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5 reviews for:
The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens
Larry Lehmer
4.33 AVERAGE
5 reviews for:
The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens
Larry Lehmer
4.33 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
A meticulously researched and highly readable history touching on the lives and careers of Buddy, Ritchie, and the Bopper. The level of detail here is incredible. Very much a book for fans, though - I think general readers will get a bit lost, but for hardcore fans of these 3 legendary musicians, this is a must-read. Really enjoyed this.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book, as it gave a very detailed, first-hand account of the tragedy and what led up to it. I read it in 2024, so it's a bit dated now (I'm not taking that into account in my review) but I found it a charming glimpse into a bygone era. I had no idea that all four victims were so young.
The book certainly seems to have a villain,Norman Petty , because we're it not for this person's actions, a lot of this wouldn't have happened.
TRIGGER WARNING: I was also kind of surprised to see photos of the accident scene showing actual dead bodies of the victims.
My biggest complaint comes in the final couple of chapters, that just seem to drone on and on about people that may have or may not have, a very minimal connection to the case. Sure, I want to know how their parents and closest friends reacted, but I'm not terribly concerned with what happened to the mechanic who worked on the bus or the guy who skipped writing an article on them. But, perhaps, that's me being jaded, since I'm sure they and their families appreciate the recognition for whatever small part they may have played in the story.
The book certainly seems to have a villain,
TRIGGER WARNING: I was also kind of surprised to see photos of the accident scene showing actual dead bodies of the victims.
My biggest complaint comes in the final couple of chapters, that just seem to drone on and on about people that may have or may not have, a very minimal connection to the case. Sure, I want to know how their parents and closest friends reacted, but I'm not terribly concerned with what happened to the mechanic who worked on the bus or the guy who skipped writing an article on them. But, perhaps, that's me being jaded, since I'm sure they and their families appreciate the recognition for whatever small part they may have played in the story.
I picked this book up to read more about the plane crash that killed J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of late 50's rock and roll, but the stories behind the success of each of these young performers and the history of the ill-fated Winter Dance Party Tour in 1959 were very interesting. These performers were my parents' generation music and as a child, I heard my parents talk about the music and the history of rock and roll quite frequently.
What struck me most while reading this book was the sheer lunacy of having a whirlwind tour of the Upper Midwest United States during what is usually the coldest, snowiest part of the year. Not only did these up and coming rock stars not have decent transportation, they also played in some of the smallest dives imaginable. The performers got very ill and one even developed frostbite after their unheated bus broke down in a snow storm. The doomed flight occurred after they had enough of their transportation woes and chartered a plane. The night was terrible for flying and the pilot was only 21 years old and not even fully trained yet.
The book examined the lives that each of the performers led outside of their rock careers. The Big Bopper was a family man whose wife was pregnant at the time of his untimely death. Buddy Holly's wife was also pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage after his death. Ritchie Valens was a shy young man who wrote the famous song, "Donna" about his first real girlfriend. Buddy and his wife allegedly had a troubled marriage. His wife, Maria Elena Holly, did not attend his funeral and has never been to the grave site. Her interest in his estate after his death has led some to speculation about her character. Fortunately, the author himself doesn't speculate on that; however, many of Buddy's friends and family members had much to say about it. Interestingly, both she and Buddy had nightmare premonitions about a plane crash just days before he left his New York home to embark on the tour.
It was also interesting to find out more about the performer's contemporaries who performed or toured with them. I never knew that Waylon Jennings was one of the Crickets. Dion and The Belmonts were also on the tour, something I didn't know until I read the book.
The three who were killed (along with the pilot of the plane) could have contributed so much more to the history of rock and roll. They left us too young.
What struck me most while reading this book was the sheer lunacy of having a whirlwind tour of the Upper Midwest United States during what is usually the coldest, snowiest part of the year. Not only did these up and coming rock stars not have decent transportation, they also played in some of the smallest dives imaginable. The performers got very ill and one even developed frostbite after their unheated bus broke down in a snow storm. The doomed flight occurred after they had enough of their transportation woes and chartered a plane. The night was terrible for flying and the pilot was only 21 years old and not even fully trained yet.
The book examined the lives that each of the performers led outside of their rock careers. The Big Bopper was a family man whose wife was pregnant at the time of his untimely death. Buddy Holly's wife was also pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage after his death. Ritchie Valens was a shy young man who wrote the famous song, "Donna" about his first real girlfriend. Buddy and his wife allegedly had a troubled marriage. His wife, Maria Elena Holly, did not attend his funeral and has never been to the grave site. Her interest in his estate after his death has led some to speculation about her character. Fortunately, the author himself doesn't speculate on that; however, many of Buddy's friends and family members had much to say about it. Interestingly, both she and Buddy had nightmare premonitions about a plane crash just days before he left his New York home to embark on the tour.
It was also interesting to find out more about the performer's contemporaries who performed or toured with them. I never knew that Waylon Jennings was one of the Crickets. Dion and The Belmonts were also on the tour, something I didn't know until I read the book.
The three who were killed (along with the pilot of the plane) could have contributed so much more to the history of rock and roll. They left us too young.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced