History Rock & Roll Radio History: THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED, Feb. 3, 1959...

Oh man! Im all teared up after reading this thread again, I was 14 at the time and Ritchie had a number one hit in Canada with "Oh Donna", well it was #1 with me since the gf's name at the time was Donna, we used to dance real slow and I held her close when they played it at the weekly highschool sock hop... jeez I miss her , she'd be a grandma today!! They played it here in AU on the radio last nite about midnite.
Back in '59 I found out when I got home from school, mom told me about the crash, she was only 34 at the time and although she always said she didn't like this 'new fangled rock and roll' I think she shed a tear that day.

just sayin!!......
sniff,sniff.. jeez us old farts aren't sposed to feel like this after 53 years are we!!??

 

Five pages, and nobody's mentioned Buddy's '58 Impala?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chev...423QQitemZ260791276579QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks

Back to the music... I've always enjoyed the music of Buddy, Ritchie and the Bopper even though I wasn't born until 1960. Give me one of their songs on karaoke night and I'm off and running with it (and don't need to watch the screen for the lyrics - know 'em by heart!). Best I ever did was singing "La Bamba" one night in a large, crowded bar with a lot of Latinos who were cheering at the end. I don't think I'm that great a singer but I guess they could tell how much I loved the song.

Frankie Sardo, the fourth-billed opening act, is pretty well forgotten today compared to the others on the tour. He was promoting his first record "Fake Out" which to me wasn't all that great, but by 1962 he had a real nice song called "When the Bells Stop Ringing":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ko3vS3894k

It wasn't until 2010 that he returned to the Surf Ballroom and spoke publicly about the tour:

http://rockhall.com/blog/post/3819_the-frankie-sardo-story/

 

we have a local radiostation called radioactive.103.9
the have a 50-60 theme every sunday evneng 18.00-2000 and they play at least one buddy holly every time.
im in my garage, working is easier every time the send this program.
ken sweden

 

I've slow danced to that one also......
Great song!...

 

Cool. Never heard of this guy. Thanks for the links.

 

That wasn't his car...it also didn't sell on ebay.

http://www.rockin50s.com/car/1.html

I do wonder what happend to his black and white '55 Oldsmobile that I've seen in the background of a few pictures.

 

Chrisbcritter...

You're right about Frankie Sardo, but, ironically, I always liked "Fake Out" and somewhere in my Archives I still have that single on ABC/Paramount. It was basically a regional-style hit and never attained "Top 100" status nationwide.

The St. Louis stations at the time (KXOK/WIL) played it, and he was on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand". Glad he's still around to give us his memories.

http://www.legends.thewwbc.net/gpage149.html

Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

FEBRUARY, 2013 NOTE TO ALL MY FRIENDS HERE AT THE H.A.M.B...

ROCK & ROLL RADIO HISTORY: "THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED"...
THE MOST TRAGIC DAY IN THE EARLY YEARS OF ROCK & ROLL HISTORY WAS FEBRUARY 3, 1959... ​

...this year commemorates the 54th Anniversary of the plane crash that cost the lives of BUDDY HOLLY, RICHIE VALENS, and, THE BIG BOPPER, on February 3, 1959.​

If you've not heard this rare Newscast Bulletin from that day, or, read the Info on the Special Tribute Page that i've installed on the HOF Legends Website, here's the Link once again:
http://www.legends.thewwbc.net/gpage149.html

It's not very long, but it is a very important piece of History. To this very day, the music of all three affects every Hot Rodder, Custom Car Guy, Trucker, Biker Cat, and every one who Cruises in anything...around the World.

My best to all...and thanks for the memories to Buddy, Richie, and, J.P.

Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

Last year on the way to the hamb drags i finally made it down to the crash site to pay my respects, RIP

 

...Very sad day.......think I'll make a road trip this summer to the crash site to pay my respects

 

Clear Lake Iowa is a pretty little midwest town, right on a lake. They have a great July 4th celebration, too. The Surf ballroom is a must see for any rock and roll fan. I tear up every time I stop there. You can feel the greatness in the air, a lot of other famous musicians have played there as well and they have done a wonderful job keeping it as it was in 1959. Walking out to the crash site on the anniversary is a moving experience as well.

 

I remember that day vividly. I was a big fan of Richie Valens, being from southern California and having at the time a girlfriend named Donna. As they say, "the day the music died". Thanks, as always Jonnie, for the reminder...

 

What the hell you talkin' about? The music never died. I listen to that all the time.

In Philly we have the Geator with the Heator, among others. Thanks for keeping Rock 'n Roll cranking.

 

that was the day i started reading magazines back to front---liked them love their music

 

7th grader at the time, remember it well. I still have some scratched up 45's of their great music.

 

I ve got some pictures takin that night backstage at the ballroom of these three guys an old widow gave me that no one has seen but her n me n i jus wish i was smart enough to post em! rip Buddy n the boys!

 

This happened not all that far from where I grew up. The only Rock And Roll station we could get in the daytime was out of Fort Dodge, Iowa and they had performed there a few dayes before. They had been wound up all week about these guys totally involved with their apperance and suddenly had to announce their death. The D.J.'s were emotional and played their songs all day long. If I remember they even sent a reporter up to Clear Lake. The next day the Des Moines Register had a picture of the balled up wreck of the plane leaving no doubt that anyone could have lived thru the crash. Too sad for a 13 year old to cope with.

 

Some day i will make a trip to Clear lake to visit the Surf, and the crash site..
Huge loss...... R.I.P.

Tony

 

Hey, bud. I sent you a PM here offering to post those photos for you if you email them to me. See the PM. If you don't, no problem, I understand. Thanks in any case.

 

Oh how I remember that day. Married 1 1/2 years and drove my 49 Dodge coupe playing Rock-N-Roll all the time. Wife and I used to go to Clear lake, Iowa fishing and camping before the accident. Made the trip several times later to visit the crash scene and the dance hall.
A piece of us died when rock-n-roll died. But it never really died. We listened that day in February all day long. It finally returned and continues through my old radio speakers.

 

Thanks, Grumpy. I've had a few girlfriends through the years that were named Donna, and honestly, since I still have my original 45 rpm of "Donna", I always remembered Richie whenever I was with 'em. His future, like Buddy's, would have gotten better as he aged.


Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

JP sang a lot of songs, not just "Lace"
FYI - its Charles Hardin Holley
Richard Steven Valenzuela
I remember the day....I walked into my kitchen to see my mother crying and telling me there was a bad plane crash that some great singers had died.
As a photographer in the '80's one of my assignments was to get some shots of the memorial plaque, all three times (over a period of two years) it was sleeting or raining. I even named my german schnauzer, Buddie Holly

 

Thanks for posting (and bumping) this thread.

Born in '65, and getting in to R'n'R in my teens, watching the film La Bamba first really explained the story of the tragedy.
I treat myself to Buddy's music between the more boisterous Perkins and Cash tracks on my ipod.

 

This all happened the month before i was born.The Big Bopper also wrote Running Bear but died before he could record it,so we wasnt to be a one hit wonder. I play drums in a Rock n Roll band and it gives me a buzz when we do any of thier songs,they are ALL so cool. JW

 

You can't help but wonder what direction rock n roll would have taken had they, as well as Eddie Cochran, lived. Would the "British invasion" have had as much influence or would Elvis have the career that he did.
They would of had mega careers, I'm sure.

 

Grump: By 1959, Elvis was already The King.
perfect20: That movie was mostly Hollywood fluff. Pick up a copy of Buddy Holly by
Ellis Amburn.

 

Thanks ! The Bopper was also a well-known D.J., as most know, but he also discovered Johnny Preston and got him signed to the label that he was with, Mercury. That's when Preston recorded Bopper's "Running Bear". I also was playing drums in those days, and "Running Bear" was always one of our most requested numbers. As well as the one's by Buddy & Richie.

In the early days that I played, I packed my drums into my Dad's '54 Plymouth Belvedere 4dr. to do my gigs. Then in August of 1960, I got my '58 Thunderbird HT (you can see it in my Album Section) and loading a full set of drums in the T-Bird was an adventure all its own !

AlSO, Eugene Vik sent me a PM reminding me that The Shadows, who substitued for Buddy, Richie, and, The Big Bopper, after the crash, are still playing at car shows and doing the songs of Roy Orbison & Buddy Holly, et al, and keeping the memories alive...said they did two show this past weekend.

One of Eugene's old HS Classmates, Wayne Louchou, is with the group, and an original member, Dick Dunkirk, is still there too ! Congrats to them for sure ! Glad to know they are still working and letting all relive those memories !

BTW: The lead singer of The Shadows was Bobby Velline - Bobby Vee - and that was really the big start of his career.

Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

Thats all very,very cool info. So many artists back then were riding the coat tail of these guys and they filled the gap and got thier shot.But how cool was it that Buddy,Richie and so many others invented thier sound that is still copied today. My band is playing a 65th birthday next weekend and i know there will be plenty of thier music.Oh and Rock n Roll revial !, its never neaded it.Cheers, JW

 

I saw them on January 28th at the Prom Ballroom in St. Paul, MN. So tragic.

 

i wasnt breathing until april of 70 but my uncle has a huge collection of 45's and we used to listen to them and the first time i heard that'll be the day, peggy sue, rave on, etc i was hooked loved buddy holly still do

the more i hear the music that for whatever reason isnt as well known the more i realize how far ahead of his time he really was and what a huge loss it was that cold night in iowa in 59

i like elvis also but i think buddy should of been king elvis' music was more geared to getting the girls all gaga buddys' music was more true rock and roll for the sake of rock in roll

the man may have died ,but his music NEVER will n