This day in music - February 3, 1959: The day the music died

By Richard K. Barry

Ritchie Valens

J.P. Richardson 

"The day the music died" is what Don McLean called it in his song "American Pie." February 3, 1959, in a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Ritchie Valens, along with the pilot, Roger Peterson, died.

The plane went down and three pioneers of rock and roll perished.

Richardson was a DJ, singer, and songwriter best known for his recording of "Chantilly Lace."

Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and although his recording career lasted only eight months, he had several hits including "La Bamba" and "Donna."

And Buddy Holly was, well, Buddy Holly, one of the most innovative and influential forces in early rock and roll with an incredible list of hits to his credit including: "That'll Be the Day," "Words of Love," "Not Fade Away," "Everyday," "Oh, Boy," "Peggy Sue," "Maybe Baby," "Rave On," "It's So Easy," "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," and "True Love Ways," just to name a bunch.

His influence on The Beatles, Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton is well documented. He was in the first class of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and in 2004 was ranked by Rolling Stone as #13 among "The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time."

Imagine if he had been allowed to live a normal life span. Incredible that he was only 23 when he died.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)