The Day The Music Died
Five decades ago, a single engine plane crashed into a snow covered field in Iowa, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.
February 03, 1959 was the day when Buddy Holly (22), J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson (28), and Ritchie Valens (17), performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes.
Songwriter Don McLean referred to this incident as ”the day the music died.”
Starting Wednesday, thousands of people are expected to gather in the small northern Iowa town where the rock pioneers gave their last performance, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designates the building as its ninth national landmark.
Quite poignant, and I’ve heard some of their music on and off, the introduction of course coming after I’d read about Valens’ rendition of La Bamba, made popular by Los Lobos in the 1987 soundtrack by the same name.
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