What Really Happened on 'The Day the Music Died'? Unpacking Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper's Untimely Deaths

On Feb. 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, ...
American Songwriter

On This Day in 1959, We Lost the Rising Rocker Behind Hit Novelty Songs During One of the Greatest Tragedies in Music History

Sixty-seven years ago today, a rising star known for his larger-than-life persona and novelty songs died alongside his ...
Case Western Reserve University

The day the music died: How Don McLean’s “American Pie” immortalized a tragedy

"So, bye-bye, miss American pie..." While chances are you've sung along to Don McLean's "American Pie," you may be less familiar with the radio hit's somber inspiration. Referenced in the lyrics as ...
American Songwriter

Born on This Day in 1930, the Rocker Who Was Famous for His Novelty Songs and Inadvertently Saved Waylon Jennings’ Life

On this day (October 24) in 1930, J.P. Richardson Jr. was born in Sabine Pass, Texas. Throughout his all-too-short career, he was a popular radio DJ, a recording artist, and a songwriter. The Big ...