Buddy was feeling pretty down after his recording contract with Decca had proved to be a commercial flop and although unhappy at being rejected by Nashville, he was sure that he had what it took to make it in show business. He had heard that a new studio in Clovis, New Mexico run by Norman Petty had achieved national success with a song called "Party Doll" recorded by Buddy Knox & the Rhythm Orchids. He decided to drive down to see if he could find a successful sound that he had felt was missing in the Nashville tracks. Norman Petty gave Buddy the space he needed to be creative working in a relaxed and friendly environment. Of course the rest is now history because late in the evening and early in the morning of February 24th and 25th 1957 his re-worked version of "That'll Be The Day" was recorded using June Clark, Gary and Ramona Tollett as backing singers. Using his contacts in the record business Norman Petty went to several major U.S. record companies and ironically Brunswick, a Decca subsidiary company agreed to put the record out. At first the record seemed to bomb but towards the end of summer it started to pick up plays on the radio and eventually hit the number 1 spot. Buddy's future looked bright.