The Music Died:

2/3/2025

“But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep”

It was on today’s date in 1959 that the world lost three music icons, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J P Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper were killed when the plane they were traveling on went down in Iowa.

Holly and his band were in the middle of a tour across the Midwest known as the “Winter Dance Party.” Traveling conditions on the bus they have been traveling on were less than ideal. Matters were made worse by the fact that the flu was passing around amongst members of the tour. Some had even suffered from frostbite. It was so bad that Buddy Holly decided it would be better to charter a plane, instead of continuing on the bus.

Holly had in the year previously, left the band “The Crickets” and terminated that relationship. He was on the “Winter Dance Party” tour, because he was struggling financially. The tour was poorly organized, with no real logistical pattern to it. It had become so bad, it was referred to as “The Tour from Hell.”

Many know the story of the plane going down in bad weather, and of course are familiar with the Don McLean Song “American Pie” which pays tribute to the musicians we lost that day. What many do not know, is how close we came to losing another legend before his outlaw days were even really started.

Waylon Jennings was playing Bass on the tour for Buddy Holly. Initially, “Hoss” was supposed to be on the plane. J P Richardson was one of the ones who had came down with the flu, and asked Jennings if he was willing to swap places, and allow him to fly on the plane.  In an eerie twist of foreshadowing of sorts, the dialogue between Holly and Jennings will be looked back on forever. When Jennings told Holly he was taking the bus, Holly, according to Jennings  told him he hoped the bus broke down. In response, Jennings says he told Holly, ” I hope your ole plane crashes.” Jennings reflecting on the conversation later said in an interview with Rolling Stone, “God almighty, for years I thought I caused it.”

So just like that, the world made a trade it did not know about. One life and career was cut entirely too short. The world got to keep Hoss.