The Day The Music Died: Feb 3, 1959

The Lid/Various ^ | 2/3/2010 | The Lid

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The Day the Music Died

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Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela; May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.

A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months. During this time, however, he scored several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song that Valens transformed with a rock rhythm and beat that became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.

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Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), called JP by his friends but commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star. He is best known for his recording of "Chantilly Lace". On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as The Day the Music Died, Richardson was killed in a small-plane crash in Iowa, along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.

Early years

Richardson was born in Sabine Pass, Texas, the oldest son of Jiles Perry Richardson, Sr. and his wife Elise (Stalsby) Richardson. His father was an oil field worker and driller. Richardson had two younger brothers, Cecil and James. The family soon moved to Beaumont, Texas. Richardson graduated from Beaumont High School in 1947 and played on the "Royal Purple" football team as a defensive lineman, wearing number 85. Richardson later studied pre-law at Lamar College, and was a member of the band and chorus. He sometimes played with the Johnny Lampson Combo.

The Big Bopper

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Bill Haley died Feb. 9, 1981 with brain cancer. He was not on the plane that night.

I had the "45" of Rock Around the Clock, that I played a lot, at the time... :-)

But, alas, I no longer have it (but I sure wish I did...).

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He jokingly said to Buddy Holly, “I hope your plane crashes.” and felt terribly guilty about it until the day he died.

Quote from Wikipedia, for some more "context" here... :-)

Richardson [JP, "The Big Bopper"] had developed a case of the flu during the tour and asked one of Holly's bandmates, Waylon Jennings, for his seat on the plane; Jennings agreed to give up the seat. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up." Jennings responded, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." This exchange of words, though made in jest at the time, haunted Jennings for the rest of his life.

[RayChuang88]

In fact, I believe that's how Elvis remained fairly popular--he proved to be a surprisingly good country and gospel singer (there are Elvis collectors who specialize in his gospel songs). But Elvis was quickly overtaken by the British Invasion led by the Beatles until that famous TV special in 1968 that revived Elvis' career.

[SunkenCiv]

Mike Berry with the Outlaws - Tribute To Buddy Holly