- published: 27 Dec 2015
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Charles J. "Buddy" Gorman (September 2, 1921 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage and movie actor who became famous for portraying a member of the comedy teams The East Side Kids and The Bowery Boys. Buddy was born and raised in the "Hell's Kitchen" area of New York. He left home after high school and hitchhiked to California in hopes of becoming an actor. He got a job in the studio mailroom and slept in a nearby used car lot until he was noticed and given small parts in several movies. He eventually landed the part of "Butch" in the Bowery Boy movies.
Gorman married Rosemary Christoff of Lima, Ohio, on June 17, 1951. At the time, she worked as a secretary to the Art Department Director of NBC Studios. A mutual friend introduced them.
After marriage, Gorman retired from acting and opened a Magic Shop in North Hollywood.
The Gormans had two daughters: Victoria (1962) and Gretchen (1964). Soon after the girls were born, the family moved to Riverside, California, and ran a novelty/magic shop called "Fun-N-Stuff" until they retired in 1991. They were married for 46 years, until her death in 1997. In 2005, Gorman moved to an independent living community in Webster, New York, to be closer to his daughter Gretchen and her husband and their children.
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Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American musician and singer/songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression; he learned to play guitar and to sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by gospel music, country music and rhythm and blues acts, and he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school. He made his first appearance on local television in 1952, and the following year he formed the group "Buddy and Bob" with his friend Bob Montgomery. In 1955, after opening for Elvis Presley, Holly decided to pursue a career in music. He opened for Presley three times that year; his band's style shifted from country and western to entirely rock and roll. In October that year, when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets, Holly was spotted by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him get a contract with Decca Records.