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The
Day the Music Died
Performing in concert was very
profitable, and Buddy Holly needed the money it provided. "The
Winter Dance Party Tour" was planned to cover 24 cities in a short
3 week time frame (January 23 - February 15) and Holly would be the
biggest headliner. Waylon Jennings, a friend from Lubbock, Texas and
Tommy Allsup would go as backup musicians.
Ritchie Valens, probably the hottest of the artists at the time, The Big
Bopper, and Dion and the Belmonts would round out the list of
performers.
The tour bus developed heating problems. It was so cold onboard that
reportedly one of the drummers developed frostbite riding in it. When
they arrived at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, they were cold,
tired and disgusted.
Buddy Holly had had enough of the unheated bus and decided to charter a
plane for himself and his guys. At least he could get some laundry done
before the next performance!
That night at the Surf Ballroom was magical as the fans went wild over
the performers.
Jiles P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper to his fans, was a Texas
D.J. who found recording success and fame in 1958 with the song Chantilly
Lace.
Richie Valenzuela was only 16 years old when Del-Fi record producer, Bob
Keane, discovered the Pacoima, California singer. Keane rearranged his
name to Ritchie Valens, and in 1958 they recorded Come On, Let's Go. Far
more successful was the song Valens wrote for his girlfriend, Donna, and
its flip side, La Bamba, a Rock and Roll version of an old
Mexican standard. This earned the teenager an appearance on American
Bandstand and the prospect of continued popularity.
Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (changed to Holly due to a
misspelling on a contract) and his band, The Crickets, had a number one
hit in 1957 with the tune That'll Be The Day. This success was
follwed by Peggy Sue and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
By 1959, Holly had decided to move in a new direction. He and the
Crickets parted company. Holly married Maria Elena Santiago and moved to
New York with the hope of concentrating on song writing and producing.
Waylon Jennings gave his seat up
to Richardson, who was running a fever and had trouble fitting his
stocky frame comfortably into the bus seats.
When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said,
"Well, I hope your old bus freezes up." Jennings responded,
"Well, I hope your plane crashes." This friendly banter of
friends would haunt Jennings for years.
Allsup told Valens, I'll flip you for the remaining seat. On the toss of
a coin, Valens won the seat and Allsup the rest of his life.
The plane took off a little after 1 A.M. from Clear Lake and never got
far from the airport before it crashed, killing all onboard.
The Day the Music Died
February 3, 1959
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