MOLINE, Ill. — Editor's Note: The video above is thanks to WQAD's sister station WOI in Des Moines.
The name is obviously hyperbolic, but “the day the music died” is still one that lives on in the minds of many of the people who were there when Buddy Holly’s plane crashed on Feb. 3, 1959.
Immortalized into the public consciousness by Don Mclean’s 1971 classic song “American Pie,” Feb. 3 marks the anniversary of a plane crash just outside of Mason City, Iowa, that killed three early trailblazers of rock ‘n’ roll.
The story goes that the 22-year-old rock ‘n’ roll singer and songwriter Buddy Holly, leader of The Crickets, had chartered a Beechcraft Bonanza plane to fly to the next stop on the band's Winter Dance Party Tour after its tour bus experienced mechanical difficulties.
Joining most of the band on the plane was 28-year-old songwriter and disk jockey J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson as well as 17-year-old Spanish-influenced singer Ritchie Valens. Both artists were also participating in the tour.
Taking off from Mason City, Iowa, the plane faced almost immediate trouble due to poor weather conditions. The snowy night caused the plane to crash just six miles away from the location of the band's last concert. All three musicians and the pilot were killed.
The crash changed that era of rock ‘n’ roll, as Buddy Holly and his self-written songs in particular were influential on later artists like Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. Bands still go on the "Winter Dance Party Tour" and play on the Surf Ballroom stage to honor the legacy of the three lost icons.
An additional factoid for iPhone users: Ask Siri “when did the music die?” She will answer "Feb. 3."