primeros años, por lo general la apertura de los espectáculos. Fue revivido como la canción de apertura en el Voodoo Lounge Tour de la banda, en 1994 y 1995. #rollingstones #therollingstones #mickjagger #keithrichards #rock #s #rocknroll #rockandroll #music #charliewatts #stones #blues #brianjones #ronniewood #vintage #classicrock #thebeatles #rollingstonesfans #vinyl #billwyman #beatles #ledzeppelin #guitar #pinkfloyd #therollingstonesfans #rockmusic #forsale #keef #cnn #medan

♬ sonido original – RCL

Two months later, “Not Fade Away” dropped in the U.S., where it climbed to No.48 on the Billboard chart during the band’s first trip to America, in June 1964. By the end of March, it had ascended to No. 3, boosted by the band’s appearance on Britain’s longest-running TV music show, Top Of The Pops.

“Not Fade Away” became a live favorite, with the Stones usually kicking off their early concerts with the song, which Cash Box described as “”a wild, freewheeling full-sounding pounder that can take off in no time flat.”

[RELATED: Rolling Stones Manager Andrew Loog Oldham Called This 1964 “Dub” Track the Band’s First Good Song]

Rolling Stones Call Off 2026 Tour

In 2026, fans were looking forward to the Rolling Stones’ planned stadium tour of the United Kingdom and Europe. However, the “Satisfaction” rockers have axed the trek after guitarist Keith Richards was reportedly unable to “commit” to it.

However, it does seem that fans can anticipate new music this year, as the Stones have nearly completed a new album, according to touring pianist Chuck Leavell. This marks their second record with producer Andrew Watt, who has worked with Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, Pearl Jam, and more.

“I knew that Andy and I could work together as soon as we met,” frontman Mick Jagger told Variety in 2024. “He has such infectious enthusiasm and a great work ethic, plus he’s a great musician too. We immediately clicked and made what I thought was going to be a tough job into a fun and easy one.”

Featured image by Fred Bauman, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG