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.
It was "the day the music died."
"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. With the Crickets back in Texas, He contacted Tommy Allsup (rhythm guitar), Waylon Jennings (bass), and Carl Bunch (Drums) to back him up. Other artists on the tour were 17 year old Richie Valens, the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), Dion and the Belmonts, and Frankie Sardo. Jennings and Bunch backed up all the artists on the tour, not just Buddy.
The tour bus developed heating problems. It was so cold onboard that reportedly one of the drummers developed frostbite riding in it. One of the Belmonts, Carlo Mastrangelo, took over the drummer's slot for the rest of the shows. Those tour buses were far from what most stars demand today. They were more like converted school buses than luxury suites! There were no bunks, so, when they were tired, they had to sleep sitting up. The heaters didn't work most of the time, and this was the cold North in January! The buses kept breaking down. It was definitely a Third-Class operation. On the long stretches between shows, they did what they did best. Taught each other music. 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.
That night at the Surf Ballroom was magical as the fans went wild over the performers.
The next engagement was to be in Fargo, North Dakota. Buddy had arranged to charter a small plane, but needed some others to share the expense. The $35 share kept Dion on the bus, as that was a month's rent at that time! So, it was arranged for Buddy, Waylon Jennings, and Tommy Allsup to make the flight. The Big Bopper (Houston disc jockey J.P. Richardson [Chantilly Lace] ) approached Waylon and asked him if he minded if he took his place on the plane. He had the flu and was wanting to go ahead, see a doctor and get some rest. 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.
Roger Peterson (21), the plane's pilot along with Buddy (22), Ritchie Valens (17), and J.P. Richardson (28) took off from the Mason City Airport at approximately 0100, February 3, 1959, in bad weather aboard a Beech Bonanza, N3794N. They were unknowingly flying into a severe snow storm. Radio contact was lost shortly after takeoff. Peterson was not qualified to fly strictly by instrumentation, and it was theorized that he became disoriented in the snow storm and the plane was actually descending instead of ascending, gaining speed until it crashed approximately 5 miles northeast of the airport in a corn field on the Albert Juhl farm. All four were killed in the crash. The wreckage was not found until about 9:30 a.m. the next morning. The plane was completely demolished in the crash, but did not burn. Investigators could give no reason for the crash, stating that the plane was in good condition and that Mr. Peterson was a competent pilot. But, the pilot made the decision to make the flight under conditions which he was not able to cope, without the proper instrument knowledge or the certification he needed.
[Read the Coroner's Report or the Civil Aeronautics Board Report for more info.]
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.
Friends, family, and fans around the world were stunned when news about the crash was released. The other members of the tour were numb, walking around in a daze... It could not be real! But, in show business it is tradition that "The Show Must Go On". An appeal went out over the radio, asking local bands to help fill the gap in the show left by the deaths of the entertainers. Among those answering the call was a young fifteen year old named Robert Thomas Valline, a.k.a. Bobby Vee. He and the guys in his band, who called themselves "The Shadows ". Both the performers and the audience were in shock that night. The tour was to go to Moorhead, Minnesota next and were scheduled to play at the Val Air Ballroom. Frankie Avalon was brought in as was Jimmy Clanton to try and fill the void. It was a very emotional evening with the band trying to perform Buddy Holly songs on their own without him.
