Member Since: 8/31/2012
Posts: 509
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This is an interesting story and the twists changed music forever....
The Day the Music Died, dubbed by Don McLean's song "American Pie", was an aviation accident that occurred on February 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson.
After terminating his partnership with The Crickets, Buddy Holly assembled a new band consisting of Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch to play on the Winter Dance Party tour. The tour also featured rising artist Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper Richardson, who were promoting their records, as well. The tour was to cover twenty-four Midwestern cities in three weeks.
Richardson, who was affected by the flu, swapped Waylon Jennings' place on the plane, while Tommy Allsup lost his place to Ritchie Valens on a coin toss. Meanwhile Dion DiMucci decided to not board the plane for the US$36 fee
There was even a stranger twist and it haunted Waylon Forever:
When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said in jest, "I hope your ol' bus freezes up." Jennings responded, also in jest, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes," a humor-driven but ill-considered response that haunted Jennings for the rest of his life
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Had Waylon Jennings been on that plane Country Music may not have been as it was in the 1970's.
There would not have been an outlaw movement, Willie Nelson would still be unknown, and who knows about the great songwriter Billy Joe Shaver may never would have been a star. Waylon recorded most of his songs for the best outlaw album "Honky-Tonk Heroes".
The walls of the Nashville would not have fallen and there would be no "artistic" freedom. Waylon was one of the first to use his road band on his albums, getting to choose the songs he wanted to sing, and did things his own way.
Today's country artists still Waylon as a legendary figure even though he passed away in 2001, at the age of 65. But he was a bad a$$ and he infused rock and roll with country music. His guitar playing and sound is one of the best ever in country music history.
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