The Day The Music Died

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The Day The Music Died

February 3

|Recurring Event (See all)

An event every year that begins at 00:00 on day 3 of February, repeating indefinitely

When:
February 3		 Where:
šŸŒ Everywhere		 First occurrence:
1959
Poster for the Winter Dance Party tour“The Day the Music Died” is howĀ  the plane crash on February 3, 1959 that took away the lives of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper J.P. Richardson is referred to.


The “Winter Dance Tour” was during a cold winter and the band lead by Buddy Holly traveled town in reconditioned school busses. They were miserably cold and sick during these rides.
So Buddy Holly decided to charter a plane for a part of the tour to catch a break from this “tour from hell”.
The band members who decided to endure some more freezing in the busses were the ones to survive, because the plane never arrived.
Three big artists and one pilot had all died on impact in one tragic moment.
Twelve years after the crash, 1971, Don McLean recorded his song “American Pie” where he used the phrase “The Day the Music Died” for this day.
The year before “American Pie” the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, amongst many other musicians, delivered yet another tragic blow to the music world. Which is probably what triggered Don McLean to write his song of poetically described events.
This part of the lyrics might be about Janis Joplin:

“I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away”

When asked what his song meant, Don just answered:

“You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me … Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence.”
Monument to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson near the crash site
Monument to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson Location: Approximately 8 miles north of en:Clear Lake, Iowa Directions: US 18 to North 8th Street north in Clear Lake for 4.7 miles.
Photo by Dennis Fernkes – Edina, Minnesota, Public Domain
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Date:
February 3
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