When Did the Music Die?

The day the music died. Many people through the years have wondered what that really means. Musician Don McLean sung about it on his song “American Pie.” The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and remained there four weeks, starting on January 15, 1972. The album of the same name “American Pie,” was the number one album for three weeks in January 1972. The song also topped charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

In the song McLean sings about “The Day the Music Died.” He claimed the song was inspired by Buddy Holly’s death and the day of the plane crash. McLean dedicated this album to Holly. However, the day the music died is considered the day Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959.

Charles Hardin Holley, also known as Buddy Holly, was born in Lubbock, Texas, on September 7, 1936, the youngest of four children of Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake. Charles was nicknamed “Buddy” from early childhood. All the Holley’s had an interest in music and all of them were able to sing or play an instrument except the father.

During his childhood, Holly was influenced by the music of Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, and the Carter Family.

While in high school in 1952, Holly, and Jack Neal participated as a duo billed as Buddy and Jack in a talent contest on a local television show. Buddy was hooked.

After he graduated from Lubbock High School in 1955, Holly decided to pursue a full-time career in music. He was encouraged even more after seeing Elvis Presley perform live in Lubbock. In February of that year, Holly opened for Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum, and again that year in June. Holly was signed to Decca Records in February 1956. However, in the contract, Decca misspelled Holly’s surname as “Holly,” and from then on, he was known as Buddy Holly, instead of his real name Holley.

On January 26, 1956, Holly attended his first formal recording session, which was produced by Owen Bradley. He attended two more sessions in Nashville, but with the producer selecting the session musicians and arrangements, Holly became increasingly frustrated by his lack of creative control.

In April 1956, Decca released “Blue Days, Black Nights” as a single with “Love Me” on the B-side. Holly was included on a tour as the opening act for Faron Young. They were promoted as Buddy Holly and the Two Tones, while later Decca called them Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes. Decca released two more singles by Holly that year, but neither of them made an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, but insisted he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years. Holly was very unhappy with his years at Decca.

In June 1956, Holly along with his older brother Larry as well as Allison and Sonny Curtis went to see the film “The Searchers,” starring John Wayne. During the movie Wayne repeatedly used the phrase “That’ll be the day.” This line of dialogue inspired the young musicians.

Now playing lead guitar, Holly achieved the sound he desired. He visited Norman Petty at Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. The group recorded a demo of “That’ll Be the Day,” a song they had previously recorded in Nashville.

Petty became his manager and sent the record to Brunswick Records in New York City. However, Holly, still under contract with Decca, could not release the record under his name, so a band name was used. Allison proposed the name “Crickets.” Brunswick gave Holly a basic agreement to release “That’ll Be the Day,” leaving him with both artistic control and financial responsibility or future recordings.

“That’ll” Be the Day” was released on July 27, 1957. The song started climbing the charts. Buddy Holly and the Crickets were touring in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York City. They also appeared on American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark on ABC, on August 26, 1957.

“That’ll Be the Day” topped the US “Best Sellers in Stores” chart on September 23, 1957, and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November. And during October, “Peggy Sue” had reached number three on Billboard’s pop chart and number two on the R&B chart. It peaked at number six on the UK Singles chart.

Holly started making a name for himself and they were billed as Buddy Holly and the Crickets, although, never on records during Holly’s lifetime. On November 27, 1957, Holly released his album The Chirping Crickets and it reached number five on the UK Albums Chart.

On December 1, 1957, Holly and the Crickets performed ‘That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue” on the Ed Sullivan Show.

On January 8, 1958, Holly and the Crickets joined “America’s Greatest Teenage Recording Stars” tour. On January 26, 1958, Holly and the Crickets made their second appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” singing “Oh Boy!”

Buddy Holly and the Crickets enjoyed great success touring around the country with their hits. Holly recorded his final studio session on October 21, 1958, at the Pythian Temple on West 70th Street. This was known by Holly fans as “The string sessions.”

On January 15, 1959, Holly and other musicians met at the headquarters of the General Artists Corporation, which organized a tour called “The Winter Dance Party” tour and it began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 23, 1959. The amount of travel involved created logistical problems, as the distance between venues had not been considered when scheduling performances.

Adding to the problem, the unheated tour buses broke down twice in freezing weather, with dire consequences. Holly’s drummer, Carl Bunch, was hospitalized for frostbite to his toes sustained while aboard the bus, so Holly decided to seek other transportation.

On February 2, 1959, before their appearance in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane for his band members and himself, from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa. Holly’s idea was to depart following the show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake and fly to their next venue, in Moorhead, Minnesota, via Fargo, North Dakota, allowing them time to rest and launder their clothes and avoid an arduous bus journey.

Immediately after the Clear Lake show which ended just before midnight, Richie Valens had to win a coin toss for a seat on the plane. He reportedly said, “That’s the first time I’ve ever won anything in my life.” Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson who had the flu and complained the tour bus was too cold and uncomfortable for a man his size.

The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, even though he was not certified to fly by instruments only. Shortly after 1:00 a.m. on February 3, 1959, Holly, Valens, Richardson, and Peterson were killed when the aircraft crashed into a cornfield five miles northwest of Clear Lake, Iowa. The three musicians were ejected from the fuselage upon impact and sustained severe head and chest injuries. Holly was 22 years old.

Holly’s mother, who heard the news on the radio in Lubbock, Texas, screamed and collapsed. Holly’s wife watched the reports on the television. The next day she suffered a miscarriage. Because of Holly’s wife’s miscarriage, in the months following the accident, some government authorities implemented a policy against announcing victims’ names until after the families are informed. Holly’s wife did not attend the funeral and has never visited the gravesite. She later told the Avalanche-Journal, “In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn’t with him. I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane.”

During his short career, Holly wrote and recorded many songs. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock and roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. Holly was a major influence on many music artists, including Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, the Hollies, Elvis Costello, and Elton John. Holly was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of 100 Greatest Artists in 2010.

In an August 24, 1978, interview with Rolling Stone, Bruce Springsteen told Dave Marsh, “I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on; that keeps me honest.”

In 2015, McLean wrote, “Buddy Holly would have the same stature musically whether he would have lived or died, because of his accomplishments. By the time he was 22 years old, he had recorded some 50 tracks, most of which he had written himself. In my view and the view of many others, a hit. Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the template for all the rock bands that followed.”

The Day the Music Died, February 3, 1959.