During the late evening of February 3, 1959, the world of rock and roll music changed. The event took place just outside of Clear Lake, Iowa. Earlier that evening, several up-and-coming rock bands had been playing at the Surf Ballroom. It was an impressive array of talent, including: Buddy Holly and the Crickets, The Big Bopper, Richie Valens & Dion and the Belmonts. Buddy Holly had decided to hire a small plane to take himself and his band to the next stop. Because of a series of coin flips, Buddy ended up on the plane along with The Big Bopper and Richie Valens. The pilot and the plane that was hired was thought to be a good choice because the plane was very new. Shortly after takeoff, the plane sputtered and came down killing all aboard. The loss of talent and future musical accomplishment was sadly erased with one plane crash. Come and hear the story of them and their music and the wonderful tribute by Don Maclean “American Pie.”
