The plane had been arranged for Buddy Holly and his band the Crickets, but some last minute seat swapping put Valens and Richardson on the plane, saving most notably Crickets band member Waylon Jennings.
Buddy Holly, a young Texan just 22 years old, and his band were arguably the hottest act in rock and roll, having recorded hits such as, "That'll Be the Day", "Peggy Sue", "Maybe Baby" and "Oh Boy". His death was lamented in popular song and film. Don McLean 1972 No. 1 hit "American
Pie" and George Lucas's classic "American Graffiti" of 1973. Prominent artists such as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney give Holly credit for being a major musical influence.
The "The Big Bopper", 28 years old, was converted disk jockey that had written songs during a hitch in the army. He wrote "Running Bear," a song recorded by Johnny Preston. Richardson wrote his own most famous rockabilly song "Chantilly Lace" which scored a Top 10 chart rating.
Ritchie Valens, (aka Richard Valenzuela), was a young 17 years old atthe time of his death. He had already musically impacted the charts with "Donna" which reached No. 2 on the charts and "La Bamba" that reached No. 22. A movie about his life, "La Bamba" was released in 1987 starring Lou Diamond Phillips, this included a Los Lobos cover of the title song that reached No. 1 on the charts.
Madonna covered "American Pie" in 2000, a version that makes me want to puke.
In "American Graffiti", Paul LeMat's character, John Milner, says it best with the indelible line:
Sorry it happened guys, your futures were so bright."I don't like that surfin' shit. Rock and roll's been going down hill ever since Buddy Holly died."
Yes this was a sad day for R&R...Don McLean touched many hearts with his tribute...I personally had a moment of silence today…in respect for the young men that were lost…Personally one of my favorites…However, the music did not die that day…There are allot of great artists recorded since…Still one has to think??? How else could of they influence many lives???
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