The Day the Music Died

The Day the Music Died - The lives of many musicians have been ended by airplane accidents. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, Rick Nelson, and three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd all died in airplane crashes.

Stevie Ray Vaughan along with three members of Eric Clapton's entourage (agent Bobby Brooks, bodyguard Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager Colin Smythe) died in a helicopter crash.

"American Pie" is a song by American folk rock singer and songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was a number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972. In the UK, the single reached No. 2 on its original 1972 release and a reissue in 1991 reached No. 12. The song was listed as the No. 5 song on the RIAA project Songs of the Century.

McLean dedicated the American Pie album to Holly.

To gain time to sleep and launder clothing after a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, and to avoid the long bus journey to Moorhead, Minnesota, Holly chartered a plane for himself, Ritchie Valens, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup. Jennings gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), who was suffering from influenza and complaining that the bus was uncomfortable for a man of his size.

The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, even though he was not certified to fly by instruments only. In the early morning hours of February 3, Holly, Valens, Richardson and pilot Peterson were killed when the plane crashed shortly after take-off.

The Day the Music Died

The Day the Music Died - Today is The Day the Music Died, as so identified in a lyric in the Don McLean song "American Pie."


The Day the Music Died is a reference to the deaths of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 3, 1959. (The pilot, Roger Peterson, was also killed.)

After terminating his partnership with The Crickets, Buddy Holly assembled a new band consisting of Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch, to play on the "Winter Dance Party" tour. The tour also featured rising artists Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, who were promoting their own recordings as well. The tour was to cover 24 Midwestern cities in three weeks.

The distance between venues and the conditions prevalent aboard the poorly equipped tour buses adversely affected the performers. Cases of flu spread among the band members, and Carl Bunch was hospitalized due to frostbite. Frustrated by the conditions, Holly decided to charter a plane when they stopped for their performance in the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.

To reach their next venue in Moorhead, Minnesota, Carroll Anderson, owner of the Surf Ballroom, chartered the plane from the Dwyer Flying Service.

Richardson, who was affected by the flu, swapped places with Waylon Jennings, taking the latter's place on the plane, while Tommy Allsup lost his place to Ritchie Valens on a coin toss. Dion DiMucci (of Dion and the Belmonts fame) decided not to board the plane for the $36 fee.

The investigation of the incident determined that soon after take off, a combination of poor weather conditions and pilot error caused spatial disorientation that made pilot Roger Peterson lose control of the plane. Hubert Dwyer, owner of the flight service company, could not establish radio contact and reported the aircraft missing the next morning. He took off in his own Cessna 180 and spotted the wreckage less than six miles (9.7 km) northwest of the originating airport in a cornfield. He notified the authorities who dispatched Deputy Bill McGill, who drove to the wreck site and found the bodies of the passengers and pilot. They were later identified by Carroll Anderson.

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On this day in history: February 3, 1959 - The Day the Music Died: A small plane carrying The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), Buddy Holly, and Richie Valens crashes near Mason City, Iowa, while en route to a show in Fargo, North Dakota.

Born on this day in history: February 3, 1956 - Nathan Lane (1956 - ) New Jersey actor Nathan Lane made his Broadway debut in 1982's Present Laughter. After a string of stage hits, Lane earned attention for his voice work in Disney's The Lion King, then became a big-screen star with his award-winning performance in The Birdcage (1996). He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2009.

Scripture of the Day: I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. — Psalm 59:16

Video of the Day: Buddy Holly on the Arthur Murray Dance Party 12/29/57

Imagine my surprise when I encountered this scene while passing through Walmart on the way to my office this morning! Click to enlarge.

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