50 years later, and the music still has not died

An American dream cut short

By Alicia Cruz

Senior writer
Theblackurbantimes.com
It was February 2, 1959 at approximately 12:05 a.m. in Clear Lake, Iowa. A plane carrying five young men who had begun leaving their musical mark on American history crashed in a cold, desolate cornfield on a snowy night. Don McLean called it “the day the music died” in his legendary hit “American Pie.”

Then heartthrobs Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), Dion and the Belmont’s and newcomer, Frankie Sardo had been on tour since January 23 for what was called the Winter Dance Party. They toured the Midwest from Milwaukee to Minnesota to Fargo, North Dakota and finally, Iowa on a rundown school bus that offered very little comfort.
The bus had no heat and traveling thorough the Midwest, in the dead of winter, that couldn’t have been much of a tour let alone a party.
The guys began burning newspapers to stay warm, but this did little for Carl Bunch, drummer for Buddy Holly. He caught frostbite and had to be hospitalized. The show went on and en route to their next stop on the tour (North Dakota), Holly and Richardson (Big Bopper) decided to charter a small, private plane.
On their last night in Iowa, Holly decided to charter a private plane to fly he and his new back-up band to their next stop on the tour in North Dakota. Big Bopper and Valens asked to fly along. They never made it to the next leg of their tour. The Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft crashed moments after takeoff, nose first into a cornfield. All died instantly.
Their careers and contributions to music history have been immortalized in films and songs, “American Pie,” “La Bamba” and “The Buddy Holly Story.” Valens, Dion and Holly have all been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I became acquainted with Holly and Valens music as a child when my parents would play their music on my father’s reel-to-reel. When I got older, I watched “La Bamba” and fell in love with the movie, the legend and of course, Lou Diamond Phillips.
It’s been 50 years since that fateful flight on the snowy night in Iowa, but very few have forgotten and much of the younger generations have become acquainted with the music of Holly, Richardson, Valens and Dion through soundtrack for new movies.
The following concerts commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Big Winter Dance Party:
CONCERTS
John Mueller’s Winter Dance Party, 7:30 p.m. today, South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 901 15th Ave., South Milwaukee. $35 adults, $30 seniors, $15 students at (414) 766-5049.

Above photo is the fan memorial

site in the cornfield where the plane

crashed 50 years ago

The Winter Dance Party's 50th Anniversary at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa will be on February 2. Tickets went on sale in December 2008 at $85 each. Please call (641) 357-6151, or go online at http://www.50winterslater.com/ for more details.

Factoids on Holly and Valens:
Charles Hardin Holley aka Buddy Holly was born on September 7, 1936 (Labor Day) in Lubbock, Texas to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake.
Holly fell in love with rock music after seeing Elvis “The King” Presley perform in Lubbock in 1955.
Decca Records offered Holly his first contract.
His first band was named the Crickets.
His first hit was “That’ll be the day.”
Holly was married to the former Maria Elena Santiago of San Juan, Puerto Rico. After all whirlwind courtship, they married in Lubbock, Texas less than two months after meeting on August 15, 1958. Maria was pregnant with their first child the night that Holly died. She miscarried. Maria currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Holly has a statue of himself on the Lubbock, Texas Walk of Fame.
Over 1000 people attended Holly’s funeral. He was 22 years-old when he died.
Holly’s widow did not attend his funeral and has never visited his grave.

Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr. aka the “Big Bopper” and “JP” was born on October 24, 1930 in Sabine Pass, Texas, to Jiles Perry Richardson, Sr. and Elise Stalsby.
Richardson returned to his career as a radio jockey after a stint in the U.S. Army where he served as a radar instructor and his career took off.
Richardson’s first hit was “White Lightening” produced by George Jones, followed by "Beggar to a King" and later, "Chantilly Lace.”
Richardson was survived by his wife and daughter. His son, Jay Perry Richardson, was born two months later in April 1959.
In January 2007, Richardson's son had his father’s body exhumed and re-autopsied to dispel any rumors of foul play being involved with his father’s death that night in 1959.
A forensic anthropologist from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville performed the autopsy and found no signs of foul play. He stated that the Bopper suffered debilitating injuries and “died immediately.”
The bopper is buried in Beaumont, Texas at the Forest Lawn Cemetery next to his wife.

, Richard Steven Valenzuela aka Ritchie Valens was born on May 13, 1941in PacoimaCalifornia to World War I Army veteran, Joseph Steven Valenzuela and Concepcion Reyes.
Valens’ music career only lasted eight months before his death.
The first record company to sign Valens was Del-Fi.
Valens name was shortened from Valenzuela to make him more appealing to White American music listeners.
Valens was known as the “Little Richard of San Fernando Valley.”
Valens hits include “Donna,” “Come on let’s go” and of course, “La Bamba.”
Valens quit high school to pursue his music career and performed on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
Valens, to this day, has been a strong influence for musicians such as Carlos Santana, Los Lobos, Selena y Los Dinos and even Gustavo Santaolalla. Some of these musicians have gone on to be the very best of the best of the Chicano and Latino rock scene. Viva Mexico, mi genetes!Valens rests peacefully at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery near Los Angeles next to his biggest fan, his beloved mother Concepcion “Connie.”