The Day the Music Died: 57 Years Ago Today

[LogansWalk]

Kind of a trip to think how much music and times have changed since then, especially recently with the wave of artists dying


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5ecvBaqHBk


On this day in 1959, rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorehead, Minnesota. Investigators blamed the crash on bad weather and pilot error. Holly and his band, the Crickets, had just scored a No. 1 hit with “That’ll Be the Day.”

After mechanical difficulties with the tour bus, Holly had chartered a plane for his band to fly between stops on the Winter Dance Party Tour. However, Richardson, who had the flu, convinced Holly’s band member Waylon Jennings to give up his seat, and Ritchie Valens won a coin toss for another seat on the plane.

The day the music died - Feb 03, 1959 - HISTORY.com (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-day-the-music-died)

[Brian Altenhofel]

In high school and for a short time after, one of my hobbies was playing guitar or (most often) bass with pro or semi-pro bands that happened to be playing in the area. One of the observations that I made was that pro rock musicians had an irrational fear of flying more than most people I've known. When asked, you'd usually get a long recitation of history that could be summed up with "Look at how the greats went out! Plane crash, drugs, or suicide."

[vangogh]

I've always liked the song American Pie and I've always liked Buddy Holly too. I'm not sure how many people truly understand why the music died that day. I certainly wasn't around at the time, but I know enough about the history of rock music to understand the impact.


One of the observations that I made was that pro rock musicians had an irrational fear of flying more than most people I've known

I'm going to date myself with this, but my friends and I had tickets to see Ozzie play in the early 80s. The show was just after Randy Rhodes died. I don't remember exactly how much after, but I think it was scheduled the following week, maybe the week after. I know the show was postponed for a few weeks or a couple of months. If I remember, the plane he was in was buzzing the tour bus and I think they were trying to land on top at one point.

Musicians don't need to fear planes. They sometimes need to act a little more mature, though maturity and being a rock star don't always go together. It's interesting that you noticed they had more of an irrational fear. I don't think planes crash more because musicians are in them. Similar with drugs and suicide.

[Paul]

I'm still mourning Jim Morrison.....jeesh I'm old. Those were the days when we would wait with great anticiaption for the next Stones, Doors or other albums and then would have to actually go to a store and buy one of those big round plastic records. The cover of the album was as much a part of it as the music. I still have the original Stones "Sticky Fingers" album with the zipper.

[M.Ehrmantraut]

I've always liked the song American Pie and I've always liked Buddy Holly too. I'm not sure how many people truly understand why the music died that day. I certainly wasn't around at the time, but I know enough about the history of rock music to understand the impact.



I'm going to date myself with this, but my friends and I had tickets to see Ozzie play in the early 80s. The show was just after Randy Rhodes died. I don't remember exactly how much after, but I think it was scheduled the following week, maybe the week after. I know the show was postponed for a few weeks or a couple of months. If I remember, the plane he was in was buzzing the tour bus and I think they were trying to land on top at one point.

Musicians don't need to fear planes. They sometimes need to act a little more mature, though maturity and being a rock star don't always go together. It's interesting that you noticed they had more of an irrational fear. I don't think planes crash more because musicians are in them. Similar with drugs and suicide.

I'm a huge Ozzy fan and always liken the day my mom showed me the article on Randy's death to McClean's American Pie. The story from Rudy Sarzo's book is that the bus driver had stopped in the early morning at a country singer's house (Jerry Calhoun) who he knew and also owned an that was airplane there.The driver took Tommy Aldridge and Don Airey up on a flight and then took Randy and Rachel Youngblood (Sharon's assistant and the band's seamstress) for a flight. At one point the driver started buzzing the bus. Don Airey said that at this point the ex wife was standing out of the door of the bus watching the plane and there has been speculation as to if Aycock was trying to kill her. The plane buzzed the bus three times and on the fourth, the left wing hit the bus. Ozzy,Sharon,and Rudy were all asleep when this happened and had no clue what was going on. As a side note, Aycock had previously been in a helicopter crash which killed a young boy(possibly a member of Calhoun's family who he was a neighbor of) and did not have permission to use the plane. Even more interesting and kind of creepy is that Aycock was hired earlier by Rainbow to drive for them until Ritchie Blackmore took one look at him and told management "No way" because he said he had a terrible aura surrounding him.

Randy Rhoads is my all-time favorite guitarist, such a great musician who left us with such little of his work and so much left to give. It would be really interesting to see where Randy went with his music as at the time of his death he had informed Ozzy that he was fulfilling his contract of the live album and one more studio album and he was done and entering school as a classical musician/guitarist. That caused a ton of crap and there are stories that Ozzy hit Randy at one point as he was so upset over his leaving the band. Truly a shame two great people lost their lives in that crash.

766

"An Inspiration For All Young People"
767

[BizAdvisor]

I actually enjoy these times every now an then, when we can veer off the topic of business and talk about stuff... Just stuff. Of course, I wasn't born back in the day of the Big Bopper, Richie Valenz, or Buddy Holly, but I love that era of music. Perhaps my favorite song is "True Love Ways" from Buddy Holly.

However, music is still alive and well. For all of us, music today should be taken with a grain of salt. For the most part, it's not our place to say if it's bad or not... After all, we are all bias because the music today isn't included in our soundtracks of life. When we grow up listening to particular music, it holds a special place in our memory. But as we age and are no longer impressionable or experiencing new things, newer music doesn't have much relevance or appeal... Other than being music... Or lack there of it seems.

No doubt, it seems as if music is terrible these days... But it's really nothing new. My Grandfather loved Hank Williams, but hated Elvis. My Father loved Hank Williams, loved Elvis, but hated Guns N Roses. I love Hank Williams, love Elvis, love Guns N Roses, but hate Justin Bieber. Simply because his type of music has no relevance to my life.

[Owen]

That incredibly awkward moment when you've literally never heard that song before... ._.

[Owen]

No doubt, it seems as if music is terrible these days... But it's really nothing new. My Grandfather loved Hank Williams, but hated Elvis. My Father loved Hank Williams, loved Elvis, but hated Guns N Roses. I love Hank Williams, love Elvis, love Guns N Roses, but hate Justin Bieber. Simply because his type of music has no relevance to my life.

I love Hank Williams, love Elvis, love Guns N Roses, love Justin Bieber's NEW music (old music before his new album is literal human trash). I'm sure in 10 years I'll have that same list but another artist at the end in which I hate.

[Fulcrum]

That's quite a list there Owen (and as someone who's 20 minutes away from Bieb's home town you can still keep him).

I still think that the crash the killed half of Lynyrd Skynyrd has to rate as one of more tragic losses as well. Though the crash happened a few years before I was thought of, I remember an interview in which one of the surviving members had said he didn't trust the plane. I can't say if it was an omen, premonition, or just a gut feeling based on looks and sounds but the plane did go down that night.