Episode 3: The Day the Music Died
We describe Rock N Roll as an “enfant terrible,” then an unruly toddler, then a hyperactive kid. When Buddy Holly breaks out in late 1957, we see Rock N Roll has stepped out into the world as a confident young adult.
Our story begins on a snowy two-lane highway in rural Iowa, on February 2nd, 1959: the fateful last day of the Winter Dance Party tour.
The shows are going well, but the tour is a real grind. Cold, tired, and fed up, Buddy Holly decides to charter a small plane after the show that night in Clear Lake, Iowa.
We meet the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Dion DiMucci.
We discuss how Ritchie Valens was the first Latino crossover artist, and his 1957 release “La Bamba” is the first Spanish-language pop hit.
We then devote a good chunk of the show to Buddy Holly’s life and musical career. We emphasize his giant influence on future Rock N Roll legends, and talk about The Crickets’ groundbreaking tour of the United Kingdom in early 1958.
We meet “The Killer,” Jerry Lee Lewis. Great musician and performer, but not at all a nice guy, to put it mildly.
We come back to Buddy’s story: the relentless grind of touring with The Crickets, business disputes with his manager Norman Petty, his courtship of and marriage to Maria Elena Santiago. Out on the road Buddy meets Phil and Don Everly, and they become fast friends.
We profile the Everly Brothers, and we ask you to hold a picture in your mind.
The last chapter: a terse and tense account of the incident outside Mason City, Iowa, in the early-morning hours of February 3rd, 1959.
We close with a few words about loss and friendship.
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SHOW NOTES & CREDITS:
Songs from Episode Three
Buddy Holly and the Crickets: “Oh Boy!” single released 1957, Brunswick Records
Big Bopper: “Chantilly Lace,” single released 1958, Mercury Records
Ritchie Valens: “Come On, Let’s Go,” single released 1958, Del-Fi Records
Ritchie Valens: “La Bamba,” single released 1958, Del-Fi Records
Buddy Holly and the Crickets: “It’s So Easy,” single released 1958, Brunswick Records
Dion: “Runaround Sue,” single released 1961, Laurie Records
Buddy Holly and the Crickets: “Not Fade Away,” single released 1957, Brunswick Records
Waylon Jennings: “Are You Ready for the Country?” (Written by Neil Young), from Are You Ready for the Country, released 1976, RCA Records
Buddy Holly and the Crickets: “That’ll Be the Day,” single released 1957, Brunswick Records
Buddy Holly and the Crickets: “Peggy Sue,” single released 1957, Coral Records
Billy Lee Riley: “Flying Saucers Rock N Roll,” single released 1957, Sun Records
Jerry Lee Lewis: “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On,” single released 1957, Sun Records
Jerry Lee Lewis: “Great Balls of Fire,” single released 1957, Sun Records
Blind Faith: “Well All Right” (Written by Buddy Holly), from Blind Faith, US release 1969 on Atco Records
Buddy Holly and The Crickets: “True Love Ways,” single released 1960, Coral Records
Everly Brothers, “Wake Up Little Suzie,” single released 1957, Cadence Records
Everly Brothers, “Bye Bye Love,” single released 1957, Cadence Records
Linda Ronstadt: “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” (Written by Paul Anka), from Heart Like a Wheel, released 1974, Capitol Records
Don McLean, “American Pie,” from American Pie, released 1971 United Artists Records
Note: Buddy Holly tracks are listed as “Buddy Holly and the Crickets.” If it was released as a Crickets single, it’s on Brunswick; Buddy Holly solo releases are on Coral Records. Except for “True Love Ways,” (issued posthumously in 1960) Buddy and the Crickets played on all of them.
Books
Guralnick, Peter (1999). Feel Like Going Home: Portraits in Blues and Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Guralnick, Peter (2015). Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Gordon, Robert (2001). It Came From Memphis
Lehmer, Larry (2012). The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens.
Morrison, Craig (1996). Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers.
Norman, Phillip (2014). Rave On: The Biography of Buddy Holly.
The Rolling Stones (2009). According to The Rolling Stones.
Movies, Television Shows, and Radio Programs
La Bamba, directed by Luis Valdez, 1987 Columbia Pictures
Behind the Music, “The Day the Music Died,” Season 2, Show 19, VH1 Television (Retrieved from TV.Com)
The Ronnie Wood Show, Interview with Paul McCartney. Retrieved from Ronnie Wood’s Official YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st3c8UTw-6Q
40th Annual Grammy Awards, Broadcast on Feb. 25th, 1998. Bob Dylan’s acceptance speech. Retrieved from:http://www.grammy.com/videos/40th-annual-grammy-awards-album-of-the-year
The Buddy Holly Story, directed by Steve Rash, 1978 Columbia Pictures
The Real Buddy Holly Story, (Documentary); directed by Richard Spence and produced by Paul McCartney, 2004 White Star Pictures
Ed Sullivan Show, December 1st, 1957, retrieved from the official Ed Sullivan YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheEdSullivanShow
All Things Considered, “Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On,” aired October 28th, 2006, National Public Radio, retrieved from:http://www.npr.org/2006/10/28/6388855/jerry-lee-lewis-whole-lotta-shakin-goin-on
Online Sources, By Topic in Order of Appearance
Quote from Connie Valenzuela:
http://articles.latimes.com/1987-07-19/entertainment/ca-4551_1_ritchie-valens
Background on Lubbock, Texas:
“More Churches than Trees” quote is from the Dixie Chicks song, “Lubbock or Leave It,” from Taking the Long Way, released 2006, Columbia/Nashville Records
Buddy Holly Timeline: http://www.buddyhollyarchives.com/2009/03/everyday-a-timeline-of-buddys-life/
Rolling Stone Interview with the Everly Brothers:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-rolling-stone-interview-the-everly-brothers-19860508
Time Magazine Article on the February 3rd Crash:
http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1876542,00.html
(Note: the original article we quoted is “paywalled;” it was retrieved from the Time.com archives. The link above is to a 2009 article on the crash that synopsizes the original.)
Civil Aeronautics Board Report:
http://fiftiesweb.com/music/crash-report/
Photos of the Crash, and a Link to Scans of the Original Autopsy Reports:
Sound by John Michael Berry
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