In memory of buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper, I'll play

Don McLean's "American Pie" today at about 12:30pm.

Kelly

The Day the Music Died

February 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa tragedy struck when a plane chartered by Buddy Holly crashed, killing him along with fellow musicians, Richie Walens, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and the pilot Roger Peterson.

Richardson, who had the flu, swapped places with Waylon Jennings, taking the latter's place on the plane, while Tommy Allsup lost his place to Ritchie Valens on a coin toss. Dion DiMucci of “Dion and the Belmonts” also dodged death that day when he decided not to board the plane for the $36 fee.

Don McLean was a 13-year-old paper-boy at the time of the plane crash and learned of their deaths while folding papers for his route the morning of February 3^rd, 1959.

“American Pie” is an autobiographical look at his life in the mid 50’s until the time he wrote the song in the early 60’s and how the plane crash and deaths of Holly, Valens and The Big Bopper affected him.

McLean has stated that writing the first verse of the song exorcised his long-running grief over Holly's death.

American Pie is the second studio album by Don McLean, released on 24 October 1971. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200, containing the chart-topping singles "American Pie” and "Vincent".

The phrase "The Day the Music Died" was coined by McLean on this song, and has since become the unofficial name for the event.