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,
Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story a musical in two acts written by Alan Janes, and featuring the music of Buddy Holly, opened at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre on 12 October 1989. An early example of the jukebox musical, "Buddy" ran in London’s West End for over 12 years, playing 5,140 performances. Janes took over the producing of the show himself in 2004 and Buddy has been on tour in the UK for 17 of the last 24 years, and has played Broadway, 5 U.S. National Tours, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand,