February 3, 1959 is a day we will always remember. Forever in our hearts it will be remembered as “the day the music died!”
It was January 1959, Ritchie Valens, Dion and the Belmont’s, Buddy Holly and Crickets as well as the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) set out to do a tour. The tour was called “The Winter Dance Party”. During these twenty four days this group would visit many mid-western states where the weather was several degrees below zero.
Along the way there were some problems. First the bus that they used had a heating system that did not work. With the freezing temperature outside it was difficult for everyone to keep warm and many came down with frostbite. Carl, Buddy Holly’s drummer wound up with frostbitten feet and then had to leave the tour.
There were two shows scheduled for February 1, 1959. After those performances they were supposed to go to Clear Lake, Iowa. By the time they arrived in Iowa the group was starting to get edgy from all the problems that they dealt with in getting there.
The next stop was to be Fargo, North Dakota. Buddy Holly decided to lease a plane to avoid another freezing bus trip. Dwyer’s Flying Service was called and arrangements were made for the next evening. The owner Jerry Dwyer was unavailable so one of the pilots working for him, Roger Peterson agreed to fly the plane.
Buddy Holly, Tommy Allsup (guitarist) and Waylon Jennings (bassist) were supposed to board the plane. At the last minute the Big Bopper asked Waylon to swap seats with him because he was suffering with the flu and the bus trip would have been too much for him again. Waylon Jennings agreed and drove back with all the other band members.
Ritchie Valens also asked guitarist Tommy Allsup to switch with him. They hemmed and hawed and decided to flip a coin. The loser, as they chided with each other would have to remain on the cold bus. Tommy Allsup lost the coin toss and Ritchie Valens was another one of the three passengers to board the plane. And of course, Buddy Holly had his seat on the plane that he leased himself.
Before the plane departed Buddy Holly was joking with Waylon Jennings. Buddy said, “I hope your bus gets stuck in a ditch” and Waylon responded by saying to Buddy, “I hope your plane crashes”. Neither of them wanted to ride that freezing bus. Joking about it seemed right at the time. Years later, Waylon Jennings, in interviews has said that those words he spoke that chilly night has always haunted him.
The evening of February 2, 1959 the plane took off. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were heading to North Dakota. By this time the owner of Dwyer’s Flying Service, Jerry Dwyer, was at the small airstrip and noticed the take off seemed a bit shaky. When he was able to get to the radio he called in to the plane but there was no answer. He then made a call into Fargo’s airfield to see if the plane had indeed landed. He was told no, it didn’t.
Jerry became worried and decided to take out another plane to search for the one that took off with the musicians. He found the plane some eight miles outside of Clear Lake where it took off. The plane crashed into a corn field and everyone on board was killed instantly from the crashes impact. The date was: “February 3, 1959.”
Years later Don McLean wrote a song titled “American Pie”. The song is actually a ballad, inspired by the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. It also contains a segment of Don McLean’s own life experiences. The song was recorded on May 26, 1971 and was the longest number one hit of all time. In time the song “American Pie” was also referred to as “The Day the Music Died” from a line in the chorus.
The Annotated American Pie - By Rick Kulawiec
Here the words of the entire song are written out with the meanings of what each line in the song stood for.
To the left is a video called “Don McLean – American Pie”. It includes the lyrics to the song. Listen and sing along if you can.
There are two other videos that you can watch and listen to. The titles and links are listed below.
Buddy Holly – That’ll be the Day
To be alerted to new articles from the Winona Home & Living Examiner, click on the subscribe button above. Included are fun, crafty and educational topics to enjoy reading. And be sure to check out the Winona Cooking Examiner, her step-by-step, easy to follow recipes are sure to be a hit at your dining table. Send an email to bevmucha@cs.com if you have a topic or suggestion you would like covered. Happy reading and thank you for stopping by!
Copyright 2011 Beverly Mucha / All Rights Reserved
Comments
Great job on such a sad story!
Thanks John, their music still lives on.
Yes, Beverly, great reporting! Didn't know that about that song!
Thanks Judy, it is interesting to how the meaning of the song.
A great loss to all ...
They will be remembered always!
Wow, I didn't know American Pie was in reference to this! Thanks for sharing!
Glad to be able to share the inspiration Don McLean had in mind when he was writing this song.
Thanks, Beverly. I had always heard about that that but until reading your story did not know the sad details. Nice job of telling about a memorable and tragic page of our musical history.
Is is a sad and tragic story, glad I was able to fill in the details for you about what happened that night.
Well, I was an infant so I don't remember, but of course it was a day that changed the course of music. Thank you for an informative article.
Nance, thanks for stopping by and reading my article - hope you were able to learn more about this group, their music - the song is still popular today.
I knew of the story, but not in the detail you provided. Great article. Thanks!
Thanks Michael - they certainly have been missed but live on in our hearts.
Being older than most of your readers, I knew the story of the crash and the story behind "American Pie." Because of our retelling of the story of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the others, even our grandkids know about "The Day the Music Died."
Great job reporting.
The story has been passed down here and any time it is played on the car radio the whole family sings it together.
Bev,
Great job of reporting !!....you have all the facts, right down to a T. I'm reminded of the scene at the Clear Lake Airport in "La Bamba", when Buddy says to Ritchie, "Don't worry, everything will be OK". How ironic.
Thanks John, it is nice to hear that the story is as you, I and others remember it. Now more people can learn of their story and possibly think about listening to their music too.
Great coverage of this story. I am always interested in the story behind the songs. I've seen interviews of Waylon Jennings were he tells that story and what they jokingly said to each other. It still sends chills down my spine. I know he regretted that for many, many years.
<p>Yes he does and tells us a lesson to to watch what we say to others - it can come back and haunt us. Happy to hear that the story behind the song was interesting.</p>
"Bye, bye Miss American pie.." That brought back memories. Also reminded me of Patsy Cline and how she died. We've lost many a great artist in the air. Thanks for the post Beverly. i enjoyed the music from the video (in another window) while I'm typing this comment. :) TTFN
Some people won't know what to do with all of this, but watch your spelling. Ther is noe spel cheker. ;(
Good information to share Ms. V - the box could be a little smaller though.
Thanks for sharing some more history with us. I loved Patsy Cline too.
We lost some great talents that day. Thanks for the memories.
Nancy Z-Grand Rapids Public Health Examiner and Sexual Health Examiner
Glad to bring back some good memories even though the story didn't have a happy ending.
You can tell the impact of the event by the way it's still being discussed today. Great article.
Thanks - remembering the good times!
Great report, history, and music. Thanks.
Thank you so much Rhonda, that mean a lot!
Great story! I didn't know about it before I read your article, but now I will always remember February 3, 1959.
I am so glad that I was able to bring a bit of music history to you, thanks for now remembering Feb. 3, 1959.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!