Buddy Holly Tribute

History is interesting to me. I often wonder if our life would be changed if we knew we could have been killed but were allowed to live by a flip of a coin? Actually our fate is not decided by a flip of the coin nor do  I  live in fear of dying. I know God will protect until it's time and someday he will call me home when its time. I even believe my steps can be ordered by the Lord. I never knew Buddy Holly – I was 4 years old when he was killed, but I enjoyed his music and added some photos to some of his songs last year that I wanted to play for you today. Also a history lesson is posted below for you.

On a cold winter's night a small private plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa bound for Fargo, N.D. It never made its destination.

When that plane crashed, it claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Three of Rock and Roll's most promising performers were gone. As Don McLean wrote in his classic music parable, American Pie, (annotated) it was "the day the music died."

Performing in concert was very profitable, and Buddy Holly needed the money it provided. "The Winter Dance Party Tour" was planned to cover 24 cities in a short 3 week time frame (January 23 - February 15) and Holly would be the biggest headliner. Waylon Jennings, a friend from Lubbock, Texas and Tommy Allsup would go as backup musicians.

Ritchie Valens, probably the hottest of the artists at the time, The Big Bopper, and Dion and the Belmonts would round out the list of performers.

The tour bus developed heating problems. It was so cold onboard that reportedly one of the drummers developed frostbite riding in it. When they arrived at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, they were cold, tired and disgusted.

Buddy Holly had had enough of the unheated bus and decided to charter a plane for himself and his guys. At least he could get some laundry done before the next performance!

That night at the Surf Ballroom was magical as the fans went wild over the performers.

Jiles P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper to his fans, was a Texas D.J. who found recording success and fame in 1958 with the song Chantilly Lace.

Richie Valenzuela was only 16 years old when Del-Fi record producer, Bob Keane, discovered the Pacoima, California singer. Keane rearranged his name to Ritchie Valens, and in 1958 they recorded Come On, Let's Go. Far more successful was the song Valens wrote for his girlfriend, Donna, and its flip side, La Bamba, a Rock and Roll version of an old Mexican standard. This earned the teenager an appearance on American Bandstand and the prospect of continued popularity.

Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (changed to Holly due to a misspelling on a contract) and his band, The Crickets, had a number one hit in 1957 with the tune That'll Be The Day. This success was follwed by Peggy Sue and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. By 1959, Holly had decided to move in a new direction. He and the Crickets parted company. Holly married Maria Elena Santiago and moved to New York with the hope of concentrating on song writing and producing.

Dwyer Flying Service got the charter. $36 per person for a single engine Beechcraft Bonanza.

No, the plane wasn't named American Pie. It only had serial numbers, N3794N.

Waylon Jennings gave his seat up to Richardson, who was running a fever and had trouble fitting his stocky frame comfortably into the bus seats.

When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said, "Well, I hope your old bus freezes up." Jennings responded, "Well, I hope your plane crashes." This friendly banter of friends would haunt Jennings for years.

Allsup told Valens, I'll flip you for the remaining seat. On the toss of a coin, Valens won the seat and Allsup the rest of his life.

The plane took off a little after 1 A.M. from Clear Lake and never got far from the airport before it crashed, killing all onboard.

A cold N.E wind immediately gave way to a snow which drastically reduced visibility. The ground was already blanketed in white. The pilot may have been inexperienced with the instrumentation.

One wing hit the ground and the small plane corkscrewed over and over. The three young stars were thrown clear of the plane, leaving only pilot Roger Peterson inside.

Over the years there has been much speculation as to whether a shot was fired inside the plane which disabled or killed the pilot. Logic suggests that encased in a sea of white snow, with only white below, Peterson just flew the plane into the ground.

Deciding that the show must go on at the next stop, Moorhead, MN, they looked for local talent to fill in. Just across the state line from Moorhead, in Fargo ND, they found a 15 year old talent named Bobby Vee. The crash that ended the lives of Holly, Valens and Richardson was the break that began the career of Vee.

Tommy Allsup would one day open a club named "The Head's Up Saloon," a tribute to the coin toss that saved his life.

Waylon Jennings would become a hugely popular Country singer.

Dion di Mucci would enjoy a long lived solo career.

Inscribed on Ritchie Valens' grave are the words, "Come On, Let's Go."

I posted this in 2015 and perhaps you would enjoy an update on some of the names mentioned during this crash. I was only 4 at that time of crash. 

Bobby Vee was born April 30, 1943  and died  October 24, 2016 from Alzheimer’s

Tommy Allsup would one day open a club named "The Head's Up Saloon," a tribute to the coin toss that saved his life.  Tommy was born November 24, 1931  and died  January 11, 2017 from complications of a hernia operation.

Waylon Jennings would become a hugely popular Country singer.  Waylon was born June 15, 1937 and died Feb 13, 2002 from diabetes complications at age of 64.

Dion di Mucc was born in 1939 and I believe is still living as of this update. In December 1979, there was a radical spiritual change in Dion, who had become a born-again Christian.

Today is Four Chaplains Day;
THE IMMORTAL CHAPLAIN

Did you know that today, February 3, is "Four Chaplains Day," as established by the United States Congress in 1988?

Seventy years ago, at 12:30 A.M. on February 3, 1943, the bell on the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester rang twice and never sounded again. The troopship, a converted luxury cruise ship, was carrying 902 servicemen and civilian workers from Newfoundland toward Greenland. An enemy German U-boat 233 submarine torpedoed the Dorchester, and 672 young men died because of it.

Four more would have died, except for the sacrifice of four Army chaplains.

As the ship was going down, the four men of God -- a rabbi, a Roman Catholic priest, a Methodist minister, and a Dutch Reformed pastor -- gave away their life jackets. They were last seen on the deck of the ship, arms linked, heads bowed in prayer, as they went to their watery graves in the North Atlantic.

In the end, a man who tries to save his own life will lose it, and a man who tries to save others will save it. Are you living a life without your life jacket on? Are you willing to give your jacket away to someone in need?