![]() 1 hit “American Pie,” which refers to Februas “the day the music died. HARROWING images show the aftermath of the tragic plane crash that killed rock-and-roll icon Buddy Holly 64 years ago today. The Big Bopper Richardson were killed in a plane crash on February 3. Singer Don McLean memorialized Holly, Valens and Richardson in the 1972 No. The Surf Ballroom and the Iowa field where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson were famously killed in a plane crash on Feb. Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1987, Valens’ life was portrayed in the movie La Bamba, and the title song, performed by Los Lobos, became a No. The third crash victim was Ritchie Valens, born Richard Valenzuela in a suburb of Los Angeles, who was only 17 when the plane went down but had already scored hits with “Come On, Let’s Go,” “Donna” and “La Bamba,” an upbeat number based on a traditional Mexican wedding song (though Valens barely spoke Spanish). He developed a stage show based on his radio persona, “The Big Bopper.” Richardson’s most famous recording was the rockabilly “Chantilly Lace,” which made the Top 10. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, 28, started out as a disk jockey in Texas and later began writing songs. In the dark, early hours of 3 February 1959, a small nondescript plane, battered by wind and snow, crashed. Following their concert in Clear Lake on February 2, 1959, the 3 stars perished. By the mid-1950s, Holly and his band had a regular radio show and toured internationally, playing hits like “Peggy Sue,” “Oh, Boy!,” “Maybe Baby” and “Early in the Morning.” Holly wrote all his own songs, many of which were released after his death and influenced such artists as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney.Īnother crash victim, J.P. On 3rd Feb 1959, 22-year-old Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, aged 17, died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Clear Lake, Iowa. The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & Big Bopper Crash Site Memorial Gallery. Holly, born Charles Holley in Lubbock, Texas, and just 22 when he died, began singing country music with high school friends before switching to rock and roll after opening for various performers, including Elvis Presley. However, Richardson, who had the flu, convinced Holly’s band member Waylon Jennings to give up his seat, and Ritchie Valens won a coin toss for another seat on the plane. ![]() READ MORE: The Day the Music Died: Rock's Great TragedyĪfter mechanical difficulties with the tour bus, Holly had chartered a plane for his band to fly between stops on the Winter Dance Party Tour. Holly and his band, the Crickets, had just scored a No. Investigators blamed the crash on bad weather and pilot error. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorhead, Minnesota. Rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |