Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly's leather-covered Gibson J-45 Holly is remembered for his Stratocaster, but this wartime Gibson acoustic is the more personal object. A keen leather worker, he very probably tooled the floral cover himself, adding his name in big letters. The Met, which showed it in its 2019 Play It Loud exhibition, believes it is the acoustic heard on "Everyday," "Send Me Some Lovin'" and "It's Too Late."