Rock fans head to Iowa to recall day music died

ap via Breitbart ^ | Jan 27, 2009 | MARCO SANTANA

[Jet Jaguar]

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) - It's been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock 'n' roll. The passing decades haven't diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes.

"It was really like the first rock 'n' roll landmark; the first death," said rock historian Jim Dawson, who has written several books about music of that era. "They say these things come in threes. Well, all three happened at the same time."

Starting Wednesday, thousands of people are expected to gather in the small northern Iowa town where the rock pioneers gave their last performance. They'll come to the Surf Ballroom for symposiums with the three musicians' relatives, sold-out concerts and a ceremony as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designates the building as its ninth national landmark.

[free me]

The day the music died...

[BBell]

SO Bye Bye Miss American Pie....

You know that song will be stuck in my head for the next couple of days don't you.

[free me]

I’m sorry, i’m in the same boat.

(stupid Don McLean, at least it wasn’t Starry Starry Night)

[BBell]

Oh my God, you had to mention Starry Starry Night. Oh Jes, I'll never sleep now. I could listen to some Rick Astley or Kylie Minogue but sometimes the antidote is worse then the cure. Maybe I'll listen to The Cure. Friday I'm in Love.

[Richard Kimball]

Click here. That should cure it.

[RebelTex]

Thanks a lot, you guys. Now I won’t get to sleep at all. After hearing those play in my head for the next hour, I’m sure to start in on Chantilly Lace, La Bomba, Peggy Sue, and That’ll be the Day.

Great, just great.

But then, maybe I can drift off dreaming about all the girls with whom I danced while listening to those songs, heheh.

Yeah, now that I think about it, maybe getting to sleep won’t be that hard, after all.

zzzzz

:^D

[Jet Jaguar]

Never hurts to fall asleep listening to Holly.

Modern Day Don Juan was one of my favs.

[BBell]

She may be cute but she's evil. She has more teeth then the average person. Kind of like Freddy Mercury.

pure evil

[Jet Jaguar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0i_njZvnxc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdtqTWH0lxU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TcC_ni0ojo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Ez6gxzP0w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mKHkz6A3Fk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5uJCRUFeH4&feature=related

[Jet Jaguar]

LOL!

[atomic conspiracy]

This article mentions only "the pilot" of the Beech Bonanza without giving his name. He was Roger Arthur Peterson, a 21 year old newlywed.

Contrary to some reports, Roger was fairly experienced. He had been flying for five years and had accumulated more than 600 hours. He was not instrument rated, however, and conditions that night were marginal for visual flight, to say the least. He had 128 hours in Beech Bonanza, an allegedly challenging aircraft known colloquially as the "Fork-Tailed Doctor-Killer" for its "butterfly" tail structure and its sometimes fatal popularity with the medical profession. It is very likely Roger was confused by the unusual design of the Sperry attitude gyro that had recently been installed in that particular aircraft. This instrument could easily be interpreted backwards by pilots who are not used to it.

[Jet Jaguar]

Thanks for the info.

[BBell]

Thank you for steering us back on topic.

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the great links. Have not heard Donna in a million years. I used to have the 45 rpm back in the days before LP albums were widely available, or affordable.

Started checking out the links, one at a time, at about 11:55, and now it's 1:50 am. Stopped along the way to listen to about a dozen versions of Johnny Cash's Cocaine Blues and a myriad of related stuff. Finally finished listening with Angel Baby by Rosie and the Innocents. Knew right then I must stop listening for a while or spend the whole night on YouTube searching -- oh s**t, now I have to go back and find Searching, can't even remember who recorded it. Thanks again.

[SamAdams76]

An interesting sidebar to this episode is that Waylon Jennings was supposed to be on the plane but at the last minute gave up his seat to the "Big Bopper" and took a bus instead.

Buddy Holly joked to Jennings that "I hope your bus freezes up" and Jennings shot back "Well I hope your darn plane crashes."

[cajungirl]

Dang,,I loved the Big Bopper

[pookie18]

Started checking out the links, one at a time, at about 11:55, and now it's 1:50 am. Stopped along the way to listen to about a dozen versions of Johnny Cash's Cocaine Blues and a myriad of related stuff. Finally finished listening with Angel Baby by Rosie and the Innocents. Knew right then I must stop listening for a while or spend the whole night on YouTube searching -- oh s**t, now I have to go back and find Searching, can't even remember who recorded it. Thanks again.

Too much searching ;-)

Angel Baby was done by Rosie & The Originals while Kathy Young With The Innocents covered the Rivileers' song, A Thousand Stars...

[jwparkerjr]

My take on the crash over the years has been that he iced up and there was nothing he could have done to avoid coming down.

Be that as it may though, thank you for posting his name and the info about him.

I was a junior in high school the day the music died.

[mad_as_he$$]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO_vFuzPJvc