Post by Rob Durkee on Jan 31, 2009 16:15:13 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
To fully comprehend the tragic music history that unfolded 50 years ago this week, one needs to understand the circumstances surrounding it and how it affected at least one generation of pop music fans. In his 1972 #1 hit, Don McLean's "American Pie" called it "The Day The Music Died."
In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, a small airplane crashed not long after takeoff near Clear Lake, Iowa. Killed were Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, who was also known as J.P. (Jape) Richardson. In looking back on the tragedy, many think three were killed in the crash but the number was actually four. The pilot, Roger Peterson, also perished. The crash happened a few hours after a Winter Dance Party Tour performance at Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom. To this day, there are annual Winter Dance Party reunion concerts every year at about this time in Clear Lake.
The reasons for the ill-fated flight were at least two-fold. Holly wanted to get caught up on cleaning his clothes at a laundromat at the city of destination, Fargo, North Dakota, which was near the next tour stop, Moorhead, Minnesota. He couldn't find a laundromat in Clear Lake. Plus, they also wanted to escape having to ride on the tour bus. That bus was so cold that often newspapers were burned just to keep warm. A backup singer, Carl Bunch, even suffered from frostbite and had to be briefly hospitalized.
The year 1959 would end the 1950's, the decade with the most dramatic change in pop music direction ever. The 1950's would begin with easy listening or middle-of-the-radio music dominating the scene. It was the followup to the 1940's, where big band music ruled. So, the 1950's began with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, the Weavers, Teresa Brewer, Eddie Fisher, Bing Crosby, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Patti Page, Rosemary Clooney and Johnnie Ray dominating the music charts.
The decade would end with the likes of Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Pat Boone, the Platters, Paul Anka, Connie Francis, Frankie Avalon and Lloyd Price. Legendary disc jockey Alan Freed led the way, coining the term "Rock And Roll," to describe the newer fresher music that would explode onto the scene. Freed didn't invent the term; he popularized it. After all, we had a 1934 single release by the Boswell Sisters entitled, "Rock And Roll."
We had some passings prior to February 3, 1959. For instance, Johnny Ace was only 25 when he died Christmas Eve, 1954, backstage in Houston in an incident involving Russian Roulette. And in the spring of 1958, Chuck Willis, The King of the Stroll, was a mere 30 when he died of a bleeding ulcer. Willis' hits included "C.C. Rider," the song Elvis Presley would open his 1970's concerts with.
Thus, "The Day The Music Died" was rock and roll music's first true tragedy. This writer was in the seventh grade when it happened. A day or two later, while waiting with others in the wintry cold for a shuttle bus, somebody mentioned how over 100 people died in a plane crash. At that point, I asked about the plane crash that killed Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper. Somebody yelled out, "Only three people died in that crash! NOBODY'S going to remember that crash."
Charles Hardin Holley was only 22 when he died. His last name would lose the "e" when a record contract left the letter out. Buddy Holly's impact on pop music was so great that he was among the first induction class for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He fronted the group, the Crickets, who in turn were among the first rock groups ever to feature a lead guitarist. In the late summer and early fall of 1957, the group borrowed a line from a John Wayne western movie, "The Searchers," and took "That'll Be The Day" to #3 on the Cash Box pop singles chart. Buddy's followup, "Peggy Sue," a solo effort, reached #3. The song was based on a real Peggy Sue Gerron, who married Crickets' drummer Jerry Allison.
The Crickets nearly had two more Top tenners but "Oh Boy" peaked at #13 and "Maybe Baby" reached #11. Holly's last top 40 hit while he was still alive was the #25 peaking "Early In The Morning." He would have a #30 posthumous top 40 with "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," which Paul Anka wrote.
Holly's impact on rock music can also be shown with how so many of his songs would be remade later on. Compiling a complete list is impossible but here's some that come to mind: Linda Ronstadt had remake hits with "That'll Be The Day" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore." The ballad "True Love Ways" was a #13 hit in 1965 for the British duo Peter And Gordon and would also be remade by Mickey Gilley. The Bobby Fuller Four had a minor #51 hit in 1966 with "Love's Made A Fool Of You." The Rolling Stones and Tanya Tucker would remake "Not Fade Away." The Rivieras and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band would redo "Oh Boy." Plus, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band would remake "Rave On" along with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and John Mellencamp.
Richard Valenzuela was only 17 when he died on February 3, 1959. As Ritchie Valens, he first hit with the #51 song, "Come On, Let's Go," which would be a remake hit for the McCoys and Los Lobos. Then came his biggest hit, "Donna," which nearly became a #1 posthumous hit, reaching #2 on the Cash Box pop chart. The song was Ritchie expressing his feelings about a high school classmate, Donna Ludwig. The flip side to "Donna," though, would give Valens' fame as it would be the title of the 1987 movie about his life, "La Bamba." In the soundtrack, Los Lobos would take a remake of the song to #1.
The Big Bopper was a fun-loving singer-songwriter-DJ whose biggest hit was the #4, "Chantilly Lace." He actually raps some in that hit, saying "pick you up at eight, and don't be late." He had another top 40 hit with the #39 song, "The Big Bopper's Wedding." He also recorded hits like "White Lightning," "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor." Richardson would be immortalized in a #1 single nearly a year after his passing. In January 1960, Johnny Preston reached the top of the Cash Box pop chart with "Running Bear," a song Richardson wrote. Plus, the Big Bopper and George Jones supplied the background "Ooom-Baahs" in the hit song.
Richardson was 28 when he died. Recently, his son, Jay Richardson, gave his late father a new casket. The old casket is scheduled to be auctioned off on e-Bay, with proceeds going towards a musical designed to help keep The Big Bopper's memory alive.
There have been misconceptions and ironies galore surrounding "The Day The Music Died." In the movie, "The Buddy Holly Story," a cricket infiltrates the makeshift studio where Holly and his group were practicing. That incident wasn't the inspiration for the group naming itself the Crickets, though. In a 1987 interview conducted by this writer with Allison, the Crickets' drummer said the group was inspired by a group called the Spiders. "So," Allison said, "we decided 'let's be insects'."
In the movie "La Bamba," the coin flip between Valens and backup musician Tommy Allsup takes place on the Clear Lake airport's runway. Actually, it took place inside the Surf Ballroom. According to Wikipedia, Allsup is alive, 77 years old, living in Azle, Texas, and operating Common Ground Studios. He lost the coinflip but won his life.
A future Rock And Roll Hall of Famer nearly became the fourth musician to step onto that plane. However, Dion DiMucci decided that the plane fare ($36) was too high and passed on the trip.
Finally, perhaps the greatest irony of them all came when the late Waylon Jennings, who like Allsup was a backing musician, gave up his seat to Richardson on the plane. Jennings had the flu. That decision and what he said to Holly were things that would haunt him the rest of his life. Not long before the plane took off, Holly supposedly told Jennings, "I hope your old bus freezes up."
And Jennings replied, "I hope your d**n plane crashes."
To fully comprehend the tragic music history that unfolded 50 years ago this week, one needs to understand the circumstances surrounding it and how it affected at least one generation of pop music fans. In his 1972 #1 hit, Don McLean's "American Pie" called it "The Day The Music Died."
In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, a small airplane crashed not long after takeoff near Clear Lake, Iowa. Killed were Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, who was also known as J.P. (Jape) Richardson. In looking back on the tragedy, many think three were killed in the crash but the number was actually four. The pilot, Roger Peterson, also perished. The crash happened a few hours after a Winter Dance Party Tour performance at Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom. To this day, there are annual Winter Dance Party reunion concerts every year at about this time in Clear Lake.
The reasons for the ill-fated flight were at least two-fold. Holly wanted to get caught up on cleaning his clothes at a laundromat at the city of destination, Fargo, North Dakota, which was near the next tour stop, Moorhead, Minnesota. He couldn't find a laundromat in Clear Lake. Plus, they also wanted to escape having to ride on the tour bus. That bus was so cold that often newspapers were burned just to keep warm. A backup singer, Carl Bunch, even suffered from frostbite and had to be briefly hospitalized.
The year 1959 would end the 1950's, the decade with the most dramatic change in pop music direction ever. The 1950's would begin with easy listening or middle-of-the-radio music dominating the scene. It was the followup to the 1940's, where big band music ruled. So, the 1950's began with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, the Weavers, Teresa Brewer, Eddie Fisher, Bing Crosby, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Patti Page, Rosemary Clooney and Johnnie Ray dominating the music charts.
The decade would end with the likes of Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Pat Boone, the Platters, Paul Anka, Connie Francis, Frankie Avalon and Lloyd Price. Legendary disc jockey Alan Freed led the way, coining the term "Rock And Roll," to describe the newer fresher music that would explode onto the scene. Freed didn't invent the term; he popularized it. After all, we had a 1934 single release by the Boswell Sisters entitled, "Rock And Roll."
We had some passings prior to February 3, 1959. For instance, Johnny Ace was only 25 when he died Christmas Eve, 1954, backstage in Houston in an incident involving Russian Roulette. And in the spring of 1958, Chuck Willis, The King of the Stroll, was a mere 30 when he died of a bleeding ulcer. Willis' hits included "C.C. Rider," the song Elvis Presley would open his 1970's concerts with.
Thus, "The Day The Music Died" was rock and roll music's first true tragedy. This writer was in the seventh grade when it happened. A day or two later, while waiting with others in the wintry cold for a shuttle bus, somebody mentioned how over 100 people died in a plane crash. At that point, I asked about the plane crash that killed Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper. Somebody yelled out, "Only three people died in that crash! NOBODY'S going to remember that crash."
Charles Hardin Holley was only 22 when he died. His last name would lose the "e" when a record contract left the letter out. Buddy Holly's impact on pop music was so great that he was among the first induction class for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He fronted the group, the Crickets, who in turn were among the first rock groups ever to feature a lead guitarist. In the late summer and early fall of 1957, the group borrowed a line from a John Wayne western movie, "The Searchers," and took "That'll Be The Day" to #3 on the Cash Box pop singles chart. Buddy's followup, "Peggy Sue," a solo effort, reached #3. The song was based on a real Peggy Sue Gerron, who married Crickets' drummer Jerry Allison.
The Crickets nearly had two more Top tenners but "Oh Boy" peaked at #13 and "Maybe Baby" reached #11. Holly's last top 40 hit while he was still alive was the #25 peaking "Early In The Morning." He would have a #30 posthumous top 40 with "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," which Paul Anka wrote.
Holly's impact on rock music can also be shown with how so many of his songs would be remade later on. Compiling a complete list is impossible but here's some that come to mind: Linda Ronstadt had remake hits with "That'll Be The Day" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore." The ballad "True Love Ways" was a #13 hit in 1965 for the British duo Peter And Gordon and would also be remade by Mickey Gilley. The Bobby Fuller Four had a minor #51 hit in 1966 with "Love's Made A Fool Of You." The Rolling Stones and Tanya Tucker would remake "Not Fade Away." The Rivieras and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band would redo "Oh Boy." Plus, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band would remake "Rave On" along with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and John Mellencamp.
Richard Valenzuela was only 17 when he died on February 3, 1959. As Ritchie Valens, he first hit with the #51 song, "Come On, Let's Go," which would be a remake hit for the McCoys and Los Lobos. Then came his biggest hit, "Donna," which nearly became a #1 posthumous hit, reaching #2 on the Cash Box pop chart. The song was Ritchie expressing his feelings about a high school classmate, Donna Ludwig. The flip side to "Donna," though, would give Valens' fame as it would be the title of the 1987 movie about his life, "La Bamba." In the soundtrack, Los Lobos would take a remake of the song to #1.
The Big Bopper was a fun-loving singer-songwriter-DJ whose biggest hit was the #4, "Chantilly Lace." He actually raps some in that hit, saying "pick you up at eight, and don't be late." He had another top 40 hit with the #39 song, "The Big Bopper's Wedding." He also recorded hits like "White Lightning," "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor." Richardson would be immortalized in a #1 single nearly a year after his passing. In January 1960, Johnny Preston reached the top of the Cash Box pop chart with "Running Bear," a song Richardson wrote. Plus, the Big Bopper and George Jones supplied the background "Ooom-Baahs" in the hit song.
Richardson was 28 when he died. Recently, his son, Jay Richardson, gave his late father a new casket. The old casket is scheduled to be auctioned off on e-Bay, with proceeds going towards a musical designed to help keep The Big Bopper's memory alive.
There have been misconceptions and ironies galore surrounding "The Day The Music Died." In the movie, "The Buddy Holly Story," a cricket infiltrates the makeshift studio where Holly and his group were practicing. That incident wasn't the inspiration for the group naming itself the Crickets, though. In a 1987 interview conducted by this writer with Allison, the Crickets' drummer said the group was inspired by a group called the Spiders. "So," Allison said, "we decided 'let's be insects'."
In the movie "La Bamba," the coin flip between Valens and backup musician Tommy Allsup takes place on the Clear Lake airport's runway. Actually, it took place inside the Surf Ballroom. According to Wikipedia, Allsup is alive, 77 years old, living in Azle, Texas, and operating Common Ground Studios. He lost the coinflip but won his life.
A future Rock And Roll Hall of Famer nearly became the fourth musician to step onto that plane. However, Dion DiMucci decided that the plane fare ($36) was too high and passed on the trip.
Finally, perhaps the greatest irony of them all came when the late Waylon Jennings, who like Allsup was a backing musician, gave up his seat to Richardson on the plane. Jennings had the flu. That decision and what he said to Holly were things that would haunt him the rest of his life. Not long before the plane took off, Holly supposedly told Jennings, "I hope your old bus freezes up."
And Jennings replied, "I hope your d**n plane crashes."
