First recorded by The Crickets (B-side 1957).
Hit versions by The Rolling Stones (US #43/UK #3 1964), Rush (CAN #88 1973), Tanya Tucker (US #70 1979).
From the wiki: “‘Not Fade Away’ is credited to Buddy Holly (originally under his first and middle names, Charles Hardin) and Norman Petty, and was first recorded by Holly under the moniker of his band, The Crickets. The group recorded the song in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957, the same day the song ‘Everyday’ was recorded. The song’s rhythm pattern is a variant of the Bo Diddley beat; Crickets drummer Jerry Allison pounded out the beat on a cardboard box.
“‘Not Fade Away’ was originally released as the B-side of the hit single ‘Oh, Boy!’ and was included on the album The “Chirping” Crickets (1957). Even though the Crickets’ recording never charted as a single, Rolling Stone ranked ‘Not Fade Away’ at #107 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
“Contrary to the depiction in the 1978 film The Buddy Holly Story, ‘Not Fade Away’ was NOT the last song Holly ever performed before his fatal plane crash. In a 50th anniversary symposium held in Clear Lake, Iowa, where Holly last performed, discussion panel members Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch, and Bob Hale – the emcee at that final show of February 2, 1959 – all agreed that the final song of the night was Chuck Berry’s ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’, performed on-stage together by all of the acts.
“In 1964, The Rolling Stones’ cover of “Not Fade Away”, with its strong emphasis on the Bo Diddley beat, became a major hit in Britain and served as the A-side of the band’s first US single with ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ as the B-side.
“The Rush version of ‘Not Fade Away’ was their debut single, released in 1973, eventually peaking at #88 in Canada. The B-side of this single, ‘You Can’t Fight It’, was the first original song Rush released. The single is rare and highly sought-after by collectors. Tanya Tucker included a funky, rock ‘n roll version of ‘Not Fade Away’ on her 1978 album, TNT, arguably one of the hardest-rockin’ songs of her career. It charted on the Hot 100 but did not chart on the US Country Singles chart.”
The Rolling Stones, “Not Fade Away” (1964):
Rush, “Not Fade Away” (1973):
Tanya Tucker, “Not Fade Away” (1979):