The Day the Music Died
 

Today is the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and Big Bopper.

Such a tragic loss of human life and great talent. A colleague is playing their music in her office for the rest of the week.

"La Bamba" still makes me cry. :o

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn't take one more step.

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, Miss American Pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
this'll be the day that I die."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...lyMonument.jpg

The crash occurred about 30 minutes north of where I grew up and my high school biology teacher used to tell the story of how he was at the scene of the accident shortly after it happened.

I know the Surf Ballroom has a tribute concert that weekend every year - this year it looks like they did a 50th anniversary concert with the R&R HOF.

Hard to believe it's 50 years ago (I wasn't alive then, but it just doesn't seem like it can be that long ago). I wonder what rock and roll would have been like had they survived...

La Bamba was one of my favorite movies. What ever happened to Donna?

The February 5 issue of Rolling Stone (with Springsteen on the cover) has a GREAT article on the anniversary. They interview people who were in the airport and divulge how coins were flipped for seats on the plane, how the busses kept breaking down in the snowstorms, etc.

For example, I had no idea that Waylon Jennings was one of the Crickets in Buddy's group!

Here's a link I found earlier today when I was looking for stuff on Ritchie...

http://www.ritchievalens.com/donna.html

How great he would have been had he had an opprotunity to live a full life.

It's coming on VH1 at 8:00! (Eastern)

My bad. The guide says that it comes on at 8:00 (VH1 Classic actually), and it still says that. But they are showing something about drugs. Dammit. I was looking forward to seeing it! :mad:

I wanna see La Bamba!!! :(