(quote)
"I guarantee that if Taliesn gives a list of the music he admires, there's going to be a Buddy Holly influence in there somewhere."

I'll take you up on that McGrath.
I grew up listening to the music my parents played on the stereo; predominantly classical symphonies with some Broadway & Film score music thrown in.
I really didn't care for the early Beatles when they "happened".
I was too young and their "lovey-dovey" Pop songs were damn near bubble-gum to my ears.
I didn't start really paying attention to contemporary music until friends turned me on to the 2nd British invasion of musician virtuosos like Cream , Hendrix newly "Londonized" with sidemen Mitch Mitchel and Noel Redding, The Who after their "Tommy" release to be followed by "Live at Leads". Clasical/Jazz fusionist Kieth emerosn with " the Nice" to be follwed by ELP. YES, Jethro Tull, Crosby Stills & Nash, Joni Mitchel, early steve miller ( when he actually cared how he played guitar ). The Beatles didn't enter my listening world until Sargent Pepper's and then i discovered "Revolver".......shall I go on? ;-)

Far be it from me to pretend my opinion matters so far as the contribution Buddy Holly made to Pop music ,but with what I listened to my first impression of 50's music was Elvis' attempting to be musically "relevent" in the late 60's and ShaNaNa. The lyrics were sophmoric at best. It was all mindless "Ed Sullivan Show" music to my ear.

Yeah, suppose i'm damaged for life now, but give me a little Prokofiev , Copland, Gershwin , YES or pre-80's Joni and I be just fine. ;-)