Where I drive my chevee to the levee.

Fifty years ago today, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson - known as “The Big Bopper” - died when their plane crashed shortly after taking off in Clear Lake, Iowa. That day became known as "The Day the Music Died", the phrase being popularized by Don McLean's song "American Pie".


Now, I could get into the details of the crash, of how a friendly banter between Tommy Allsup and Richie Valens would end up haunting the former for the rest of his life, but I won't. It's not my thing to wax eloquent over matters that have happened in the past (nor do I have the time to draw comparisons between the music scene of then and now and theorize on what would have happened if that plane hadn't crashed), and while I do acknowledge the role that these three individuals have played in the history of music and how their death affected the world, I hadn't listened to enough of their music to be a fan of their work.




Besides, this happened before I was born, so I have no personal experience to put into writing here.

Instead, here are some links to places where you can find out more about this day in history:

Wikipedia
Mental Floss
The Fifties Web