The MJ Show #33 (The Day The Music Died - 3rd Feb)

On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll musicians: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song "American Pie".

The whole thing is such a big big deal because of the massive talent that was lost that day. Of the people who died in the crash, the biggest loss was obviously Buddy Holly. He was MASSIVE back then. One of the biggest names in early rock 'n' roll. Buddy Holly and The Crickets were one of the most influential rock 'n' roll bands ever. In fact, The Beatles chose their name as a tribute to Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets!

The circumstances involving who got on the small plane, the exact history of things has almost become legendary. One person who is always associated with the legend is Waylon Jennings.
Basically, they were trying to get from one town to another while they were on tour and they chose to go by a plane because there was way too much snow on the roads and their tourbus wasn't able to move around easily.

Read the whole story here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died
It's quite interesting...but I'm not wanting to give you a history lesson here. What I want to do is, I want to give you the music that these guys made and why their loss was so epic.

Let's start with the most unknown guy and go to the superstar.

The Big Bopper.
Jiles Perry Richardson Jr., called JP by his friends but commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star. He is best known for his recording of "Chantilly Lace".

1st Song - The Big Bopper - Chantilly Lace #TheMJshow


2nd Song - The Big Bopper - The Clock #TheMJshow


3rd Song - The Big Bopper - Beggar To A King #TheMJshow


4th Song - The Big Bopper - Bopper's Boogie Woogie #TheMJshow


5th Song - The Big Bopper - Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor #TheMJshow


Okay, lets move on to Ritchie Valens now.
Richard Steven Valenzuela better known as Ritchie Valens was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.
A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months. During this time, however, he scored several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song that Valens transformed with a rock rhythm and beat that became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.

6th Song - Ritchie Valens - Come On Let's Go #TheMJshow


7th Song - Ritchie Valens - Donna #TheMJshow


8th Song - Ritchie Valens - Ooh My Head #TheMJshow


I have a feeling you'll remember this song.
(If you can tell me why, put a message down in the comments. I want to see who remembers this one.) :)
9th Song - Ritchie Valens - We Belong Together #TheMJshow


And finally, his biggest hit!
10th Song - Ritchie Valens - La Bamba #TheMJshow


Lou Diamond Phillips acted as Ritchie Valens in a biopic about the man. The movie was called "La Bamba" and it was based on the real life events that affected the lives of rock star Ritchie Valens, his half-brother Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig and the rest of their families.
Here's his version of La Bamba. This is the one that most people remember quite fondly.

Bonus Song - Lou Diamond Phillips - La Bamba #TheMJshow


And now, finally, the great Buddy Holly!
He has been described as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and innovations inspired and influenced both his contemporaries and later musicians, notably The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, and Bob Dylan, and exerted a profound influence on popular music.
Holly was in the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Holly #13 among "The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time".

11th Song - Buddy Holly - That'll Be The Day #TheMJshow


12th Song - Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue #TheMJshow


I LOVE this next song! :) One of my favourites by Buddy Holly!
13th Song - Buddy Holly - Oh Boy! #TheMJshow


14th Song - Buddy Holly - Rave On #TheMJshow


15th Song - Buddy Holly - Fool's Paradise #TheMJshow


16th Song - Buddy Holly - Early In The Morning #TheMJshow


17th Song - Buddy Holly - Heartbeat


18th Song - Buddy Holly - It Doesn't Matter Anymore #TheMJshow


19th Song - Buddy Holly - Brown Eyed Handsome Man #TheMJshow


Perfect video to end the tribute. Check out this next song.
20th Song - Buddy Holly - True Love Ways #TheMJshow


21st Song - Buddy Holly - Everyday #TheMJshow


Here's a bonus song. Just to show you Buddy Holly's influence! :)
(This one's for Sajid.)
Bonus Song - Pearl Jam - Everyday #TheMJshow


22nd Song - Buddy Holly - Words Of Love #TheMJshow


The Beatles did a cover version of "Words of Love" that was a close reproduction of Holly's version, released on 1964's Beatles for Sale.
Bonus Song - The Beatles - Words Of Love #TheMJShow


Wokay then...boys and girls of all ages :) If you heard these songs you know why Don McLean wrote the words he wrote in his epic song. In a big big way, that truly was "The day that music died".

And here's a bonus song because I think it truly deserves to be here.
(Listen to the live version I have for you here. Beautiful stuff!) :)
Bonus Song - Don McLean - American Pie #TheMJshow


Check out Buddy Holly's influence on John Lennon here:
Bonus Song - John Lennon sings Buddy Holly #TheMJshow


That's it for today. I know this one came after quite a while. I'll try to make sure that the next one isn't so far away :)

Right then...Have a great day and take care :)
This is your Musicman Mihir...signing off!