60th anniversary of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper plane crash/ Rockabilly N Blues Radio Hour 02-03-19

We look back 60 years ago to that plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper on February 3rd, 1959.  We'll spin tunes from each of those along with Dion and Waylon Jennings.  Dion also shares memories of Buddy, Sonny Curtis sings of the real Buddy story and we also hear a track from a recent release of Buddy Holly and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.  Listen for a snippet of a Dick Clark interview from 1958 with Buddy & The Crickets as well.  Rave on!!!

Hear episode here:

Larry Welborn, Buddy Holly, Bob Montgomery
mid-50's

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Big Bopper on stage

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Intro Voice Over- Rob "Cool Daddy" Dempsey
Intro Music Bed: Brian Setzer- "Rockabilly Blues"

Buddy Holly & Bob Montgomery (with Sonny Curtis)- 
"Midnight Shift" (alternate version with false start)
Ritchie Valens- "Ooh! My Head"
Dion on Buddy Holly
Dion & The Belmonts- "I Wonder Why" (with studio chatter)
The Big Bopper- "Chantilly Lace"
Ritchie Valens- "Donna"
The Crickets- "Maybe Baby"

Buddy Holly (with Waylon Jennings handclaps)- 
"You're The One" (recorded at KLLL in Lubbock, TX)

Dion & The Belmonts
(Waylon Jennings far left)

Dick Clark interview with Buddy Holly & The Crickets
The Crickets- "It's So Easy"
The Big Bopper- "White Lightning"
Buddy Holly- "Heartbeat"
Dion- "Hug My Radiator"
Ritchie Valens- "La Bamba"
Newsreel from plane crash
Buddy Holly- "Crying, Waiting, Hoping"
(recorded at Buddy's apartment 
11 Fifth Ave, New York City Dec. 14, 1958)
Ritchie Valens- "Boney Maroney"
Dion- "Oh Boy"
Sonny Curtis- "Real Buddy Holly Story"
Buddy Holly & The Crickets with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra-
"Rave On"

Ritchie Valens on stage

Outro Music Bed: Link Wray- "That'll Be The Day"

Buddy Holly setlist February 2nd Surf Ballroom
Clear Lake, IA:
Gotta Travel On
Salty Dog Rag
It Doesn't Matter Anymore
Peggy Sue
That'll Be The Day
It's So Easy
Everyday
Oh Boy
Early In The Morning
Rave On
Brown Eyed Handsome Man

Ritchie Valens setlist February 2nd:
La Bamba
Come On, Let's Go
Donna
Fast Freight
Framed

The Big Bopper setlist February 2nd:
Chantilly Lace
The Big Bopper's Wedding
Witch Doctor and The Purple People Eater

Dion & The Belmonts setlist February 2nd:
Still researching and will post when found.

Buddy Holly (with Waylon Jennings & Tommy Allsup)
Clear Lake Iowa February 2, 1959

Waylon, Buddy, Tommy

Buddy and Dion

Ritchie Valens, Dion, Big Bopper on stage
Winter Dance Party tour 1959

Alex Orbison interview! Rockabilly N Blues Radio Hour 02-01-16

Alex Orbison is our guest this hour as we talk about a couple of recent releases from his dad Roy Orbison.  We go in depth about the 13 CD The MGM Years box set and the previously unreleased One Of The Lonely Ones.  We start the show off playing tunes from Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and Dion.  They were the 4 headliners from 1959's Winter Dance Party.  The plane crash killing Buddy, Bopper and Ritchie happened 57 years ago on February 3, 1959.  Be sure to also check out the bonus interview footage with Alex Orbison to hear more great stories and tunes!

Hear broadcast episode here:

Hear bonus show here (with the songs "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Give Up", "I Will Always", "I've Been Loving You Too Long"):

Intro Voice Over- Rob "Cool Daddy" Dempsey

Buddy Holly- "Rock Around With Ollie Vee"

Big Bopper- "Pink Petticoats"

Dion & The Belmonts- "I Can't Go On Rosalie"

Ritchie Valens- "Bonie Maronie"

Alex Orbison interview

Roy Orbison- "Claudette"

Segment 1

Roy Orbison- "I'm In A Blue, Blue Mood"

Segment 2

Roy Orbison- "Yes I'm Hurting"

Segment 3

Roy Orbison- "Ride Away"

Segment 4

Roy Orbison- "Go, Go, Go (Down The Line)"

Segment 5

Roy Orbison- "Pantomime"

Segment 6

Roy Orbison- "You'll Never Walk Alone"

Segment 7

Roy Orbison- "Kawliga"

Winter Dance Party Tour, new JD McPherson and lot's more

We remember the artists from the Winter Dance Party Tour this week.  Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were tragically killed in a plane crash on February 3rd, 1959.  We hear from Dion who was also a part of the tour with his group The Belmonts on his thoughts on Buddy Holly and why he calls it "The Day The Music Was Born".  Also this week, the title cut and new single from JD McPherson plus we've got rockers from Jerry Lee Lewis, Levi Dexter & Gretsch Brothers, Johnny Burnette, Robert Gordon, Traveling Wilburys and lots more!

Hear episode here:

Download all episodes HERE!

Intro Voice Over- Rob "Cool Daddy" Dempsey

Little Richard- "Tutti Frutti"

Brian Setzer- "Lemme Slide"

Hot Rod Walt & The Psycho DeVilles- "Rebel"

Ronnie Self- "Ain't I'm A Dog"

Traveling Wilburys- "Wilbury Twist"

Buddy Holly & The Crickets- "Rock Me Baby"

Eddie Cochran- "Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie"

Dion interview segment

Dion & The Belmonts- "I Wonder Why"

Levi Dexter & Gretsch Brothers- "Everyday"

Roy Orbison- Chicken Hearted"

Big Bopper- "White Lightning"

Waylon Jennings- "Jole Blon" (produced by Buddy Holly)

Jerry Lee Lewis- "Stepchild"

JD McPherson- "Let The Good Times Roll"

Howlin' Wolf- "Come To Me Baby"

Ritchie Valens- "Come On Let's Go"

Chan Romero- "Hippy Hippy Shake"

Johnny Burnette- "Sweet Baby Doll"

Rhythm Bound- "Come On In"

Robert Gordon- "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll"

Ritchie Valens, Dion and Big Bopper from the Winter Dance Party Tour 1959

"The Big Bopper" J.P. Richardson was born this day in 1930

J.P. Richardson ("The Big Bopper") was born this day in 1930.  He worked at KTRM in Beaumont, TX.  He began his musical career as a songwriter.  "White Lightning" became George Jones' first number 1 hit in 1959.  He also wrote "Running Bear" which became a #1 hit for Johnny Preston.  Richardson may best be known for his signature song "Chantilly Lace" and the opening line of "Hellooo Baby!"  He was in the plane crash that also took the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.  Here's the Bopper doing what he did best with "Chantilly Lace"...

Ritchie Valens was born this day in 1941

Richard Steven Valenzuela (Ritchie Valens) was born this day in 1941 in Pacoima, CA.  He tragically died 3 months before his 18th birthday along with Buddy Holly and "The Big Bopper" J.P. Richardson on February 3, 1959 while on the Winter Dance Party with fellow headliner Dion DiMucci.

"Ooh My Head"

"La Bamba"

"Donna"

"Come On, Let's Go"

The Day The Music Was Born

February 3rd, 1959 is often referred to as "the day the music died" thanks mainly to the popular Don McLean tune "American Pie".  He was singing about the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson).  Dion DiMucci was part of this tour with The Belmonts (as seen in the poster above) and had decided to give up his seat on the plane to take the bus to the next gig.  Interestingly, he says "the day the music died" doesn't define that day for him.  He refers to it as "the day the music was born".  The legacy those 3 left inspired people from all over to continue developing their craft.  Read more of his interview HERE.

Enjoy some select tunes from Buddy, Ritchie and Bopper as we remember the day the music was born:

Buddy Holly- "Peggy Sue"

Buddy Holly- "Oh Boy"

Ritchie Valens- "La Bamba"

Ritchie Valens- "Ooh My Head"

Big Bopper- "Chantilly Lace"

Big Bopper- "White Lightning"

Billboard 1960 reports Dion & The Belmonts are splitting

Billboard's report from this day in 1960 states that Dion & The Belmonts were splitting.  The group had enjoyed such hits as "I Wonder Why", "Where Or When", "Teenager In Love", "No One Knows" and many others.  They were part of the Winter Dance Party in 1959 when a plane crash tragically took the lives of fellow headliners Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson).  You can see them on stage on a date from that tour with a young Waylon Jennings playing bass (far left):

After the split, Dion went on to such solo hits as "The Wanderer", "Runaround Sue", "Ruby Baby" and more.  The group did reunite for the 1966 album Together Again as well as the 1972 Live From Madison Square Garden album.  Enjoy some great footage of their hits below:

"I Wonder Why"

"A Teenager In Love"

Billy Grammer passes away August 10, 2011. Gotta Travel On, Billy...

Billy Grammer passed away on August 10th, 2011.  Here's his signature song "Gotta Travel On" that became a hit in early 1959.  In fact, Buddy Holly and the headliners from the Winter Dance Party Tour (Dion DiMucci, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper) would play this song in February 1959 before the fateful plane crash.