Bob Dylan and Buddy Holly

September 7th would have been Buddy Holly's 73rd birthday. Holly’s career may have been short, but his influence has been undeniable. From the Crickets’ two-guitar-bass-drums set-up, to Holly writing his own songs, to his geeky-cool fashion-sense,  his legacy has certainly lasted many decades after “the music died” in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 3, 1959.  A few nights before, on January 31, a young Bobby Zimmerman saw Holly perform as part of the “Winter Dance Party” tour, at the Duluth Armory.

In 1998, Bob Dylan won multiple Grammy awards for his album, "Time Out Of Mind". The ceremony took place on February 25, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. When he gave his acceptance speech for "Album Of The Year", Dylan unexpectedly spoke of seeing Holly in concert (see the clip above):

And I just want to say that when I was sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him...and he looked at me. And I just have some sort of feeling that he was — I don't know how or why — but I know he was with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way.

Dylan regularly performed blistering versions of Holly’s "Not Fade Away"  throughout 1999 and 2000, usually as the closing number. Below you can see Dylan beaming as he finally gets to play Holly’s song in Duluth, on July 3, 1999, at Bayside Festival Park.

Also seen in the clip are (left to right) Larry Campbell (guitar), Tony Garnier (bass), and Charlie Sexton (guitar). Not seen is drummer David Kemper. 

Dylan revived "Not Fade Away" earlier this year, on August 8, in Holly's home town, Lubbock, Texas.  Paul McCartney performed Holly's "It's So Easy" when he played in Texas earlier this summer.  

For more info:  Buddy Holly wiki, "Not Fade Away" wiki.