Buddy Holly Memorial At Crash Site Revisited

Tonight is the 54th anniversary of the 1959 Winter Dance Party concert in Clear Lake, Iowa. 54 years ago tomorrow a plane crashed carrying early rock and roll pioneers Buddy Holly, Richie Valens the Big Bopper and their pilot Roger Peterson soon after takeoff from the Mason City airport. The small plane came to rest in a farm field (near this wire fence) just northeast of Clear Lake. Directions to the site can be found here.

These photos are from July 2012 when I traveled to Clear Lake to see firsthand what the site is all about. I discovered the plane crash location is open to the public and is marked with coins, glasses, candles, flowers, liquor bottles, clothes and paper tributes - all from fans. The trail to the crash site is marked by huge iconic Buddy Holly glasses resting on two concrete posts. About a quarter mile into the field along the wire fence is a conglomeration of memorials to the musicians and pilot where the plane came to rest.

After visitors left the site I stayed to photograph the area in more detail.  It was a bit odd to be the only person at the site, surrounded by tall corn, blowing wind and soaring temperatures nearing 100 F. I didn't hear any voices or music in the corn but definitely was aware of the historical surroundings and lives lost.

On the north shore of Clear Lake, the Surf Ballroom is still a vibrant part of the entertainment scene. It regularly attracts national acts as was evident during the time I visited. Tonight actor Gary Busey who played Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story will be at the Surf's screening of the 1978 movie.

Buddy Holly Barn Charm

A huge pair of iconic Buddy Holly eye glasses frame a Clear Lake, Iowa barn and farmland. Holly's glasses mark a trail from the gravel road to the site of the February 3rd, 1959 plane crash that took the lives of Holly, the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and pilot Roger Peterson. A dirt path follows the fence line for about a half mile to the place where Holly's plane came to rest just a few miles north of Clear Lake. Memorials to the singers and pilot are placed at the site.   

A Tale of the 1959 Winter Dance Party from Tipton, Iowa

Every town, large or small has stories to tell. This one comes from 42N’s Tipton, Iowa and connects the town to the early giants of the Rock’n’Roll era – fifty two years ago today!

Many people know the tragic story of the airplane crash on February 3, 1959 that ended the lives of musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper) and their pilot, Roger Peterson. A couple of movies have been produced about it (The Buddy Holly Story and La Bamba) and the song, American Pie by Don McLean speaks to the event about the day the music died. Annually, Clear Lake, Iowa’s Surf Ballroom, the site of the last Holly-Valens-Richardson concert, remembers the stars with music and dance.

In the days prior to the Surf Ballroom performance, the stars (Holly, Valens, Richardson, Dion, future star, Waylon Jennings and others) made their way to several concert locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa by bus. In these latitudes at this time of year winter conditions can be very cold. 1959 was no exception.

On Friday, January 30th after performing at the Capitol Ballroom in Davenport, Iowa the night before, the stars travel by bus for their next gig in Fort Dodge, Iowa some 250 miles away. Complicating the long road trip is the fact that the bus’ heating element is not working. The riders are miserable and the driver decides to stop in nearby Tipton for repairs.

While the heater issue is diagnosed and repairs made at the Gaul Motor Company for four hours, the Winter Dance Party band members go for a bite to eat at Al’s Meet and Eat Restaurant on the 300 block of Cedar Street. The band interacted with the town’s folks who didn’t appear to know who they are.

Some of the band members looked for warmer clothes at the T & M Clothes Store. In 1992 store owner George Tevis recalls that the band members were underdressed with lightweight coats and pants. They paid for new winter gear with lots of $100 bills, he said.

But at the Meet and Eat there was something a bit more interesting going on. Ritchie Valens and maybe others chatted up the wait staff at the tiny diner. Ritchie Valens asked waitress Ester Wenck if she wanted to hear the song he made famous. Wenck said yes and Valens went over to the diner’s juke box and played his hit, Donna. Wenck said that Valens then sang along with his record to her.

Al's Meet and Eat photos are courtesy of the Cedar County Genealogical Society in Tipton, Iowa. These photos represent the time period of the 1959 Winter Dance Party but do not show any of the band members.

A repair of the heater is completed and the band leaves for their Laramar Ballroom performance in Fort Dodge. There is speculation that the band may have discussed renting a plane while in Tipton to avoid the cold and long traveling times afforded by bus travel. The next day, Saturday, January 31st as they enter Duluth, Minnesota the bus breaks down again. A chartered plane is now in the works as something that Valens wants, but a replacement bus is found. On Sunday, February 1st the bus again breaks down again while traveling to Appleton, Wisconsin for a matinee, which is subsequently canceled. The band takes the train to Green Bay and plays at Riverside Ballroom that evening.

On Monday, February 2 the repaired bus picks the band up after the show and travels to their next stop – the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. After the performance at the Surf, shortly after midnight on February 3rd a chartered plane takes off from the Mason City, Iowa airport and crashes within minutes.

News reaches Tipton on Tuesday and those who had seen the band members were quite taken back since the stars had just around a few days prior. “All we know was they were very nice guys – just a bunch of nice boys,” said Bob McGregor, a Tipton Shell Station owner who later recounted the story in 1992.

J.P. Richardson’s son visited Tipton in the early 1990s. Many people who had firsthand accounts of the band’s brief stay in town met JP jr. and retold their stories. Ritchie Valens’ relatives have also visited the town. Today, a museum on Cedar Street downtown (Cedar County Genealogical Society) at a place called, Ms Molly’s is where you can find the Tipton version of the Winter Dance Party story and talk to people who remember. Know that.

Surf Ballroom - The Day the Music Died

Tonight many people who are lucky enough to have a ticket will gather at Clear Lake Iowa's Surf Ballroom to honor the legends of early rock and roll - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson, also known as the Big Bopper. The story is familiar to many about the tragic plane crash 50 years ago tonight that took the lives of the pilot, Roger Peterson and these influential pioneers of the rock era. Our last visit to the Surf two years ago showed it to be a busy place with booked acts like the Los Lonely Boys, B.B. King and the Doobie Brothers scheduled to play during early summer 2007 (see top photo.) L (Sea) Storm moves in front of the then closed ballroom (it was a Sunday) to get a better look at this icon in rock history. Its something to imagine that Peggy Sue, LaBamba, and Chantilly Lace were last performed inside that ballroom by the original artists that made them hits. We remember and celebrate in spirit with the on-site revelers tonight -- maybe even with a Beatle. Know that.