The event became known as ' The Day the Music Died' after singer-songwriter Don McLean referred to it as such in his 1971 song ' American Pie'.Īt the time, Holly and his band, consisting of Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch, were playing on the 'Winter Dance Party' tour across the Midwest. Richardson were all killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson.
On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and 'The Big Bopper' J. Class=notpageimage| Location in the United States