The Day(s) the Music Died

ListVerse ^ | 1/9/2008 | Listverse Writers

[sodpoodle]

The life of a musician is a treacherous one. Many die from substance abuse, gunfire or even angry fans, whilst many, though seemingly a lot fewer, die of plain old age. There are some though, who have died from plane or helicopter crashes; many of whom are very well known and sad losses to the music industry. Here are the ten most famous.

Ricky Nelson On December 31st, 1985, Rock & roll singer Ricky Nelson (45), five members of his Stone Canyon band, and his fiancée, were all killed when a fire broke out on board a DC-3 taking them to a New Year’s Eve performance in Dallas, Texas. Only two people survived the crash landing near DeKalb, Texas. The fire was caused by a malfunctioning heater. Nelson was first known as the son of Ozzie and Harriet in their TV show of the same name in the late 1950s. He later became famous as the singer of such hits as “Travelin’ Man” and “Garden Party.”

John Denver

On October 12th, 1997, Singer John Denver (53) died when his experimental single-engine Rutan Long EZ plane crashed near Monterey, California. At first, rescuers could not identify the body because the face was burned beyond recognition, but authorities were later able to identify Denver by his fingerprints. Denver was famous for writing and performing “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Country Roads”, “Rocky Mountain High”, “Sunshine on My Shoulders (Makes Me Happy)” , and other songs. The crash occurred when Denver inadvertently pressed down on the plane’s right rudder pedal while trying to switch fuel tanks by reaching for the fuel selector switch behind him. The plane had been modified to place the fuel selector switch behind the pilot rather than between his legs.

[TheWriterTX]

Time In A Bottle is still a beautiful song.

John Denver’s Annie’s Song is another.

Worlds apart from the dreck out there today.

[Fiji Hill]

Glenn Miller, whose plane disappeared over the English Channel late in the year 1944 belongs on that list, as does Sakamoto Kyu, whose 1961 recording Ue O Muite Arukō (I look up as I walk) was a smash hit all around the globe and topped the charts in this country. He was one of 524 passengers and crew killed in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 in 1985.

[Fiji Hill]

IMO Patsy Cline should rank higher than Jim Croce.

I would agree. Not sure how Aaliyah, Ronnie Van Zandt or Steve & Cassie Gaines would rate because I have never heard of them.

[Fiji Hill]

The first concert I ever attended was Patsy Cline, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ferlin Huskey. San Antonio TX in March of 1962. My husband was a new 2nd Lt., and was stationed as a training officer at Lackland AFB TX.

You were lucky to see all of those hitmakers in the same concert.

[Fiji Hill]

Not on the list, but country singer Jim Reeves died while flying his own small plane due to a thunderstorm and the bane of many pilots, Spatial Disorientation.
He was a fine singer, low and slow.

His voice was, indeed, unique.

Am I Losing You?--Jim Reeves (1960)

[NobleFree]

Not sure how Aaliyah, Ronnie Van Zandt or Steve & Cassie Gaines would rate because I have never heard of them.

The latter three were members of Lynyrd Skynyrd - if that helps.

[Fiji Hill]

His dad was also a great musician. The music video below features pictures of Ozzie, Harriet and the kids, chronologically arranged, during their lifetime.

Dream a Little Dream of Me--Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra (1931)

[KamperKen]

Ozzie Nelson was also a graduate of Yale law school. Ricky Nelson was talented unlike some of the boy bands like Dino, Desi and Billy.

[octex]

Ping for later read.........

[Kickass Conservative]

November 3, 2020.

The day the Republic died.

I wonder who will write that Song?

[willk]

“Jim Croce had a LOT more than “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”.”

He was a musical genius. Who knows what music we have missed out on.

[Dr. Sivana]

He was a musical genius. Who knows what music we have missed out on.

He was. He made hummable tunes you get the first time without a lot of reliance on hooks.

He also had flair for lyrics. A song like "Working at the Car Wash Blues" reminds us of someone we have all known. But he can go up-tempo ("One Less Set of Footsteps", "Roller Derby Queen", "Rapid Roy") or dialing it down ("Time In a Bottle", "Operator") as needed.

He also had a LOT of confidence in a simple arrangement with guitar (often acoustic) and voice dominating, without turning into a long-form Harry Chapin type. (His tragedy was in a car, not a plane)

[Geostorm]

Also Harry Chapin was killed in a plane crash. Also Classical Pianist William Kapell was killed in a commercial plane crash in 1953 at the age of 31.

[Geostorm]

I stand corrected, Harry Chapin did die in an auto accident not a plane crash.

[SamAdams76]

It was a pretty grisly car accident too involving trucks.

It happened on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 40 in Jericho (westbound).

I always steer clear of the LIE as it's so unpredictable. Sometimes you can be sailing along, other times you are stuck in a massive traffic jam for hours. Instead, I stick to the Northern or Southern Parkways (where no trucks are allowed), but you need to be on your toes there as well as the cars tend to zip in and out of lanes with little warning.

I actually try to avoid Long Island in general. Way too many cars and not enough roads. Plus everybody seems to own a boat.