February 10, 2025

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Radio and TV news

Song of the day for February 3, 2024

On February 3, 1959, music icons Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens perished in a plane crash, a day mourned as "the Music Died". The trio, traveling for a tour after heating issues with their bus, met their fate en route to Minnesota. This tragedy inspired Don McLean's iconic song, "American Pie". Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom, the site of their last performances, commemorates the event annually.

Today’s song comes from The Big Bopper, Chantilly Lace.

It was on this date in 1959 that the music died.

February 3, 1959, considered the day the Music Died. Tragedy struck when 22 year old Buddy Holly, 28 year old The Big Bopper, and 17 year old Ritchie Valens, all lost their lives in a plane crash on their way to the next date of their Winter Party Dance Tour. After experiencing heating problems on his tour bus, Holly hired a private plane to take the three men from Clear Lake, Iowa, to Moorhead, Minnesota.

The event, which also took the life of pilot Roger Peterson, later became known as “The Day the Music Died,” after Don McLean’s reference to the tragedy in his 1971 song, “American Pie.” Clear Lake’s Surf Ballroom, where the musicians each played their final concerts, hosts an annual memorial show.

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