“American Pie” the song by Don McLean was an absolute reference to the day the music died, the night of February 3rd, 1959; that was the night Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens died tragically in a plane crash a few miles from their departure, Clear Lake, IA. Did you know that…
Buddy was a hopeless romantic, proposing his hand in marriage to Maria Elena Santiago on their first date. The two were married on August 15, 1958.
Buddy was the single most innovative musician of his time. In the early days of popular music, the record label would have a pack of writers create a song, and then assigned an artist that was at the label to record it. Buddy relented, writing and producing his own music. He also made popular the studio technique of ‘overdubbing’ and brought in violins and other non-rock instruments to appear on the track.
Buddy wasn’t originally scheduled to be a passenger on the ill-fated plane, rather on the tour bus. The bus had broken down multiple times during the tour, so it was Buddy who chartered a plane so he could get more sleep.
J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson was also beset by tragic circumstances, as he and Waylon Jennings had a coin toss for the seat, which the Big Bopper won.
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