Recorded in Clovis, New Mexico, “That’ll Be The Day” by Buddy Holly and the Crickets took its title from a recurring line in the John Wayne movie The Searchers. According
to drummer Jerry Allison, the song was originally cut “as a demo to send to New York, 
just to see if they liked the sound of the group, not for a master record”. Allison credits  
Holly’s guitar work on the song to the influence of New Orleans bluesman Lonnie 
Johnson (below).
 
 

Alfonzo "Lonnie" Johnson (February 8, 1894 – June 6, 1970)
was a pioneering blues and jazz singer/guitarist.