The day the music died

Today marks the anniversary of one of music’s greatest tragedies. It was on this day in 1959 that a plane crash claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper.They had just played a show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa and wanted to make it to their next destination quickly. But the decision to take a flight instead of a bus turned out to be tragic. I’m sure you know most of the story.

I had the chance to get a little closer to one of the greatest tragedies in music history a couple summers ago. I took a trip to Iowa to see the crash site myself, which is still memorialized in a cornfield. It’s marked by the big Buddy Holly glasses you see above. The memorial itself is rather small, all things considered. And the nearby Surf Ballroom is so creepy yet so cool. You can feel the ghosts in the club, which still serves as a music venue today.

I could go on and on. And I know we’re all about country music up in here but this story transcends one particular genre. And, really, isn’t music all about music, no matter the genre? I think it is. But if you’re stuck on a country theme, there is a cool side story about Waylon Jennings, who was supposed to board the flight, too, but let The Big Bopper take his seat instead. Crazy stuff.

If you’re a music fan, you owe yourself a trip to the site where the music died. And you can thank me later.

Farwell