The Day the Music Died

February 3, 2021, marks the 62nd anniversary of the tragic airplane crash that subsequently became known as “The Day the Music Died,” sadly referenced in Don McLean’s 1971 song, “American Pie.” Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, aka The Big Bopper, died along with pilot Roger Peterson.

After a February 2, 1959, “Winter Dance Party” show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly, Valens and Richardson took off from the Mason City, Iowa, airport, in a three-passenger plane that Holly chartered, piloted by Peterson during inclement weather. It crashed into a cornfield just minutes after takeoff.

Written by Harvey Kubernik for Best Classic Bands, more>>