The Crickets are an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer/songwriter Buddy Holly in the 1950s. Released in 1957, their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", became a number-one hit single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 23. The sleeve of their first album, The "Chirping" Crickets, shows the band line-up at the time: Holly on vocals and lead guitar, Niki Sullivan on backing vocals and rhythm guitar, Jerry Allison on drums, and Joe Mauldin on upright double bass. The Crickets helped set the template for subsequent rock bands such as the Beatles, with their guitar-bass-drums line-up and the talent to write most of their own material. After Holly's death in 1959 the band continued to tour and record with different lead vocalists and other band members. They continued performing and releasing new material into the 21st century.