The day the musicians died

"I saw Satan laughing with delight, The day the music died."— Don McLean, American Pie Even in marking the anniversary, we should all admit the premise of Don McLean's most famous song is flawed. Last Wednesday marked 61 years since a plane carrying rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson crashed in Iowa, killing all three, as well as everyone else on board. To be fair, McLean never said his signature tune, "American Pie," was about the tragedy itself. He merely dedicated the album to Holly. From there, the listeners did the math. But in listening to music from Holly, Richardson and Valens, it's clear that while the artists died, the music didn't. Holly and Valens are often played on the radio, and their influence has been felt for decades. The songs, such as "That'll be the Day" and "La Bamba" are sung by children and senior citizens, their opening licks instantly recognizable to even casual rock and roll fans. Truthfully, Richardson's legacy may have been shorted the most. He was more than just a novelty singer, though few seem to know that. And yet, there is this degree of mystery that remains around all three artists. Fans, musicians and music historians have speculated on what would have happened had that plane not crashed. Usually, much of this talk starts with Holly. Though his recording career only lasted 18 months, Holly — 22 at the time of his death — already had three top-10 pop hits in America. He was an even bigger hit in England, where he had six top-10 hits, and 21 that cracked the top 40. The Beatles — especially John Lennon — were huge fans. Lennon used to wear Holly-styled glasses, and when he recorded a solo album of rock and roll standards in 1974, he included "Peggy Sue" on the record. Lennon himself wondered about what Holly could have accomplished had his life not been cut short. But the fact is, Holly accomplished plenty. Unlike so many performers of the time, he was a true singer/songwriter, with an excellent sense of pop. At the same time, if you listen to Holly's "True Love Ways" — an orchestra-infused ballad released after his death — it was clear he may have been reaching another level. As for Valens, he was only 17 at the time of the crash. He clearly was a big talent, turning the Mexican folk song "La Bamba" into a rock standard. The song endured so much that 28 years after his death, a biopic on Valens (also called "La Bamba") became a hit, and Los Lobos cover of the song went all the way to No. 1 on the pop charts. Valens (whose real name was Valenzuela) didn't record a ton of songs — how could he? — but he wrote a pretty ballad called "Donna" which also became a moderate hit. It's possible, even likely, that he'd have grown as a performer and a songwriter. Most people hear the name "The Big Bopper" and they think of his trademark "Hello, Baby!" before his hit song "Chantilly Lace." But in fact, Richardson was making a name for himself that went well beyond his one big hit. By the time of his death, Richardson — also a popular disc jockey in Texas — was beginning to carve out a niche as a country music songwriter. He had composed more than 20 songs. His biggest hit was "White Lightning" the first No. 1 country hit for George Jones. Richardson also penned "Running Bear" which became a No. 1 pop hit for Johnny Preston, as well as another country hit for Jones, "Treasure of Love." It'd be easy to say that Holly, Valens or Richardson would have gone on to long careers. But I'm not sure about that. Aside from Elvis Presley, how many stars in the 1950s continued their success into the next decade? Gene Vincent, Bill Haley and even more family friendly acts like Ricky Nelson were overtaken by new styles by the start of the 1960s. I think Holly likely would have followed — or perhaps led — Jerry Lee Lewis and Conway Twitty, who reinvented themselves as country artists in the '60s and '70s. But that's just a guess. Then again, I can only imagine Lennon begging Holly to record with him in the 1970s. When he met Lewis, Lennon dropped to the floor and kissed Lewis' shoes. Can you imagine how he'd have reacted if he'd met Holly? Valens — well, it's hard to say. He was a 17-year-old star. He had a pair of top-40 hits. That was promising, but rock is full of artists who had a few hits and then fell out of favor, at least in America. But I think Richardson may have been set up best for long-term success, since he already was crossing over as a country songwriter at the time of his death. In the end, it's just a bunch of unanswered questions. But I feel confident in one thing: There would have been no Beatles without Buddy Holly. There may have never been a rockabilly genre without him, either. Don McLean called it the Day the Music Died. In reality, the music was just starting, and developing a life of its own — even if those three artists didn't get to hear it.