On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson. The event later became known as "The Day the Music Died" after singer-songwriter Don McLean referred to it as such in his 1971 song "American Pie". At the time, Holly and his band, consisting of Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch, were playing on the "Winter Dance Party" tour across the Midwest. Rising artists Valens, Richardson, and vocal group Dion and the Belmonts had joined the tour as well. The long journeys between venues on board the cold, uncomfortable tour buses adversely affected the performers, with cases of flu and even frostbite. After stopping at Clear Lake to perform, and frustrated by such conditions, Holly chose to charter a plane to reach their next venue in Moorhead, Minnesota. Richardson, suffering from flu, sw
El 3 de febrero de 1959, los músicos estadounidenses de rock and roll Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, y "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson murieron en un accidente de avión cerca de Clear Lake, Iowa, junto con el piloto Roger Peterson. El evento se convirtió más tarde en conocido como "The Day the Music Died" después de que el cantante y compositor Don McLean se refirió a él como tal en su canción de 1971 "American Pie". En ese momento, Holly y su banda, compuesta por Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup y Carl Bunch, estaban jugando en el tour "Winter Dance Party" a través del Medio Oeste. Los artistas ascendentes Valens, Richardson, y el grupo vocal Dion y los Belmonts se habían unido al tour también. Los largos viajes entre los lugares a bordo del frío, los viajes incómodos afectaron negativamente a los intérpretes, con casos e incluso frostbite. Después de parar en Clear Lake para actuar, y frustrado por tales condiciones, Holly