55 Years Ago...
Today is the day after Groundhog's Day (I heard that he saw his shadow. Not that it matters. This winter isn't ending any time soon).
Today is the day after the Super Bowl. (The game did not go at all the way I thought it would).
Today is also the most tragic day in music history.
Today is the day the music died.
Richie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Buddy Holly all died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa on this day 55 years ago. The plane was en route to Fargo, North Dakota, for a show on this night, 3 February 1959, at the Armory in Moorhead, Minnesota.
A dozen years later, Don McLean immortalized this day in his song, "American Pie." A song which I grew up with and didn't really understand until much later.
In fact, I grew up listening to Buddy Holly's music, even though I didn't know it at the time. I remember a great song, "It's So Easy," by Linda Ronstadt. Every time it came on the radio, I would turn it up (with Mom's permission, of course. Lucky for me, she liked the song, too).
My big brother had a band in the 1970s, The Kountry Kings, and they recorded a song called "Oh Boy!" which I loved. I played that vinyl track over and over.
The Beatles had a great song called "Words of Love" on their Beatles for Sale album. It was one of my favorite tunes on the entire record.
I had no idea it was the music of Buddy Holly.
...But let's go back to this day in 1959.
Holly, Richardson and Valens were in the middle of a three week tour of the upper Midwest, dubbed the "Winter Dance Party."
Richie Valens, who was just 17, was a promising up-and-coming musician/songwriter, with hits "Come On, Let's Go," "Donna," and "La Bamba" already to his credit.
The Big Bopper (age 28) was an established and successful singer/songwriter, having written "White Lightning" (George Jones's first #1 hit); "Running Bear" (recorded by Johnny Preston, another #1 hit); and "Chantilly Lace," which the Bopper kept for himself: it spent 22 weeks in the Top 40.
But the headliner of the "Winter Dance Party" was Buddy Holly, who, at just 22 years old, was an incredibly gifted songwriter. On stage with his unmistakable trademark glasses and Fender Stratocaster strapped over his shoulder, he already had huge hits peppered across the Top 40, with his band "The Crickets":
"That'll Be the Day"
"Peggy Sue"
"Oh Boy!"
"Maybe Baby"
"Words of Love"
"It's So Easy"
"Not Fade Away"
"Everyday"
This music was produced over a span of about 24 months. Simply unbelievable.
So why do I feel compelled to write about Buddy Holly?
I don't think people appreciate, even 55 years after his death, how influential he actually was. Elvis was the icon, but Elvis did not write his own music and could barely play guitar (I'm not bashing Elvis; these are simply the facts).
Buddy Holly wasn't pretty, but he was the real deal.
From the Beatles (no coincidence their name was coined after a bug), to the Rolling Stones (one of their first hits was a Buddy Holly cover), to Bob Dylan (who saw Holly at the Duluth Armory, two days before his death... "I was three feet away from him and he LOOKED at me!" said Dylan 40 years later), Holly was a musician's musician.
All this time later, his music still feels fresh, fun and innovative.
But sadly, it all came to an abrupt end today, five and a half decades ago; a cold February morning in an Iowa corn field. It truly was the day the music died.
Today is the day after the Super Bowl. (The game did not go at all the way I thought it would).
Today is also the most tragic day in music history.
Today is the day the music died.
Richie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Buddy Holly all died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa on this day 55 years ago. The plane was en route to Fargo, North Dakota, for a show on this night, 3 February 1959, at the Armory in Moorhead, Minnesota.
 |
| A memorial at the site of the plane crash, in the middle of a corn field owned, at the time, by Albert Juhl. |
A dozen years later, Don McLean immortalized this day in his song, "American Pie." A song which I grew up with and didn't really understand until much later.
In fact, I grew up listening to Buddy Holly's music, even though I didn't know it at the time. I remember a great song, "It's So Easy," by Linda Ronstadt. Every time it came on the radio, I would turn it up (with Mom's permission, of course. Lucky for me, she liked the song, too).
My big brother had a band in the 1970s, The Kountry Kings, and they recorded a song called "Oh Boy!" which I loved. I played that vinyl track over and over.
The Beatles had a great song called "Words of Love" on their Beatles for Sale album. It was one of my favorite tunes on the entire record.
I had no idea it was the music of Buddy Holly.
...But let's go back to this day in 1959.
Holly, Richardson and Valens were in the middle of a three week tour of the upper Midwest, dubbed the "Winter Dance Party."
Richie Valens, who was just 17, was a promising up-and-coming musician/songwriter, with hits "Come On, Let's Go," "Donna," and "La Bamba" already to his credit.
The Big Bopper (age 28) was an established and successful singer/songwriter, having written "White Lightning" (George Jones's first #1 hit); "Running Bear" (recorded by Johnny Preston, another #1 hit); and "Chantilly Lace," which the Bopper kept for himself: it spent 22 weeks in the Top 40.
 |
| The Armory building in Moorhead, Minnesota. Buddy Holly was supposed to play here on this night 55 years ago. |
But the headliner of the "Winter Dance Party" was Buddy Holly, who, at just 22 years old, was an incredibly gifted songwriter. On stage with his unmistakable trademark glasses and Fender Stratocaster strapped over his shoulder, he already had huge hits peppered across the Top 40, with his band "The Crickets":
"That'll Be the Day"
"Peggy Sue"
"Oh Boy!"
"Maybe Baby"
"Words of Love"
"It's So Easy"
"Not Fade Away"
"Everyday"
This music was produced over a span of about 24 months. Simply unbelievable.
 |
| Even though this album features such influential hits as "Oh Boy!", "That'll Be the Day," and "Maybe Baby," Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #421 of the top 500 greatest albums of all time. Further proof that the editors of Rolling Stone haven't got a f**king clue. |
So why do I feel compelled to write about Buddy Holly?
I don't think people appreciate, even 55 years after his death, how influential he actually was. Elvis was the icon, but Elvis did not write his own music and could barely play guitar (I'm not bashing Elvis; these are simply the facts).
Buddy Holly wasn't pretty, but he was the real deal.
From the Beatles (no coincidence their name was coined after a bug), to the Rolling Stones (one of their first hits was a Buddy Holly cover), to Bob Dylan (who saw Holly at the Duluth Armory, two days before his death... "I was three feet away from him and he LOOKED at me!" said Dylan 40 years later), Holly was a musician's musician.
All this time later, his music still feels fresh, fun and innovative.
But sadly, it all came to an abrupt end today, five and a half decades ago; a cold February morning in an Iowa corn field. It truly was the day the music died.
