Rock Pioneer Buddy Holly Remembered

Music fans world-wide are remembering “the day the music died”…

On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash in Iowa. Holly was 22, Valens was 17 and the Big Bopper was 28.

Texas-born Buddy Holly is widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the early rock era; his style influenced the Beatles, Bob Dylan and others.

The Big Bopper is remembered as a flamboyant entertainer, whose hit “Chantilly Lace” topped the charts in 1958. Valens, among the earliest Hispanic rock stars scored hits with “Donna,” “LaBamba” and “Come On, Let’s Go.”