45 years ago the music died...

Just thought I would mention it was 45 years ago today the Big Bopper,Ritchie Valens,and Buddy Holly were killed...Thanks for the great music guys!!! http://www.fiftiesweb.com/cab.htm

 

I get a chance every once in a great while to play a show at the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wi with my band. That was where those three played their second to last show. A buddy of mine was showing me some pics that were taken at that show of Buddy Holly sittin' on the back stage steps. I went and played a show there that night and walked up those steps....spooky man....

 

Amen Marcus

 

Sorry but the last gig was at the Surf Ballroom in Clearlake Iowa,I have a postcard from the ballroon from the mid 50's given to me by a great guy I used to work with who lived in Clearlake,IA.

 

Yeah Marcus, the Iowa gig was their last show...Green Bay was the night before the Iowa show....Have you ever seen the pics that were in the Clearlake newspaper the day after the crash? It's full of crash site photos (not the most tactfull paper in the world). Next to the crashed plane is a barbed wire fence in a couple of the shots. One of the fence posts is a big, cut off tree trunk looking pole. A buddy of mine has the paper framed and hanging up in his hot rod shop. His uncle is a pretty big music buff...he was on the road about 3 or 4 years ago and happened to be passing through Clearlake, Iowa...he said that there is a memorial set up on the spot where the plane crashed. He looked for the fence and it was gone for he most part...but the post was still there! He carved off a little piece of what was left of it and brought it back to Fond du Lac. It now resides out at the hot rod shop in a special diplay case as a sort of memoriam........"Rock and roll's been goin'down hill ever since Buddy Holly died". - John Milner

 

My buddy and I were seniors in high school and were driving his 49 chev to a git to gather in Commanchie, Tex listenig to the 50,ooo watt rock and roll station out of okla. City when they flashed the bad news. We pulled to the side of the road and cried like babies.And the John Milner quote just about says it all.

 

Just a little FYI....
The name of the plane he was on......American Pie.

 

I too was listening to the radio when the news came over.
That night 3 18 yr olds got pretty shitfaced and emotional.

We were part of the Aquatones and I was the one into the fun style vocals so I was really into the Big Bopper stuff.
And the Coasters.

 

Cool stories guys...

 

I remember waking up the next morning and the news was all over the radio and TV. That whole day was a real bummer. Most everyone just hung around and talked about how big a loss it was.

Frank

 

Its kinda wierd to think that he was on his way to were I live. Once a year, there is a Buddy Holly tribute singer that takes the route and dates the original tour was to take. He looks and sounds the part. Big Boppers son and a Richie Valens tribute singer go along with. Damn good show. RIP Buddy...

 

It's always sad when those with the greatest potential lose their loves at such a young age. Definatly the day the music died...

 

Garrison Keilor recorded a very moving monoloque about the odyssey he and a couple of high-school pals made to the crash site the following day. It tears me up every time I hear it.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Just a little FYI....
The name of the plane he was on......American Pie.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, the plance wasn't named "American Pie", but the Don McLean song of the same name does begin with references to that fateful day in 1959.

 

A trivia question for you all.What was the name of the planes pilot?

 

[ QUOTE ]
Just a little FYI....
The name of the plane he was on......American Pie.

[/ QUOTE ]


That was not the name of the plane they were on. I do not remember the real name of the plane, but it was not American Pie. That was just sort of concocted for the song. I watched a documentary on Vh1 on the crash. What is creepy is that Buddy Holly told Waylon Jennings that hehopes his bus freezes, and Waylon told Buddy that he hopes his plane crashes. He says it has haunted him ever since. Waylon was having problems with his bus also.

 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Just a little FYI....
The name of the plane he was on......American Pie.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, the plance wasn't named "American Pie", but the Don McLean song of the same name does begin with references to that fateful day in 1959.

[/ QUOTE ]

why is it i like the music of Valens ,holly ,and the bopper but every time i hear that stupid american pie song i want to scream and throw the radio across the room, is it just me??

 

just thought some might want to see this

 

I took the T-bird out there for a visit

 

Hmmm..... I guess not every thing you read is credible. I don't remember where I read that but I stand corrected.

 

Any of you guys see the article that came out a while back about someone finding Buddy Holly's '58 Chevy "Peggy Sue"? There was a shop that was starting the restoration of it after it had sat in neglect for all these years...and they reunited it with the girl Peggy Sue that Buddy named the song and the car after. I was just wondering if the resto was ever completed and if so, what happened to the car....

 

Howza Bruthas,
I have always loved Buddy's music. A fallen hero if there ever was one.
Listen to Rave On.
Dig the groove that is laid out in Not Fade Away.
Not Fade Away! Man, remember that seen in Christine???
Dark under pass, lard assed kid walking alone and a kick assed Plymouth sitting there with the radio blasting
Not Fade Away.
Good stuff man.
How about the rocker of Down the Line?
Peggy Sue. Serious percussion here, man.
I lose track of dates and felt like an ASS not wearing black today. Tomorrow, I will wear a black shirt in honor of his passing.
Damn.
Somewhere in England I have read there is an overpass with the words
BUDDY HOLLY LIVES.
He does in my mind, bruthas.

 

I read something about that in Hot Rod years ago after they found the car, even had a picture of it. Didn't they find his '58 Impala in a salvage yard in Texas someplace? Haven't heard anything about the car since then. It would be sweet to see how it turned out if it ever was restored. I found this pic with I belive Peggy Sue standing next to the car after they found it.

 

Peggy Sue never existed from what I hear. I think the song was really named Bobby Sue but then he gave her the boot so he changed the name. Am I right?

 

I might have gotten the name wrong, but supposedly supposed to be the girl the song was written for. Found a pic of the resotred car too.

 

Thanx 54 Nailhead...that pic is bitchin! As far as I know, and this is only according to articles I've read, cuz I wasn't born until 1975 (insert tasteless youngin' joke here), her name was Peggy Sue...the orginal article about the start of the resto job on the '58 said Peggy Sue's last name, which unfortunately won't pop into my greased up head right now....

 

That's the name I remember from the articles also, but I could be wrong? I'm in the same boat as CadillacKid, I wasn't born 'till 1976 so I'm just going off things I've read. I'll turn this post back over to the guys that know, I just wanted to post pics of Buddy's car so people could see it.

 

I bought "the Buddy Holly Story" and "La Bamba" in the $5.88 box on dvd at Wally World. In the movie they show Buddy and the crickets driving to a recording studio. Buddy Holly (played by Gary Busey) is messin around playin the now "Peggy Sue" but he was singing somethin like "cindy lou" wich in the movie was his girlfriends name. Sounds like it could be true. But it is a movie so who knows?

Nick

 

Yes, there really is a Peggy Sue, her last name is Gerron. From what I understand Peggy Sue was Jerry Allisons girlfriend, supposedly Buddy was dating a girl named Linda Lou and wrote the song for her but they broke up before Buddy recorded the song so he changed the name from Linda Lou to Peggy Sue.
I used to see Peggy sue at a few local car shows, even had some T-shirts autographed by her. ( they made a commercial for a local car show with Peggy Sue in my T-bird at the Sonic) I haven't seen her in awhile but she's got a great personality and always happy to visit about the old days.

The '58 Impala that was found has a questionable past, There was a story about it in the local paper when it was found several years ago. Supposedly found behind an old gas station in Amarillo TX and later said to be documented to be Buddys car, it was then taken to Bigham Automotive in Lubbock for the restoration.
The reason I say questionable past is because the guy that "found it" is a Buddy Holly & car fanatic, he is the guy that supposedly found Kenny Bernsteins first race car, a 53 Studebaker starlight coupe, had it restored, and featured in Hot Rod Magazine. (Bernsteins is also a Lubbock native) I have heard that the guy with the cars was pinned down on the Impala and asked point blank, "is this Buddy Holley's car" and he faltered and said it wasn't he just got caught up in the story and it got out of hand. I can't confirm this so I don't know if that story is true or not.

Richard