On this day (February 3) in 1959, J.P. Richardson Jr., better known as The Big Bopper, died in a plane crash near Mason City, Iowa, at the age of 28. He lost his life alongside Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the small plane’s pilot in what is now known as The Day the Music Died.
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The mild-mannered Richardson first took on the Big Bopper moniker while working as a disc jockey on the Beaumont, Texas-based radio station KTRM. His larger-than-life persona made him a hit with local listeners. According to the Texas State Historical Association, his popularity helped him rise through the ranks at the station, eventually becoming the program director. At the same time, he was writing songs.
His recording career began with Pappy Daily’s D Records. He released a few country singles that failed to chart. As a result, he switched to rock and roll. A year later, in 1958, he released “Chantilly Lace,” and it became a top 10 hit. The song’s success helped his fame spread nationwide. Moreover, it won him a place on Buddy Holly’s Winter Dance Party Tour.
The Big Bopper Plays His Final Show
The Big Bopper played his final show on February 2, 1959. The Winter Dance Party Tour took the bus full of rockers to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The musicians had already reportedly started calling it the Tour from Hell.
The winter of 1959 was remarkably cold in a region known for its bitter winter temperatures. The tour bus they were traveling on didn’t have adequate heat. In fact, many musicians had gotten sick, and Carl Bunch, Buddy Holly’s drummer, contracted frostbite on his feet while on the bus.
While they put on the best show possible, the musicians were cold, tired, and worn down. As a result, Holly chartered a plane to take him and his band to the next tour stop to give them time to rest, do laundry, and escape the frigid temps.
Holly’s friend, bassist, and future country music icon, Waylon Jennings, was set to board the plane after the Clear Lake show. However, Richardson had contracted the flu and asked Jennings for his spot on the plane. Worried that the up-and-comer’s condition would only worsen on the long, cold ride, Jennings agreed.
After leaving Surf Ballroom, Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper boarded a Beechcraft Bonanza at the Mason City Airport. Their flight left the runway just before 1 AM. Moments later, the right wing hit the ground, and the plane cartwheeled across a cornfield. In the end, everyone aboard the plane was dead.
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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