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| Waylon Jennings, left, and Buddy Holly. |
Today is Feb. 8, 2023, probably, if you are reading this in a physical, ink and wood pulp newspaper on Wednesday, and not stumbling across it on the internet some other day in the tractless span of time before, or after.
Whatever day it is, were I to ask you what significant event occurred on Feb. 8, you might be stumped.
Now the third of February might be easier. On Feb. 3, 1959, in what would be widely remembered as the “Day the Music Died,” pop stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.D. “Big Bopper” Richardson, along with young pilot Roger Peterson, died in a plane crash the morning after playing the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The on-this-day-in-history vignette usually ends with Don McLean penning his homage, “American Pie,” a cryptic, 8 minute and 42 second hit song released in 1971.
A shame to stop here. Because this is where the story starts to get interesting.
The music did not die Feb. 3. Only the musicians did, and then just the top stars of the 24-date “Winter Dance Party Tour” of the Midwest. The rest of the performers went by balky, cold, broken-down bus. Where the Big Bopper, singer of “Chantilly Lace,” was supposed to ride. But he had a cold and asked 21-year-old Waylon Jennings, Holly’s bassist, for his seat on the airplane, and the two swapped. Valens won his fatal seat in a coin toss.
The surviving musicians, shocked and grief-stricken, performed the day of the crash, in Moorhead, Minnesota.
They played Sioux City the day after the crash. And Des Moines the day after that. Cedar Rapids the day after that. Spring Valley, Illinois, the day after that.
The next night, Feb. 8, was the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown.
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Was Irv Feld the promoter the same Irving Feld who later bought Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus?
ReplyDeleteI assume so — how many Irv Felds can there be? That's why I mentioned him.
DeleteIrvin Feld (1918–1984) was a business entrepreneur who built a chain of record stores, promoted rock groups, and produced concerts involving some of the biggest names in popular music. He was also the head of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and founder of Feld Entertainment. He was a music promoter who is credited with discovering Paul Anka. [Wikipedia]
DeleteNot surprised that the promoter forced them to play, and that venues tried to steal their share of the gate. The music business, like so many other fields, can be pretty nasty.
I'd never heard that Waylon Jennings had a connection to the "night the music died," much less that he carried a load of guilt. Thanks for researching and writing this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. I hope you’re right and that we are more humane now though I am not convinced of it.
ReplyDeleteI was seventeen when American Pie came out and I'm not even sure I'd ever heard of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, or the Big Bopper before then. It’s startling to realize only 12 years had passed.
I was in sixth grade in 1959, and I was still a cultural dork who didn't know much about rock and roll music. The morning after the crash, some of my classmates were actually crying. That's how I finally learned who Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper were. A day that's not easy to forget.
DeleteGarrison Keillor's best-ever Prairie Home Companion monologue was in 1987, and it was about the plane crash. He was sixteen when it happened. I stood listening at the kitchen sink, dishcloth in hand, totally transfixed and unmoving for almost twenty minutes. Best thing I ever heard him do.
Thanks for pointing me to it, Grizz: https://youtu.be/3Xp-2cFOigo
DeleteSounded as great as it did 36 years ago...back when GK was at his best.
DeleteThanks muchly for the link.
Married 6 months, Buddy Holly's widow owns Buddy's copyrights and marketing likeness. She miscarried after learning of his death from media reports.
ReplyDeleteLove Buddy's music. Interesting article.
ReplyDeleteHearing Buddy Holly today, you can still sense the loss of his great talent. Valens might have been on a similar track but we'll never know. The Big Bopper? Not sure his career was destined for longevity. Is Chantilly Lace a big seller today? Do you remember his real name when the tragedy is recalled? I do not, and it should be easier for me.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your article (printed version at the library) I've become interested in Waylon's songs and playing them on Apple Music. I am struck by his lyrics in "A Long Time Ago" that mentions "Don't ask me who I gave my seat to on that plane / I think you already know / I told you that a long time ago". Thanks for writing about Waylon's connection to the tragedy. It opened up a new level of understanding of its aftermath and context.
ReplyDelete