The Day the Music Died

On a cold winter’s day on February 3, 1959 three of the rock n’ rolls greatest musicians took off in Clear Wake, Iowa planning to land in Fargo, North Dakota. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (J.P Richardson) never made it to their final destination. The three men were on tour for the Winter Dance Party Tour when their plane, due to the bad winter storm, crashed.

Buddy, Ritchie and Big Popper all supposedly died in the plane crash but there was some speculation about that because of the fact that Buddy Holly’s gun was found with the wreckage but it is most likely that because of the weather the pilot, Roger Peterson, flew straight into the ground after cork-screwing a few times.

The three rock n’ roll stars bus’s heater had broken down so with no further discussion, Buddy Holly booked a $36 private flight to make it in time for their show in North Dakota. That $36 dollar flight is what ended up finishing the 3 young lives forever. Although Buddy and Big Bopper had no doubts that the plane could crash, Ritchie Valens on the other hand had always been afraid of flying and it was going to be his first flight and the one that would end his life. Since Ritchie was a young kid he would always have nightmares about flying. Unfortunately he had no other choice, it was to fly or miss the show. Sorry to think that they men had no clue what was going to happen but it was a life or death situation and death was the option chosen.

That was the day the music died according to millions and Don Mclean the writer of American Pie the song that he wrote about the horrific plane crash.

Lauren

(This past summer I got the chance to see a part of the plane that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P Richardson had their last moments on in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.)