Holly, Valens, Richardson Remembered: 50 Winters Later

Feb. 5, 2009 - PRLog -- CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – Exactly "50 Winters Later," musicians, relatives and music fans from around the world gathered at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa to celebrate the memories and music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. The three died in a plane crash after performing at the venue, never making it to Fargo, ND, where they were to play another gig in what was a grueling schedule of shows that criss-crossed the Midwest during a dangerously cold winter. Five decades later, an all-star lineup of performers descended on the famous stage to give an emotional crowd, which included many of the same people who were there that fateful night, a tribute they would never forget.

Premier Guitar (an Iowa-based media company) was there live with Joe Coffey, editorial director of Premier Guitar.

Read Joe's article at http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/Daily/News/Holly_Valens_Richardson_Remembered_50_Winters_Later.aspx.  

Listen to Joe's on-the-scene podcast at http://www.premierguitar.com/Media/Podcast.aspx.

The night's scheduled entertainers were The Crickets, Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens, Joe Ely, Wanda Jackson, Delbert McClinton, Graham Nash, Peter & Gordon, Sir Timothy Rice, Bobby Vee,  J.P. Richardson, Jr.,  Tommy Allsup, who is best known for playing guitar with Buddy Holly during Holly's post-Crickets career. Allsup famously lost the coin toss with Valens that would've put him on the plane that crashed.

Carrying on the tradition of Hispanic musicians who followed in Valens' footsteps, the night also included performances by Los Lonely Boys, Los Lobos and Chris Montez. Other special guests that night were Dave Mason, Johnny Rogers and Kevin Montgomery. Montgomery's father, Bob Montgomery, was close friends and teenage bandmates with Holly and performed with the likes of Elvis and Bob Dylan. The night's house band consisted of Allsup, Kenny Aronoff, Chuck Leavell, Bobby Keys and Hutch Hutchinson.

The Monday night concert capped seven days of special events organized by the Surf Ballroom and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The week included educational programs, memorial site tours, symposiums, dance lessons, a sock hop, memorabilia shows, luncheons, speeches, theatrical performances and more. There was also a ceremony in which the Rock Hall dedicated the Surf Ballroom as a historic rock and roll landmark. The designation is part of the Museum's ongoing Landmark series, which identifies locations in the U.S. that are significant to the origins and development of rock and roll.

Monday night's performance was a mixture of tributes, new music, all star jams and emotion, giving an audience of music fans and people connected to the "Day the Music Died" five hours of memories that were intrinsically rooted to the Winter Dance Party 50 years earlier that also featured Dion and the Belmonts and Frankie Sardo. In attendance were brothers and sisters of Valens, Holly's widow, Maria Elena Holly, and dozens of Midwesterners who were there 50 years ago. The evening's emcee was Cousin Brucie Morrow, the famous deejay who introduced the Beatles at Shea Stadium and was credited by Elvis for shaping the King's career.

Notable gear at the event included two '59 Bassmans, various vintage Teles, a '58 Tweed Super, a reissue Harmony Ritchie Valens Stratotone, a refinished Les Paul TV Jr., two SVT Classics, a JCM 2000 and two DeVilles. Rush-shipped specially for the concert from the Fender Custom Shop were various Custom Shop Strats and Teles and two handwired Tweed Twins.

The Surf Ballroom and Museum (http://www.surfballroom.com) is a nonprofit organization that is open Monday through Friday year-round (and Saturdays during the summer). It has a capacity of 2,100 and continues to host live music events throughout the year. The venue's stage was recently expanded by about a dozen feet from front to back.

The Monday night concert was videotaped and is expected to air nationally as part of the 2009 PBS season.

Keep an eye out for a photo essay which will appear in the April 2009 issue of Premier Guitar (www.premierguitar.com).

About Premier Guitar:
Offering guitarists a multimedia source for news, gear info and education/instruction, PG is the media home for players who are serious about their tone. PG's gear-centric print magazine has a monthly circulation of 32,000 complemented by the industry's only complete, freely accessible online magazine (http://digital.premierguitar.com) that attracts more than 32,000 monthly visits; a Web site (www.premierguitar.com) that's the fastest-growing portal in the guitar industry with an average of more than 330,000 unique visitors consuming almost 10 million page views per month; and the market's leading interactive gear search service that attracts more than 200,000 monthly visitors. With nearly 50,000 pieces of gear, players can find, buy and sell gear on Gear Search (www.premierguitar.com/gear/gear_search.aspx). Published by Gearhead Communications, LLC, Premier Guitar is employee-owned and based in Mount Vernon, Iowa with offices throughout the U.S.

For more information, contact Nick Ireland, marketing manager for Premier Guitar, at (319) 895-0050 or nick@premierguitar.com or visit www.premierguitar.com.

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Premier Guitar offers guitarists a multimedia source for news, gear info and education/instruction, PG is the media home for players who are serious about their tone.