Episode 3: The Day the Music Died

Don McLean wrote his epic 'American Pie' as a tribute to Big Bopper Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly and the loss of Rock N Roll's innocence. Why was the plane crash that took their lives so significant, and what were the effects of that loss? Join us as we explore each of the artists, their rise to fame, and the tour that would lead to their deaths. 

Check out the full playlist with each song discussed in this episode below:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5sY321qwMHkCW2o0wdrveK?si=7c8c61cf641d4906

Transcript

Episode 3: The Day the Music Died

Intro – Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me.  The day the music died. Immortalized in Don McLean’s opus American Pie, which pines for America’s innocence and documents its decline through the 60’s, ending with Charles Manson, The Hells Angels and Altamont. But tonight, we’re focusing on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Big Bopper Richardson, Richie Valens, and Buddy Holly and the plane crash that took them away and marked the end of rock n roll’s first era. Let’s venture back to that cold day in February. Welcome to the Musicscope.

Absence

The song American Pie is about the loss of The big Bopper, Richie Valens and Buddy Holly and the continuing aftermath that followed. It’s a poetic journey through a generation’s changes alongside rock n’ roll throughout the 60’s.  But it’s also a riddle to be studied... for a long time, I didn’t know why February made him shiver while delivering papers, or who the father, son and holy ghost were supposed to be, or why those good ol’ boys on the levee would say that it would be the day that they’ll die... why is all this stuff so dramatic and important? Well, the plane crash that inspired the song marked the cultural end of rock n roll’s first incarnation. It also was an event where everyone who was a fan knows where they were when they heard the news.  It was also the end of three artists who were innovative and on the verge of doing so much more. Let’s start off with them. 

Big Bopper

JP Richardson started life in Sabine Pass, Texas, the son of an oil field worker and his wife. JP’s family moved to Beaumont, Texas where he began his radio career at KTRM. He continued to work at the station through college. JP left his schooling to pursue radio full time. Although shy and reserved in his personal life, JP’s on-air personality was larger than life.  His deep baritone and use of teenage slang made his on-air appearances popular, and he worked his way into his own show, in the 3-6pm slot.  This is where his ‘Big Bopper’ persona first gained notoriety. 

At the time, novelty records were very popular, and Richardson recorded “Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor” for a regional independent label - D records.  The record sank without a trace, but the B side gained traction on radio, and was sold to Mercury records for national distribution. ‘Chantilly Lace’ was a nationwide smash, and Richardson became known for his exciting stage performance of the tune, where he would speak into a telephone during the song, acting out the lyric. He would go on to have other charting singles, including “little Red Riding Hood” and ‘The big bopper’s wedding”.  He would also gain status as a songwriter. He wrote hits for other artists including ‘Running Bear’ for Johnny Preston, and George Jones’ first hit ‘White Lightning’. 

A rarely sighted fact about the Big Bopper was his foresight into the world of music videos. He actually coined the term ‘music video’ and filmed a performance of ‘Chantilly Lace’.  He predicted that in the future, it would be common practice for musicians to record performances of their songs.

Although it was somewhat hidden from the public, Richardson was a happily married man with two children back in Texas. He had left his job at the radio station when Chantilly Lace received national attention. To support his young family, he toured constantly.  In early 1959, he was offered a slot on the Winter Dance Party, a tour that offered $800 a week – that would be equal to roughly $8,000 today. It was a sum that he couldn’t pass up. 

Ritchie Valens

Ritchie Valens was born Richard Steven Velenzuela on May 14th, 1941. He was raised in the San Fernando valley area of Los Angeles by his parents, Jose and Concha, who had immigrated from Mexico. Ritchie showed an interest in music at an early age. Encouraged by his father, he learned guitar, trumpet and drums. While he was in Junior High, there was a mid-air collision over his town of Pacomia. Debris from the crash landed on the school playground, killing several of Ritchie’s friends, and instilling a lifelong fear of flying in Ritchie. 

At 16 Valens joined his first band, playing the guitar. When the singer left, Valens stepped in and took over. He would often improvise lyrics and extend songs with new riffs. His proficiency on the guitar and blending of rock with jump blues and traditional Mexican mariachi influences created a regional buzz. That caught the attention of Bob Keane who signed Ritchie to Del-Fi records in May of 1958. Soon afterwards, Ritchie recorded his first songs at Gold Star Studios with members of the famed ‘Wrecking Crew’.  Musicians backing him up included bassist Carol Kaye and drummer Earl Palmer. His first release was ‘Come on, let’s go’ which gained national attention. The next release was a double-A side featuring his ballad ‘Donna’ about his girlfriend Donna Ludwig, and a rock arrangement of “La Bamba,” a traditional mariachi song. The release was a smash, and Ritchie became a star at the age of 17. By the end of 1958, he left high school to focus on touring and recording. 

His influence is felt through the Chicano and Latin Rock genres, inspiring such artists as Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Carlos Santana. His work as a guitarist has been significant in fusing Spanish and flamenco styles with rock n roll.  He would be the youngest member of the Winter Dance Party tour, and the youngest to lose his life. 

Buddy Holly

Born in Lubbock, Texas on September 7th, 1936, Buddy Holly grew to become one of the most important figures in rock n roll. He was born into a musical family, where everyone aside from his father was able to play a musical instrument. His brother brought a guitar home when he returned from World War II, and young Buddy was inspired to play it.  His early influences were chiefly country music, listening to the sounds of Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, and the Carter family. In elementary school, he became friends with Bob Montgomery, and they formed the duo ‘Buddy and Bob.’ In 1952 at age 16, Buddy and Bob started playing on the Sunday Party show on local radio station KDAV and started playing to live audiences. Buddy and Bob would stay up and listen to late-night R&B radio. Sitting in Bob’s car, the pair would tune in to distant radio stations that could be picked up after local transmissions stopped. Buddy began to blend these new sounds with the country and western influences of his youth.

In February 1955, Holly saw Elvis Presley perform in Lubbock, Texas. The performance inspired Buddy to shift from country music into full on rock n roll. After graduating high school, Buddy decided to pursue music full-time. In October, Buddy holly opened up for Bill Haley and his Comets, and impressed a Nashville Talent scout, who was so impressed that he convinced Jim Denny, manager of the grand ole opry to sign Buddy to a recording contract.  His first session was for Decca records, and while it was exciting, it left buddy frustrated with the lack of creative control. For the recording, the producer used session musicians over Holly’s band and chose the arrangements for them to play. In April of 1956, Decca released “Blue Days, Black Nights” as a single, but it didn’t make an impact at all.  Decca informed Holly that they would not renew his contract and that he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years. 

After his experience with Decca, Buddy was down, but determined to make his music on his own terms. He found new inspiration in radio hits such as “Party Doll” by Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen’s ‘I’m sticking with you”. Both songs feature a country-inspired flavor, and a bouncy, guitar-driven rhythm. He reached out to Norman Petty, who had produced both singles, and soon after recorded ‘That’ll be the day” at Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico.  With Buddy on lead guitar, Joe Mauldin on bass, Niki Sullivan on rhythm guitar, and high school friend Jerry Allison on drums, they released the song under the name ‘The Crickets’ on the Brunswick label in May 1957. They had to use the name ‘the crickets’ since buddy was not allowed to record any songs that he had recorded for Decca Previously. As it turns out, Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca, and most legal issues were resolved for Buddy. Brunswick would continue to release singles for ‘The Crickets’ while Coral records, another subsidiary of Decca, would release music under Buddy’s name. 

That’ll be the Day climbed to the top of the US R&B chart, and made a big impact in England, where it went to number 6 on the UK singles chart. In September, Coral released “Peggy Sue” with “Every day” as the B-side. Peggy Sue soon climbed to #3 and brought Buddy Holly more international attention.  The Crickets appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on December 1st, 1957, performing That’ll be the Day and Peggy Sue. 

Buddy Holly was one of the first stars to sport a Fender Stratocaster as his main guitar. This helped Fender gain popularity and become one of the iconic instruments of the rock n roll era. Another unique quality was the way he contrasted with flashy performers like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard. With his heavy-frame glasses and humble stage presence, Buddy came across as someone you would know from your hometown. He was relatable and helped thousands of kids imagine that they too could be on stage, including a young John Lennon and Paul McCartney, whose band’s name, the Beatles was inspired by the Crickets. In fact, the first song the Beatles ever recorded was a version of That’ll be the day. 

Aside from his on-stage persona, Holly was different in that he focused on songwriting and would express his desire to explore other types of music including flamenco and soul music, even talking about a collaboration with Ray Charles. 

Throughout 1958, Buddy Holly and the Crickets worked at a frantic pace, touring the world, often putting on two shows a night. They also continued to record and issue hits like “Oh Boy”, “It’s so Easy”, and “Rave on”.

1958 started off on tour, first in the US, then making their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show to play “oh Boy”. They had recorded “Rave on” the day before. On January 27, Buddy flew to Honolulu, and then to Australia for a week-long tour with Paul Anka and Jerry Lee Lewis. In March, he toured the UK with the Crickets, playing 50 shows in 25 days. May brought another recording session, which yielded the hit “It’s So Easy”. 

During a visit to a music publishing office in New York City, Buddy Holly met the receptionist, Maria Santiago. He asked her out that day and proposed to her on their first date.  By August, they were married. Holly’s manager Norman Petty disapproved of the wedding because he felt it would alienate Buddy’s female fans. Buddy had begun to question Petty’s money handling, who controlled all revenue earned by the band. Maria began to accompany the Crickets on tour, with the official title of secretary.  Besides handling the band’s equipment, laundry, and other logistics, she collected revenue and kept the money instead of transferring it to Petty. Holly hired a lawyer and began the process of reclaiming his royalties. 

In the fall of 1958, having relocated to New York to be with Maria, Holly returned to Clovis, New Mexico for a recording session. While there, he produced a session for Lubbock, Texas DJ Waylon Jennings. Buddy had become interested in expanding the production of his songs and recorded 4 of them with an 18-piece orchestra in October. This would end up being his final recording session. 

In December, Buddy Holly finally left Norman Petty as his manager. The Crickets stayed with Petty, but their split with Buddy was amicable. Buddy had settled in New York, and the Crickets remained in Texas, where they would continue to record and perform for years to come. 

In January 1959, Buddy Holly was set to go on the Winter Dance Party tour. He needed money as his assets were frozen due to litigation with his former manager. No longer having the crickets, he assembled a new band including Waylon Jennings on bass. Waylon stayed at Maria and Buddy’s apartment before he and buddy met with the organizers of the tour. The tour would begin in Milwaukee, WI on January 23rd. 

It was set to cover 24 cities in 24 days throughout the Midwestern US. The organizers were in such a rush to get the tour on the books, they booked whatever venues they could, wherever they could, causing the tour route to zig-zag all over the Midwest, sometimes double-backing on itself. This was before most of the interstates had been built, so some stops had distances of up to 400 miles between them on winding backroads. They also had not considered the freezing temperatures of the Midwestern winter.  The tour’s transportation was reconditioned school buses that did not have adequate heat. Both Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens became sick.  The tour’s drummer, Carl Bunch caught frostbite in his foot and had to leave the tour. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Dion took turns playing drums for each other’s sets. 

On February 2nd, the tour stopped at Clear Lake, Iowa for a negotiated performance at the Surf Ballroom. Buddy Holly arrived frustrated with the tour’s transportation conditions, facing a 365-mile drive to Moorhead, Minnesota. Fed up with long, freezing routes between shows, he chartered a flight to Fargo, North Dakota for him and his band to be picked up before the next gig in Moorhead. This would give him time to rest, and he wouldn’t have to endure the freezing bus temperatures. 

The flight’s pilot was Hubert Dwyer, a 21-year-old who had dedicated his life to flying. After the show, Big Bopper Richardson and Ritchie Valens asked Waylon Jennings and guitarist Tommy Allsup for their seats on the plane, since they had flu. When Buddy learned that Waylon had agreed to give up his seat, he said ‘I hope your ol’ bus freezes’ Jennings replied ‘Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes’.  It would haunt him for the rest of his life. Valens and Allsup flipped a coin to see who would get the seat. Valens won and is reported to have said ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever won anything in my life.’

The plane was boarded and took off at 12:55 am. The weather was reported as light snow, however, was deteriorating along the flight path. Around 1:00 am, the plane’s taillight descended and eventually disappeared.  The tower was unable to establish radio contact. Later in the morning, another flight took off to trace the flight path of Dwyer’s plane. They found the wreckage at 9:35 am roughly 6 miles northeast of the airport. It had hit the ground at approximately 170 miles per hour, and Holly and Valens’ bodies lay near the wreckage, having been ejected. Richardson had been thrown across the nearby fence into a neighboring cornfield. The Pilot remained in the wreckage. All had died instantly. 

Back in New York Maria Holly heard of her husband’s death via newscast and suffered a miscarriage shortly thereafter. Her discovering her husband’s death through the radio inspired the adoption of next-of-kin notification laws. The Big Bopper left a widow and two children behind, while 17-year-old Valens left behind his high school sweetheart and a large grieving family. 

The deaths of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and Big Bopper Richardson were the pinnacle of Rock N Roll losing its first crop of heroes as well as its innocence. The prior year, Little Richard had renounced playing secular music, returning to ministry, Jerry Lee Lewis had come under scandal from marrying his 13-year-old cousin, and Elvis would join the army. Before the year was out, Chuck Berry would be arrested for transporting a youth of 14 across state lines for “immoral purposes”.  Rock lost its first crop of revolutionaries who would be replaced by parent-friendly entertainers who offered record companies a safer form of revenue. It would also set into motion a cycle of reinvention, where the safe would be replaced by innovation and defiance, until being adopted and commercialized, when the cycle would begin anew. The first Rock n roll era came to an end with the crash, but rock was far from dead. 

Thanks for tuning in. Join me next week, when we discuss early innovators of rock n roll, and who is truly ‘the king’ of the early rock era. See you next time on the musicscope. I’m Mike Grubb