1950s in music deaths of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens in a tragic plane crash in 1959 and the departure of Elvis for the army as causes. On the other side of the spectrum, R&B-influenced acts like The Crows, The Penguins, The El Dorados and The Turbans all scored major hits, and groups like The Platters, with songs including "The Great Pretender" (1955), and The Coasters with humorous songs like "Yakety Yak" (1958), ranked among the most successful rock and roll acts of the period. Rock and roll has also been seen as leading to a number of distinct subgenres,
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly Richards, Ringo Starr, Jackson Browne, David Campbell and others who were inspired and touched by Holly’s music shared memories via video message. Buddy's widow Maria Elena Holly, seated beside Phil Everly was in attendance, singing along with every song. The event was filmed for a PBS pledge drive special featured throughout USA during December 2011. Listen to Me: Buddy Holly Listen to Me: Buddy Holly is a tribute album to rock ‘n roll pioneer Buddy Holly, in celebration of what would have been his 75th birthday in 2011. The album was released by Verve Forecast in the United States on