#thebigbopper — Public Fediverse posts

#FuneralFactFriday: The Day The Music Died

On February 3, 1959, a small plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa and crashed in a field a few minutes later. All four occupants were killed instantly: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper (JP Richardson), and the pilot, Roger Peterson.

The plane had been chartered so the three musicians could rest and avoid the inhospitable conditions on their tour bus. They were halfway through playing 24 shows over 24 days, driving 300-400 miles daily and zigzagging all over the state instead of making logical, orderly stops.

The substandard tour bus was replaced five times over the eleven day span, subjecting the musicians to grueling conditions. They had no crew to move their equipment, and their long drives on narrow rural highways were done in temperatures ranging from 20°F to minus 36°F. Band members suffered from the flu and frostbite.

Seats on the small plane were limited. Dion (of the Belmonts) passed on the opportunity because the $36 cost was too extravagant. Tommy Allsup allegedly lost a coin toss to Ritchie Valens. Waylon Jennings gave his seat to the flu-stricken Bopper. Buddy teased Waylon about not flying, joking, "Well, I hope your damned bus freezes up." Waylon replied, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes."

The pilot was not properly briefed on the adverse weather conditions ahead, and he was only certified to fly using visual sight rules. It's thought that he attempted to land using skills he did not have. The plane hit the ground at an estimated 170mph. The coroner cited cause of death to be "gross trauma to the brain." A subsequent exhumation showed the Big Bopper had "extensive, unsurvivable fractures to virtually every bone in his body."

Buddy Holly's mother and pregnant wife learned of his death via radio and television. Months after, new policies were enacted to withhold the identity of victims pending notification of kin. This remains the standard today.

#HisAndHearsePress #TheDayTheMusicDied #PlaneCrash #ThisDayInHistory #BuddyHolly #RitchieValens #TheBigBopper

#FuneralFactFriday: The Day The Music Died

On February 3, 1959, a small plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa and crashed in a field a few minutes later. All four occupants were killed instantly: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper (JP Richardson), and the pilot, Roger Peterson.

The plane had been chartered so the three musicians could rest and avoid the inhospitable conditions on their tour bus. They were halfway through playing 24 shows over 24 days, driving 300-400 miles daily and zigzagging all over the state instead of making logical, orderly stops.

The substandard tour bus was replaced five times over the eleven day span, subjecting the musicians to grueling conditions. They had no crew to move their equipment, and their long drives on narrow rural highways were done in temperatures ranging from 20°F to minus 36°F. Band members suffered from the flu and frostbite.

Seats on the small plane were limited. Dion (of the Belmonts) passed on the opportunity because the $36 cost was too extravagant. Tommy Allsup allegedly lost a coin toss to Ritchie Valens. Waylon Jennings gave his seat to the flu-stricken Bopper. Buddy teased Waylon about not flying, joking, "Well, I hope your damned bus freezes up." Waylon replied, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes."

The pilot was not properly briefed on the adverse weather conditions ahead, and he was only certified to fly using visual sight rules. It's thought that he attempted to land using skills he did not have. The plane hit the ground at an estimated 170mph. The coroner cited cause of death to be "gross trauma to the brain." A subsequent exhumation showed the Big Bopper had "extensive, unsurvivable fractures to virtually every bone in his body."

Buddy Holly's mother and pregnant wife learned of his death via radio and television. Months after, new policies were enacted to withhold the identity of victims pending notification of kin. This remains the standard today.

#HisAndHearsePress #TheDayTheMusicDied #PlaneCrash #ThisDayInHistory #BuddyHolly #RitchieValens #TheBigBopper