On This Day in 1957, Buddy Holly Went to No. 1 with a John Wayne-Inspired Classic

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On this day (September 23) in 1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets topped the Billboard Best-Sellers in Stores chart with “That’ll Be the Day.” It was the group’s first single and helped propel Holly to stardom seemingly overnight. The John Wayne-inspired hit also brought the band transatlantic recognition when it topped the official UK Singles chart. Surprisingly, it all started with a classic Western film starring John Wayne and a pessimistic bandmate. Things were going well for Holly and his band, but he knew they needed a hit single to really break into the business. The 1956 Western film starred John Wayne as the grizzled Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards.