Iowa’s Tragic Connection to ‘The Day the Music Died’

February 3, 1959. A single-engine plane was to depart from Clear Lake, Iowa, en route to Fargo, North Dakota on a cold winter's night carrying a handful of the world's best musicians. The plane would never arrive.

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa as part of the Winter Dance Party Tour.

Dion and the Belmonts opened the show to a packed house. The tour was to cover 24 cities in a very short period. It was to wrap up on February 15th.

MORE: The Bizarre Connection Between Iowa and the ‘Paul Is Dead’ Hoax

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Who Died on the Day the Music Died?

Buddy Holly was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. An early Rock n Roll hitmaker, he is known for his innovative songwriting and influential sound.

Ritchie Valens was a trailblazing Mexican-American artist born May 13, 1941, in Pacoima, California. In the 1950's he brought a fusion of rock and traditional Latin music like his hit "La Bamba."

J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, born October 24, 1930, in Sabine Pass, Texas, was an entertainer and songwriter who found success with the song "Chantilly Lace."