It is 55 years since a fateful air crash took away the life of rock ‘n’ roll star Buddy Holly, but through his timeless songwriting his legacy lives on.

The Day The Music Died is a celebration of the life and work of Buddy Holly. It will be Raving On at Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre on Sunday, April 27. The title of the show is taken from a Don McLean song, American Pie, which is about the plane smash that also killed Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.

The 55th anniversary tour proves that the music of one of the founders of rock ‘n’ roll will not die, as the cast perform songs from the early years such as Blue Days Black Nights and Rock Around With Ollie Vee to the classics such as True Love Ways, Rave On and Peggy Sue.

Buddy was born in Lubbock, Texas in 1936 and began performing in bands during his time in High School, playing what was called Western Bop. The band played at local school dances, and got a hearing on local radio, before Buddy was spotted by Decca Records, who whisked him off to Nashville, but he returned disappointed by the experience.

But the music didn’t die in him and he took his band, The Crickets, to New Mexico. They recorded That’ll Be The Day and it shot to number three in the US charts and number one over here in the UK.

Fame more than beckoned, it took Buddy by the hand and hauled the unpretentious singer into the limelight. Hit after hit followed such as Everyday, Not Fade Away, Maybe Baby, Oh Boy and I Guess It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.

One bitterly cold, blizzard-ridden February day in 1959, Buddy and the other rock musicians on the Winter Dance Party Tour, had had enough of their tour bus with no heating, and chartered a plane.

It came down on February 3 following a concert at the Surf Ballroom in Iowa, killing everyone on board. It wasn’t discovered until the following day.

Now 55 years later Buddy’s music is as popular and relevant as ever, and the crowd will be rockin’ in the aisles at the Wyvern Theatre from 7.30pm. Tickets are £18 from 01793 524481. - Flicky Harrison