What do you think?
Rate this book
The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens
Now available in softcover format! The story of the last tour of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens—and the fatal air crash that took their lives. Drawing on new documentary information, the author recreates the often grueling conditions of an early rock and roll tour, and provides new facts about "the day the music died." With 50 photos.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 27, 1997
26 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 2, 2012
I've read several Holly bio's but this was the first book that I have read that gave equal representation to J.P Richardson, Richie Valens and Roger Peterson. I felt like I was given the opportunity to get to know a little bit about each one of them. Lots of photos, as well. The author details the tour stop-by-stop, and really gives you a better perspective of what that short, fateful tour really was like for the performers and spectators.
September 14, 2011
I'm not sure if it's possible to cram more facts and incidental detail in a book of this kind. Larry Lehmer's 1997 publication of 'The Day the Music Died' contains a vast amount of research with anecdotal testimony centred on the 'Winter Dance Party Tour' of Jan/Feb 1959, the last tour for Buddy Holly, J.D. Richardson (the Big Bopper) and Ritchie Valens.
The author has most certainly left no turn un-stoned. He includes concise biographies of all the artists on the tour, both prior and post '59. Not just the headliners, but the backing musicians, tour management, artiste managers, family and friends, with accounts from fans who attended the concerts, the dance hall managers et al. The book even has a dedication 'To the family and friends of Roger Peterson, the often forgotten victim of February 3, 1959.'
However intricate any investigative probe concerning the flight into the night, the cause of the crash will likely forever be open to conjecture and conspiracy theorists. My own favourite Holly song has always been 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man'. The very last song that Buddy ever sang at the end of the show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on the night of 2nd February. An anagram for the song is 'Rhyme Man Be Dead on Snow.'
The author has most certainly left no turn un-stoned. He includes concise biographies of all the artists on the tour, both prior and post '59. Not just the headliners, but the backing musicians, tour management, artiste managers, family and friends, with accounts from fans who attended the concerts, the dance hall managers et al. The book even has a dedication 'To the family and friends of Roger Peterson, the often forgotten victim of February 3, 1959.'
However intricate any investigative probe concerning the flight into the night, the cause of the crash will likely forever be open to conjecture and conspiracy theorists. My own favourite Holly song has always been 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man'. The very last song that Buddy ever sang at the end of the show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on the night of 2nd February. An anagram for the song is 'Rhyme Man Be Dead on Snow.'
October 18, 2008
This is a excellent resource for anyone who is interested in the last times of three great performers. The author has done superb research into the smallest details of the last days of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. Amazing photos are included! A great read for anyone interested in the subject.
September 1, 2024
A meticulously researched and highly readable history touching on the lives and careers of Buddy, Ritchie, and the Bopper. The level of detail here is incredible. Very much a book for fans, though - I think general readers will get a bit lost, but for hardcore fans of these 3 legendary musicians, this is a must-read. Really enjoyed this.
March 8, 2023
Larry Lehmer did some serious due diligence when he researched this material. Though he repeats himself frequently, it is the most comprehensive book that could have been written about the 1959 Winter Dance Party.
Lehmer dutifully retraced the steps, mile by frozen mile, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Fargo, North Dakota, through the eyes of practically everybody. We see things through the eyes of the musicians who survived the tour; the producers who made the records and wrote the songs; the family members they left behind; the fans who showed up to the concerts; and even a detailed look at the aircraft crash, the pilot and the flying service. He packs a lot of details in such a small book that once finished, readers will have a better understanding as to the events that led up to the night of February 2, 1959 in Clear Lake, Iowa and why the flight at 1:03 a.m. out of Mason City the next morning was so monumental, on one hand, and so avoidable on the other.
In addition to the thoroughness in the research and use of sources, Lehmer excels in another area - fairness. He did a fabulous job of weaving the narrative in such a manner to come across fairly objectively. He looked for the truth and reported the facts as best he could find them, and he found a lot of them. Never do we see the author grinding an axe here. It's quite refreshing.
The book has been out for over 20 years now. Many of his interview subjects have since passed away, which means that it is now a historical record in it's own right. Nobody will be able to top this must read book.
Lehmer dutifully retraced the steps, mile by frozen mile, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Fargo, North Dakota, through the eyes of practically everybody. We see things through the eyes of the musicians who survived the tour; the producers who made the records and wrote the songs; the family members they left behind; the fans who showed up to the concerts; and even a detailed look at the aircraft crash, the pilot and the flying service. He packs a lot of details in such a small book that once finished, readers will have a better understanding as to the events that led up to the night of February 2, 1959 in Clear Lake, Iowa and why the flight at 1:03 a.m. out of Mason City the next morning was so monumental, on one hand, and so avoidable on the other.
In addition to the thoroughness in the research and use of sources, Lehmer excels in another area - fairness. He did a fabulous job of weaving the narrative in such a manner to come across fairly objectively. He looked for the truth and reported the facts as best he could find them, and he found a lot of them. Never do we see the author grinding an axe here. It's quite refreshing.
The book has been out for over 20 years now. Many of his interview subjects have since passed away, which means that it is now a historical record in it's own right. Nobody will be able to top this must read book.
dnf
July 8, 2024I didn't finish this because there's a ton of information crammed into a rather short book and the problem of small print. I am confused on why the author chose not to include what I consider important. The author usually uses the term Buddy Holly's band when referring to Holly's band which makes sense with all the changes. Then you get a section that starts calling them the Crickets but tells you nothing on why they picked that name or when they chose to use it. I reread the pages before the section thinking I missed something but didn't find any reference. If I'm wrong then please tell me what page to reread.
February 12, 2021
This is the second book I've read about Buddy Holly. It is extremely well researched and well written. The author mentions that it was a 16-year project, so it is quite thorough. I appreciate how many interviews and other first-hand accounts were included, as well as photographs. I recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about these three legends or about the origins of rock and roll in the US. Great book.
January 6, 2026
Short but great read. If you’re interested strongly in this event then I can’t really imagine anything that isn’t covered here. From anecdotal conversations with people that they knew best to small details of the ill-fated final tour, where they ate and what they did in the down time. This book covers areas that nothing else does. As somebody that’s been interested deeply in Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens for most of my life, this was a genuinely fantastic read.
Read
July 4, 2019Just noticed, I finished this book on the Fourth of July--a piece of historical Americana.
Read
April 26, 2020Research.
March 4, 2013
I picked this book up to read more about the plane crash that killed J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of late 50's rock and roll, but the stories behind the success of each of these young performers and the history of the ill-fated Winter Dance Party Tour in 1959 were very interesting. These performers were my parents' generation music and as a child, I heard my parents talk about the music and the history of rock and roll quite frequently.
What struck me most while reading this book was the sheer lunacy of having a whirlwind tour of the Upper Midwest United States during what is usually the coldest, snowiest part of the year. Not only did these up and coming rock stars not have decent transportation, they also played in some of the smallest dives imaginable. The performers got very ill and one even developed frostbite after their unheated bus broke down in a snow storm. The doomed flight occurred after they had enough of their transportation woes and chartered a plane. The night was terrible for flying and the pilot was only 21 years old and not even fully trained yet.
The book examined the lives that each of the performers led outside of their rock careers. The Big Bopper was a family man whose wife was pregnant at the time of his untimely death. Buddy Holly's wife was also pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage after his death. Ritchie Valens was a shy young man who wrote the famous song, "Donna" about his first real girlfriend. Buddy and his wife allegedly had a troubled marriage. His wife, Maria Elena Holly, did not attend his funeral and has never been to the grave site. Her interest in his estate after his death has led some to speculation about her character. Fortunately, the author himself doesn't speculate on that; however, many of Buddy's friends and family members had much to say about it. Interestingly, both she and Buddy had nightmare premonitions about a plane crash just days before he left his New York home to embark on the tour.
It was also interesting to find out more about the performer's contemporaries who performed or toured with them. I never knew that Waylon Jennings was one of the Crickets. Dion and The Belmonts were also on the tour, something I didn't know until I read the book.
The three who were killed (along with the pilot of the plane) could have contributed so much more to the history of rock and roll. They left us too young.
What struck me most while reading this book was the sheer lunacy of having a whirlwind tour of the Upper Midwest United States during what is usually the coldest, snowiest part of the year. Not only did these up and coming rock stars not have decent transportation, they also played in some of the smallest dives imaginable. The performers got very ill and one even developed frostbite after their unheated bus broke down in a snow storm. The doomed flight occurred after they had enough of their transportation woes and chartered a plane. The night was terrible for flying and the pilot was only 21 years old and not even fully trained yet.
The book examined the lives that each of the performers led outside of their rock careers. The Big Bopper was a family man whose wife was pregnant at the time of his untimely death. Buddy Holly's wife was also pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage after his death. Ritchie Valens was a shy young man who wrote the famous song, "Donna" about his first real girlfriend. Buddy and his wife allegedly had a troubled marriage. His wife, Maria Elena Holly, did not attend his funeral and has never been to the grave site. Her interest in his estate after his death has led some to speculation about her character. Fortunately, the author himself doesn't speculate on that; however, many of Buddy's friends and family members had much to say about it. Interestingly, both she and Buddy had nightmare premonitions about a plane crash just days before he left his New York home to embark on the tour.
It was also interesting to find out more about the performer's contemporaries who performed or toured with them. I never knew that Waylon Jennings was one of the Crickets. Dion and The Belmonts were also on the tour, something I didn't know until I read the book.
The three who were killed (along with the pilot of the plane) could have contributed so much more to the history of rock and roll. They left us too young.
January 20, 2008
Comprehensive look at some of the early founding members of Rock and roll. Dwells on their last tour and the plane crash statistics too much, but otherwise very educational.
March 29, 2012
informative, straightforward. the recap, last 50 pages, not necessary.
November 17, 2012
This book contains everything that you ever wanted to know about the life and death of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens.
September 11, 2014
In depth look at the fateful tour and times.
June 8, 2016
Excellent
Very good book did not know a lot of stuff that happened to the singer's Buddy Holly,Richie Valens,and the Big Bopper I learned a lot
Very good book did not know a lot of stuff that happened to the singer's Buddy Holly,Richie Valens,and the Big Bopper I learned a lot
December 17, 2018
Extremely well reported and informative!
July 6, 2019
Loved it! Outstanding look back at one of the darkest days in music history.
Read
March 12, 2016paperback 6x9
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews