Something Touched Me Deep Inside (Part 2)

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Away from the cornfield where the lives of Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson, and Richie Valens ended there is another memorial. This one is outside the Surf Ballroom in the town of Clear Lake. As you probably know, the Surf Ballroom was the host of the Winter Dance Party on February 2, 1959. Holly, tired from riding a bus that was broken down more than it was working, chartered a plane for himself and his band, Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings. The drummer, Carl Bunch, had missed the show that evening because the aforementioned bus’s mechanical problems led to him having frostbite severe enough to hospitalize him. And, as you probably know, Jennings took pity on Richardson, who was sick with the flu, and gave him a seat on the plane. Allsup flipped a coin with Valens. Allsup “lost” and Valens took his place on the plane. And you definitely know what happened next. Standing outside the Surf Ballroom was surreal. You have to understand, I wasn’t even born when Holly, Richardson, and Valens died. I wouldn’t be born for another fourteen months. But you also have to understand that I love music, and to me that was sacred ground. The innocence of rock and roll died that night along with the three stars. It was an honor to come to Clear Lake and pay respects to The Day the Music Died, although I sure wish it had never happened. Rock on, Buddy, JP, and Richie. PHOTOS: Left: a marker outside the Surf Ballroom, explaining that it was the site of the last show before the plane crash. Right: the outside of the Surf Ballroom.