The Day The Music Died – Do You Remember?

I was just nine years old when it happened, and it has impacted my life in so many ways. Today on the Cars Classic Lunch we will offer tribute to the three stars that were lost that day. It was February 3rd, 1959, fifty-three years ago today, that a plane crash in an Iowa cornfield took the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), and Ritchie Valens. They were immortalized in song in 1972 by Don McLean's American Pie single, and the album of the same name. It was not front page news in those days. It was reported in a small article in the middle of most newspapers, but it would have a lasting impact on the future of Rock and Roll. The stories that have since filtered out about that tragic day include country and western star Waylon Jennings. He lost a coin flip with Ritchie Valens for a seat on that small plane headed to the next destination of the Rock and Roll tour. Also, a bright young star by the name of Bobby Vee would get his chance to fill in for Buddy Holly on the next step of the tour. Vee would go on to make a significant impact on the future of music. Don McLeans single is still a beloved tribute to them and is one of the most requested songs I get on the Cars' Classic Lunch. I hope you will join me today at noon to enjoy the sounds and memories as we pay tribute.