The Day the Music Died

Good morning my fellow Rotarians. Yesterday, February 3rd, 1959 was a notable day in music history… it was “the day the music died.” Don McLean’s 1971 folk hit “American Pie” was a tribute to the three rock ‘n rollers who were killed in a cornfield just 6 miles north of Clear Lake, IA. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in an airplane crash following their show at the Surf Ballroom.

"The Winter Dance Party" tour was set for 24 cities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas over three weeks. Unfortunately tour organizers did not take in account the travel time needed between cities and so it was a grueling pace. Their transportation was on a bus ill-equipped for the cold weather and the bus heating system stopped working shortly after the tour began. Holly's drummer had to be hospitalized with frost bitten toes.

The Surf Ballroom was not originally on the tour, but the promoters were able to fill an open date on Monday, February 2nd. By the time Buddy Holly arrived in Clear Lake that evening he was very frustrated with the tour bus and he was mad when he learned that the Clear Lake Laundromat was closed because he was out of clean clothes. Holly told his other two band mates Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup to book a charter plane to their next show 380 miles away in Moorhead, MN.

Flight arrangements were made with a 21-year-old local pilot from Mason City with room for three passengers. Jennings gave up his seat to the Big Bopper, who had the flu, and Allsup lost his seat to Ritchie Valens, who had never flown in a small plane before, on a coin flip. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said in jest, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up" and Jennings responded, also in jest, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes". This exchange would haunt Jennings for the rest of his life.

Holley, known as a rock ‘n roll pioneer, influenced many who followed him, including the Beatles, The Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones and the Hollies (named in tribute to him). Holley was 22, newly married, with a career less than two years old. His best known song was “Peggy Sue”. Valens was the youngest at age 17, his career was only 8 months old, his big hit was “LaBamba.” The Big Bopper, known for “Chantilly Lace” and “White Lighting” was 28, with a 4-year old daughter and son yet to be born. Big Bopper, Jr. followed in his dad’s footsteps with a very successful lifelong music career.

Don McLean’s “American Pie” was notable to me, not at first because of his tribute, because in early 1959 I wasn’t even in school yet and I even lived just a few miles from Clear Lake. But rather, in my early days of radio, I loved the long-play version of this song because it was 8 ½ minutes long, a perfect bathroom break song! However, as my interest in music grew, I came to know these rock ‘n roll legends, their place in music history and the significance of that day when their music died.

And that’s our Bottom of the News on this Friday, February 4, 2011!

###