On February 3rd, 1959, (65 Years Ago!), three music icons: Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Ritchie Valens, and their pilot, Roger Peterson, all died tragically in a plane crash in a field in Clear Lake, Iowa. The three musicians boarded the plane after a show in Clear Lake - two of which had boarded due to chance. Originally, the two members of Holly's band were supposed to be on the plane, one of which was Waylon Jennings. The Big Bopper felt sick following the show, so he convinced Jennings to switch places with him. Valens switched with Holly's other band member, Tommy Allsup, after he won a coin toss. After 6 miles of traveling by air, the plane crashed in a field in Clear Lake, Iowa, instantly killing everyone on board. The tragic event became famously known as "The Day The Music Died" after Don McLean's #1 1971 hit, "American Pie".
