Country’s “Day the Music Died”

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This month I’ve been doing a list of musicians who perished in plane crashes. This morning was the third and final member of country music’s version of “the day the music died.” When I started my trip my intention was to avoid Nashville. In accomplishing that I found myself on the way to Camden, Tennessee. I took the detour and went to the site of the crash. I had been there once before, when all that was present was a cork bulletin board with some scant information and the engraved bolder (lower left photo). It is a much more fitting memorial now. There’s a Tennessee state historical marker at the top of the hill (top left) and a cross (top right) marking the entrance to the switchback gravel path (lower right) taking you down to the site (which is marked by the boulder). About halfway down there is a sign requesting respectful silence the rest of the way. There are seats at the bottom and the top (you may be able to see the gazebo in the lower right photo, just behind the sign), making the area a peaceful, reflective place to remember and to honor the talent lost at the site. COLLAGE: (Top left) Historical marker (Top right) Cross with the date of the crash (Bottom left) The words engraved into a boulder which sits on the crash site (Bottom right) Long shot, showing the switchback path down to the crash site