Covering the day the music died....

Before we put The Day the Music Died away for yet another year, here is a pretty cool playlist of live covers of Buddy Holly, Big Bopper Richardson, Richie Valens, Dion DiMucci and Wayon Jennings. Although it is common knowledge that Waylon Jennings gave up his seat on the flight, I never knew that Dion & the Belmonts were in the mix that fateful snowy night. The following is from Wolfgang's Concert Vault:

Summary
On February 2nd, 1959, the Winter Dance Party Tour, featuring Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and Dion and the Belmonts pulled into Clear Lake, Iowa for a show at the Surf Ballroom. The gig was a late addition to the tour schedule, filling in what would have otherwise been a night off. By the time they arrived, their bus had had a number of problems including a broken heating system that caused Holly's drummer, Carl Bunch, to develop frostbite in his feet. Holly, also in need of some extra time to do some laundry, decided to charter a small plane to their next stop in Minnesota.

The plane, piloted by Roger Peterson, sat 3 people. Dion DiMucci was offered a seat, but he refused to pay the outrageous sum of $36. Waylon Jennings, Holly's bassist at the time, gave his seat to Richardson, who was suffering from the flu. Valens won the last remaining seat through a coin toss from Holly's guitarist, Tommy Allsup.

At 1 am on February 3rd, the plane took off. It was found the following morning about 5 miles away from the airport. Holly was 22, Richardson was 28, and Valens was 17. The tragedy has since become ingrained in the national consciousness, helped, in part, by Don McLean's "American Pie." In this playlist, created on the 50th anniversary of the crash, we offer a tribute to the musicians through their music and their story.

The playlist begins with 11 songs either written or made famous by Holly (1-6), Valens (7-9), and Richardson (10-11). Dion (track 12) and Waylon Jennings (track 13) went on to have long, successful careers. Marshall Crenshaw (track 14), who plays Buddy Holly in the Valens biopic "La Bamba," and Don McLean (track 15) have helped immortalize the story.

1. The Beach Boys | Peggy Sue
   
2. Link Wray and Robert Gordon | (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care
   
3. Don McLean | It Doesn't Matter Anymore
   
4. Linda Ronstadt | That'll Be The Day
   
5. The Neville Brothers | Oh Boy!
   
6. Grateful Dead | Not Fade Away (Reprise)
   
7. Los Lobos | Come On, Let's Go
   
8. Los Lobos | La Bamba
   
9. Burton Cummings | Framed
   
10. Jerry Lee Lewis | Chantilly Lace
    
11. George Jones | White Lightning
    
12. Dave Edmunds' All Star Rock 'N Roll Revue | The Wanderer
    
13. Waylon Jennings | Clyde
    
14. Marshall Crenshaw | Someday, Someway
    
15. Don McLean | American Pie