Feb. 3, 2025: 66 years since 'The Day the Music Died'
CLEAR LAKE IA - FEBRUARY 3: The wreckage of the plane crash that killed rock stars Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley), Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela), and The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr.) On February 3, 1959 outside of Clearl
On February 3, 1959, 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old Jiles Perry Richardson Jr., better known by his stage name The Big Bopper, and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens, died in a plane crash along with the pilot Roger Peterson, shortly after takeoff from Clear Lake, Iowa.
Buddy Holly, who was from Lubbock, Texas, hired the plane after riding in a freezing tour bus on his way to the show in Clear Lake, Iowa. There was no heat on the bus.
UNSPECIFIED - Photo of Buddy Holly Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Feb. 3, 1959
Timeline:
Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens were traveling to Fargo, North Dakota, for the next show on their Winter Dance Party Tour.
The tour was to cover 24 cities in three weeks with Holly as the biggest headliner. Waylon Jennings, Holly's friend from Lubbock, and Tommy Allsup joined the tour as backup musicians.
The group played at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on Feb. 2, 1959, to a packed ballroom with more than 1,500 fans.
The pilot agreed to take three of the group to their next destination.
1958: The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr.) performs his hit "Chantilly Lace" on stage in 1958. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
After the performance, Holly boarded the 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza. Two other members had the option to fly with him at $36 per person. Waylon Jennings was going to fly, but let The Big Bopper have his seat because he had a cold. Tommy Allsup was going to fly, but Ritchie Valens offered to flip a coin for the seat since he was also sick. Ritchie won the toss.
(Original Caption) Portrait shows Ritchie Valens with his hands resting on his guitar, circa 1958. Undated head-and-shoulders publicity photo.
The plane took off around 1 a.m. from Mason City Airport and crashed only minutes later in a cornfield, killing all three musicians and the pilot.
Buddy Holly’s body was buried a few days later on February 7. Services were held in Lubbock, Texas, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church, where more than a thousand mourners attended the service. Buddy's last name is Holley, but used Holly as his stage name.
View of American rock and roll musician Buddy Holly's gravestone in Lubbock, Texas, 1975. The gravestone reads 'In loving memory of our own Buddy Holley, September 7, 1936 - February 3, 1959.' (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Waylon Jennings said in his 1996 autobiography that he was disappointed he had to ride on the freezing bus. He said his last words to Buddy Holly were, "I hope your damn plane crashes!" Jennings said this remark has haunted him since.
Monuments
Iowa:
In 1988, Buddy fan Ken Paquette built a monument to the singers, from stainless steel, and placed it at the crash site where the current owners of the land also planted four trees in memory of the victims.
Lubbock:
In 1997, the City of Lubbock purchased an abandoned historical building. The city renovated, restored and expanded it to open the Buddy Holly Center. It houses an extensive collection of Buddy Holly memorabilia. It showcases West Texas musicians. It is a destination spot for Buddy Holly fans from all over the world. There are events each year on Buddy Holly's birthday and on the anniversary of The Day the Music Died.
The Music
Buddy Holly:
In 1957, "That'll Be the Day" topped the US and UK singles charts. Its success was followed by another major hit, "Peggy Sue".
Ritchie Valens:
Valens had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens turned the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He also had an American number-two hit with "Donna".
The Big Bopper:
His best-known compositions include "Chantilly Lace," "Running Bear", and "White Lightning", the latter of which became George Jones's first number-one hit in 1959.
The Source: Information in this article is from The City of Lubbock and This Day in Music history.