When that helicopter crash last week ended the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven other people who were just trying to get from one place to another, we started thinking about how many times it seems that celebrities and athletes perish in aviation accidents. The list is too long: Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, Jim Reeves, Jim Croce, Aaliyah, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ricky Nelson, Otis Redding, the members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band come to mind at once, and there are many more.Yesterday (Feb 3) was the date that in 1959, people woke to the news that Buddy Holly had died in a plane crash after an appearance in Clear Lake, Iowa, along with J.P. Richardson ("The Big Bopper") and Ritchie Valens.
To say that Buddy Holly was a founding father of rock 'n' roll is 100% accurate. His career grew along with the music, in fact: he began as a member of a country duo ("Buddy and Bob") and soon developed a three-man rock band. So skilled as a guitarist that he was able to handle both lead and rhythm guitar, he only needed a bass and drums to round out his sound. He only lived long enough to record three albums, but we all know his songs: "Peggy Sue," "That'll Be The Day," and "Oh Boy!" and many more.
To show how far ahead of his time was, listen to "Rock Around With Ollie Vee," recorded in 1956. It was written by Sonny Curtis, who also wrote "Love Is All Around," the Mary Tyler Moore Show theme.
The Big Bopper was an afternoon DJ on KTRM in Beaumont, TX, and performed a number called "Chantilly Lace" along with writing "White Lightning," a country hit for George Jones.
Valens, born Richard Valenzuela, was only 17, but was riding high on his hits "Donna" and "Come On, Let's Go," both of which are among the very first hit records by a Latino rock and roller.
The three were appearing on a circuit called the Winter Dance Party, and Holly was the star. It's not possible to overstate his influence even today, when you consider that The Beatles so revered him that they took their name as a tribute to Holly's band The Crickets.
Personal differences and financial troubles had broken up Holly and his band, and by the winter of 1958 he was living in New York City, far from his native Texas, and was developing new music that would likely have flowered for years to come. But he needed money, so when he was offered this tour, off he went.
The travel was awful and the weather was cold. Someone came up with the idea to charter a plane to get to the next show in Moorhead, Minnesota by way of Fargo, North Dakota. Valens flipped a coin with Holly's new guitarist and unfortunately won a seat. Richardson got a seat because he had the flu, and Waylon Jennings, then the bassist for Holly and later a big country star, gave up his spot for him.
To his death, Jennings was haunted by the last words he spoke to Holly: "I hope your damn plane crashes."
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| left to right: Holly, Valens, Richardson |
I try to think of the moral and meaning in all this, and I am not wise enough my many miles. People will continue to take risks with their transportation in spite of all entreaties and exhortations, and lives will be lost over and over. I guess the thing to think of is how many people HAVEN'T gotten into a car with a drunk driver or flown in foggy or snowy conditions or taken other chances, and we don't hear about them because they lived to tell other stories.
Meanwhile, our memories:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq9FCBatl3A (Buddy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMcHbh6HBDk (Ritchie)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGXFVOc5I8Q (Bopper)
One final thought: before he married, Buddy dated a girl in Texas named Echo McGuire. To this day, when I think of the 1950s, I think the entire decade reminds me a girl named Echo.
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