V.A. - The Day The Music Died

The Day The Music Died.  In early 1959, the "Winter Dance Party" tour featured Buddy Holly, the emerging artist Ritchie Valens, "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson, and the vocal group Dion and the Belmonts touring several cities in the Midwest of the USA. The entire group of musicians traveled together on a bus, although the buses used for the tour were completely inadequate, often breaking down and needing replacement. They were repurposed school buses, mostly with faulty heaters, navigating temperatures ranging from -7 to -38 °C. On February 2, 1959, Holly had enough of the bus and chartered a small plane. The overwhelmed pilot, along with Jiles Perry "The Big Bopper" and Ritchie Valens, piloted the plane, leading to their tragic deaths. The very young ages of the three musicians killed—Ritchie Valens was only 17, Buddy Holly 22, and J. P. Richardson 28—hint at the artistic potential that was abruptly extinguished by the crash. Consequently, this tragic event became known as "The Day The Music Died" in music history. Dion DiMucci, who took the bus, can look back on a career spanning over 60 years, delivering numerous hits, releasing over 40 albums to date, and being a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1989. His evergreen "Runaround Sue" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. He is alive and continues to find success with his music (November 2023).

Side B

1. The Big Bopper - Chantilly Lace   
2. Big Bopper‘s Wedding   
3. White Lightnin‘   
4. Dion - I Wonder Why [with the Belmonts]   
5. Where Or When [with the Belmonts]    
6. A Teenager In Love [with the Belmonts]   
7. Runaround Sue   
8. The Wanderer   
9. Buddy Holly - Rave On   
10. True Love Ways