Since The Ed Sullivan Show premiered in 1948, some of the world’s most popular and beloved artists have performed live on the show.
And on December 1, 1957, both Buddy Holly & The Crickets and Sam Cooke played and sang on the show.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets, also known simply as The Crickets, was formed in Tennessee by lead singer and eventual superstar Buddy Holly. They had only just released their first single, “That’ll Be The Day,” in May of the same year before debuting it on the show.
Along with the now incredibly famous song “Peggy Sue,” The Crickets’ performance was fun and upbeat, thoroughly engaging the live and at-home audience!
The seminal rock band was composed of four members, including, of course, Buddy Holly, as well as Nick Sullivan on guitar, Jerry Allison on the drums, and Joe B. Mauldin on the bass. Many say that this performance is what made the band the sensation that it was!
On the same airing of the show, Sam Cooke also sang two of his most beloved songs, “You Send Me” and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons.”
Like Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Sam Cooke started his solo career in music in 1957, and his performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1st was one of his first!
Throughout 1957 and into the next decade, Sam Cooke became a worldwide sensation, and with his music on the radio night and day, Cooke became a household name. In fact, Sam is often known as the “King of Soul” for his immense influence on the genre.
His performance on The Ed Sullivan Show was different in every way from that of The Crickets. Instead of a full band with a pop-rock melody, Cooke sings emotionally and alone. But that doesn’t mean the crowd loved it any less!
Just like The Crickets, Cooke’s performance on December 1st is considered to be a jumping-off point for his career and created new and lifelong fans of the artist.
Interestingly, Cooke was meant to perform on the show on November 3, 1957; however, he was bumped until the following month due to time restraints.
Sadly Sam Cooke was murdered in 1964, and Buddy Holly passed after a car crash in 1959. Because both of these outstanding singers had extremely short-lived careers, their performances on The Ed Sullivan Show are one of only a few they were able to give before they died.
Therefore, the songs they played and sang on the show will live on forever as some of their fans’ favorite performances and a way to watch these incredible artists sing even though they cannot perform for us anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vw1LbFfwqk
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