The Day The Music Died: February 3rd 1959

The Rolling Stone ^ | February 3, 2018 & 2019 | Angie Martoccio

[CaliforniaCraftBeer]

Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Richie Valens plummeted to their deaths as their plane crashed in the fields of Clear Lake, Iowa. Eleven years later, a singer-songwriter in Cold Springs, New York, poignantly wrote about the tragedy in the intro to his magnum opus “American Pie,” dubbing it “The Day the Music Died.” A 13-year-old paperboy at the time of the plane crash (“But February made me shiver/With every paper I’d deliver”), Don McLean was devastated over Holly’s death; he later said that the fallout from the event “created a sense of grief that lived inside of me, until I was able to exorcize it with the opening verse of ‘American Pie.’”

[eyedigress]

yup.

[Dr. Sivana]

) He probably would have had some higher notes, and been washed up by about 1964. And that kind of hurts me to type it.

I don't think so. He was too smart and was already starting to get onto record producing. He was also trying to tone down the rock sound a little bit by the end. He would have been an influencer, and could have helped staved off or at least weakened the British invasion. High energy, talented, smart, can turn on a dime if needed ... a great loss.

[be-baw]

“I hope no harm was done up there, it wasn’t meant to be”

If you meant harm to me, no not at all. In my book, you’re a top-notch FReeper who consistently posts interesting articles that are a nice change of pace from the usual political rigamarole in which we choose to participate.

[sparklite2]

Boomer Top Ten

The Hollies - The Air that I Wheeze
Vikki Carr - It Must be Phlegm
Donna Summer - I Feel Lump
Frank Ifield - I Remember Who
Johnny Horton - Withering Pines
Linda Ronstadt - Love is a Robe
Mickey & Sylvia - Love is Strained
Christina Aguilera - Our Day, We’ll Gum
Glen Campbell - By the Time I Get to Finish
The Jaynetts- Sally Go Round the Donut Seat

[Huskrrrr]

A big deal in Iowa. The Surf ballroom has been preserved, still hosting some great concerts.

[Scrambler Bob]

Hey, wait a minute

Those titles don’t sound quite right.

[sparklite2]

It’s that damned AutoComplete.

[atc23]

Waylon Jennings was supposed to be on the flight as well

[jjotto]

Right.

The flight was supposed to be for Holly, and his sidemen Jennings and Allsup. Richardson had the flu, so Jennings gave up his seat, then Valens got Allsup’s seat.

[morphing libertarian]

If I read you correctly, the original passengers included Valens and Allsup. So why did Valens have to get Allsup’s seat?

[Mears]

What on earth does their sexuality have to do with this accident?

.

[Phillyred]

The Crickets at first were going to call themselves the Beatles.

[BobL]

To the Left, that seems to trump everything.

[jjotto]

Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup, Holly’s backups, were the intended passengers with Holly.

Big Bopper was ill, so got Waylon’s seat. Allsup lost a coin flip to Valens.

Allsup played lead guitar on some Holly hits and had a nice career.

[dfwgator]

The day that made Don McLean’s career.

[Michael.SF.]

"which determines the attitude of the aircraft..."

Never fly in a plane that has a bad attitude.

;)

[sparklite2]

I can’t find that. Do you have a source?

[bigbob]

A Winter Dance Party poster hangs on my wall.

[windcliff]

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