Its been 50 years (February 3, 1959) since they died in a plane crash.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Musi...ied/index.html

Any fans here?

Of plane crashes?

I've seen La Bamba probably 200 times, I have tons of Ritchie Valens stuff, The 3 disc box set is wonderful.

I'm certainly a fan (well, I don't own anything of the Big Boppers actually). I do have the complete Ritchie Valens box set as well as a bunch of Buddy Holly stuff.

Though I do contest "the day the music died". To me the landmark end of that era was the next year when Eddie Cochran died in a car crash on April 17, 1960- which also effectively ended Gene Vincent's career as well. It's interesting to see what's remembered and what isn't.

This is one of the little trivia tidbits from my town, as they were on their way here for their next show (Moorhead, MN).

I'm a big, big fan of Buddy Holly.

How can anyone not love the Big Bopper? That guy is seriously underrated, IMO.

Buddy Holly, absolutely.

All were very good and gave us some great music. They are missed.

At least Waylon was spared from the crash.

The Day the Music Died: Rock’s Great Tragedy.

57 years ago today..... How do you think the careers off Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper would have played out if this plane crash had not happened?

http://www.biography.com/news/the-da...d--plane-crash

Buddy would have kept going making great music, spreading his influence even farther then in the short time that he had.

Valens would maybe score one other hit.

Bopper would be a one hit wonder. Would have never been heard from again.

I think that's pretty close to how I would've answered the question. Though I think Valens might've been able to eek out another hit or two.

I agree. He was way ahead of the pack. The unreleased recordings he was working on sound like stuff from the mid 60s. I believe he would have survived the transition to the rock era and been a contemporary of The Beatles, Stones, Clapton, etc.

Agree with everyone praising Buddy Holly. A true musical genius and innovator. I also wonder how he would have done with the technological developments in music that would happen in the decades that followed his death.

The Bopper was definitely a one-hit wonder, hard to say what Valens would have done. He could have fallen into that trap too, but part of me wonders if he could have continued bringing Latin styles to American music. Ya know, way before that Latina artist Linda Ronstadt did.

There needs to be a Big Bopper biopic, then Gary Busey, Lou Diamond Phillips and to-be-cast Bopper can come together in a "The Day the Music Died" cinematic universe.

No love for Steve Buscemi?

But that wasn't a movie about Buddy Holly, or supposed to actually be Buddy Holly. Plus, there are fan theories that we already got a movie about that character.

No matter what's on, if going through the guide and I see it, no matter where it's at in the movie, I watch it until it's end. Great movie.

I always watch most or all of La Bamba if it's on, especially for Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochran, and Marshall Crenshaw as Buddy.

But I'm a bigger fan of The Buddy Holly Story, even if it's about 2% accurate on Buddy's story (I think the only thing historically accurate is that he died in a plane crash. That part they got right. Everything else? Not so much). Mostly because the music is played LIVE by the actors. Watch how the drummer un-cinematically adjusts his snare drum during That'll Be the Day. Although I wonder how much of the bass playing was actually done by Charles Martin Smith, especially when he drops it to the ground during Rave On. And Gary Busey is just flat-out amazing. Too bad he couldn't stay....well, sane.

Well said.

Disagree. Get his "best of", it's chock full of great singles. The guy was a great personality and had infectious energy.

Valens was a kid. I think he would have done well for at least another 2 albums. He was all the craze, like a Justin Bieber back then. La Bamba was his ticket into bringing Latin into the rock world and would have further taken advantage I think. Or at least a producer would have.

And where did all those "great singles" go? Nowhere. Even after his death. Chantilly Lace hit #6. His only other Top 40 hit was a novelty song called "Big Bopper's Wedding" which hit #38 for one week and then dropped out.

He didn't have anything hit after his death. If there was a great single there, one of them would have done something. No offense against the guy but he was just a DJ who had a lucky break with a huge one hit record. Nothing wrong with that.

Rick Dees, another DJ, had a #1 novelty hit with "Disco Duck" and never had any other Top 40 hits. Big Bopper would have gone the same way.

And he was in La Bamba! MIND BLOWN!