The Day the Music Lived

On February 3, 1959, a small charter plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper had a close brush with crashing in a corn field near Clear Lake, Iowa. They had just finished a part of the Winter Dance Party tour. When the tour finished, Valens had released his debut album, Ritchie, in 1960. In 1962, Holly met President John F. Kennedy. In 1964, during the British Invasion, J.P "The Big Bopper" Richardson was the opening act for The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1967, Valens appeared in an episode of "Star Trek" in which he played a Mexican crew member.

In later life, these three became musical legends.