Buddy Knox

Buddy Wayne Knox (July 20, 1933 – February 14, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1957 rock and roll hit song, "Party Doll".

Knox was born on July 20, 1933, in the tiny farming community of Happy, Texas, United States, and learned to play the guitar in his youth.

In his teens, he and some high-school friends formed a band called the Rhythm Orchids. After they performed on the same 1956 radio show as fellow Texan Roy Orbison and his Teen Kings band, Orbison suggested that Knox go to record producer Norman Petty, who had a recording studio in Clovis, New Mexico, the same studio where Buddy Holly recorded several of his early hits, including "That'll Be the Day".

Knox's song "Party Doll" was released on the Roulette record label, and went to number one on the Cash Box record chart in 1957 (after being picked from the tiny Triple-D label). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America. This success was followed by "Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep", a number-17 hit, and "Hula Love", a number-9 hit. While he never achieved the same level of artistic success as Holly or Orbison, Knox outlived both and enjoyed a long career in music. For his pioneering contribution, Knox was elected to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. "Party Doll" was voted one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

In the early 1960s, Knox signed with Liberty Records and released several more mainstream pop records, featuring string arrangements and backing vocalists. "Lovey Dovey" and "Ling-Ting-Tong" were the most notable recordings from this era. The sound captured on these recordings was a distinct departure from his earlier rockabilly work for Roulette. Liberty and principal record producer Snuff Garrett successfully employed the same production techniques for their other mainstream pop artists of the time, which included Johnny Burnette and Bobby Vee.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.