Buddy Holly Medley - Waylon Jennings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGiRsiORWLc
Posted on 02/03/2014 6:40:08 AM PST by Baynative
On this day in 1959, rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson are killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorehead, Minnesota. Investigators blamed the crash on bad weather and pilot error. Holly and his band, the Crickets, had just scored a No. 1 hit with "That'll Be the Day."
After mechanical difficulties with the tour bus, Holly had chartered a plane for his band to fly between stops on the Winter Dance Party Tour. However, Richardson, who had the flu, convinced Holly's band member Waylon Jennings to give up his seat, and Ritchie Valens won a coin toss for another seat on the plane.
(Excerpt) Read more at history.com ...
anybody know why Dion or some of the Belmonts were not on the flight?
much appreciated. Strange that unlike bandstand no one danced. Kathryn and Arthur Murray crowd.
My mom watched every music show on TV and we would sit with her. Hadn’t seen that one.
On February 2nd 1959, after playing the Surf Ballroom, Holly arranged to charter a plane. Dion decided he couldn’t afford the $36 cost to fly to the next venue. “$36 seemed like an awful lot of money to me,” he said, and told Holly, no.
Shortly after midnight, on February 3rd 1959, the plane crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa, with Holly, Valens, The Big Bopper, and the pilot, Roger Peterson, all being killed. Bobby Vee, then an unknown artist, performed in Holly’s place at the very next concert. Later, Jimmy Clanton, Frankie Avalon, and Fabian were hired to finish the tour in place of the three deceased headliners.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dion_and_the_Belmonts
Thanx Charles #26 FYI
Interesting comments there...
I really enjoy this thread. I was 12 when this happened and my sister and I were affected by the crash. We were really into the music having been strongly influenced by our mother toward all things musical.
I came here for the news and politics, but this type of thread is icing on the cake.
Thanx again.
My 17th Birthday. RIP.
Gopherit (aka “the little bopper”)
Small plane - no room.
Plus the Belmonts were not on the tour.
Dion and the Belmonts had already parted ways and Dion was making this tour solo.
The entire entourage was scheduled to travel by bus but Holly decided to charter the small plane to avoid the long bus trip from Clear Lake, Iowa to to Moorhead, Minnesota.
I was still learning basic American history when the Beatles hit, took my girl and I signed up for the Army ...., I'll show HER, and my father too, by God !!!
Because of Holly's untimely death, he became a legend. Had he lived, today he would be just another old guy doing golden oldies tours.
At the time of his death was evolving away from the rock'n'roll that made him famous, following Elvis into syrupy pop, even going as far as to (gasp) allow string sections to be dubbed onto his music.
His best songs were all hard rockers...
Rock Around With Ollie Vee
I'm Gonna Love You Too
Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Rave On
Oh Boy
And yes, in a sense, the music DID die that day in 1959, only to come exploding back to life in 1965.
Although some of the hits on that survey belong there, I most vehemently disagree with many of their choices, especially their pick for #1, "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan--a guy with no singing voice.
I’m in the age group which saw people building bomb shelters and we did duck and cover drills under our desks. The USSR had just sent up sputnik and we thought the end of the world was coming.
This week is the 50th of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I was 17 and watched all the girls go crazy. I liked them to, but at heart I was a big R&B fan.
ping
Indeed!
Woolly Bully--Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs (1965)
Thanx
seems like the article does not mention the Belmonts, just Dion and he didn’t want to pop for the $36 for the flight.
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