Buddy Holly and The Crickets first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1st, 1957, fresh off the release of their debut album. The band consisted of Niki Sullivan (rhythm guitar), Joe Mauldin (stand-up bass), Jerry Allison (drums), and Buddy (lead guitar and vocals). They all wore bow-ties and sport coats, and Buddy wore his trademark horn-rimmed glasses. The foursome played “That’ll be the Day,” the first single off their album. Buddy was hard not to like, with his goofy charisma, innovative vocal style, and a very catchy tune. The result was pure gold: the track would reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 soon after their performance on the show.

That night they also played “Peggy Sue”, a song named for Jerry Allison’s girlfriend and future wife. That song shot up the charts to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

source: edsullivan.com