Attention:You are browsing our famous burial locations. If you are looking for a non-famous grave, please start from our home page . b. March 9, 1950 d. December 22, 2004 Major League Baseball Player. Born in Beaumont, Texas, he made his major league debut on September 9, 1976, and played his final game on October 5, 1980. At 6'3", and 200 lbs, Ault played for the Texas Rangers in 1976, and for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1977 to 1980. Known as the Blue Jays 1 day hero, Ault made history on April 7, 1977, when he hit the Toronto Blue Jays first home run in the team's win 9-5 over the Chicago White Sox. He played in 256 games, batting .236, with 17 home runs and... [Read More] (Bio by: K ) Cause of death: Suicide Plot: Garden of Seasons Block J Lot 8 Space 6 b.

July 22, 1907 d. January 14, 1999 Sculptor. A US Navy combat veteran of WW II, he attended public schools and college in Louisiana and at South Park College (now Lamar University), TX, majoring in electrical engineering. During 1939-40 he studied sculpture under Carl Mines at Cranbrook Art Academy in Michigan, and has come to be recognized as one of the foremost sculptors in the United States. His endeavors have been limited mainly to commissioned works for permanent institutions, including the Battalion Memorial at... [Read More] (Bio by: MINI ) b. December 23, 1924 d. November 28, 2007 Major League Baseball Player. Born Robert Rudolph Marquis, after serving in the US Navy during World War II, he began his baseball career as a centerfielder in the New York Yankees' minor league system. For five seasons, he played in the minor league system with a .278 batting average and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on August 28, 1952.

He made his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds on April 17, 1953 and played one season with a record of 12 hits, 9 runs scored, 2 home runs, 3 runs... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) b. March 29, 1909 d. January 1, 1967 Musician, Entertainer. He was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. However, he also sang and played jazz, rock 'n' roll and the blues. Indeed, he was one of the main artists who gave country music a very deep blues edge and predated what would be done in rock 'n' roll by 20 years. He was associated with the hillbilly boogie style which greatly influenced rockabilly; Jerry Lee Lewis cited him as a major influence on his own singing and piano playing. (Bio by: Barry Boecher ) Plot: Sec 19, lot 197, grave 3 b. October 24, 1930 d. February 3, 1959 Rock Singer.

He is best remembered for his song "Chantilly Lace" (1958), and for dying in the plane crash that killed rockers Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, along with pilot Roger Peterson. Born Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr, in Sabine Pass, Texas, he was the son of Jiles P. and Elise Stalsby Richardson. His father worked as a driller in the oil fields. To distinguish him from his father, he was called JP or Jape by his friends. When he was very young, his family moved to Beaumont, Texas... [Read More] (Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson ) Cause of death: Plane crash Plot: First burial plot-Lily Pool Garden, Block C, Lot 31, Space 3 b. June 26, 1911 d. September 27, 1956 American Athlete. Born Mildred Ella Didrickson in Port Arthur, Texas, she achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball, and track and field. By 1931, she gained world status in leading her team the Golden Cyclones to an AAU Basketball Championship.

As an All-American, she won two gold medals and one silver medal for track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. In 1935, she began to play golf, the sport by which she would become the most famous for. She went on to become America's first... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) Cause of death: Cancer Plot: Intersection of Blocks C, I & K The Day The Music Died: Feb 3, 1959 The Day The Music Died: Feb 3, 1959 The Lid/Various ^ | 2/3/2010 | The Lid Posted on 02/03/2010 5:28:43 AM PST by Shellybenoit Some accidents are burned into memory even decades after they happened. The sinking of the Titanic, the explosion of the Hindenburg, the accident at Tenerife, and the Challenger crash all bring back remembrances of unforgettable tragedies.

The day the music died, wrote singer/songwriter Don McLean for his hit song, American Pie, in 1971 commemorated the loss of singer Buddy Holly in an aircraft accident. Charles Hardin Holley, better known as Buddy Holly, was and remains one of the giants in the music business. His may be the most-discussed pop music star aircraft accident in history. The impact on the music world and millions of fans still affects the public perception of general aviation two generations of pilots later. His life and death inspired numerous books, movies, and songs. (Excerpt) Read more at yidwithlid.blogspot.com ... [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Shellybenoit Only one small correction to the story. The plane was flying to Hector Field in Fargo, ND. The gig itself was in the Moorehead Armory (MN National Guard) in Moorhead, MN across the Red River from Fargo. The Armory was torn down 15-20 years ago, but as a young man in the late 1960’s I went to several college dances there.

Lots of coeds from Concordia College, the Lutheran college in Moorhead would be there. Concordia prohibited dancing on their campus. 3 posted on 02/03/2010 5:41:45 AM PST by Maine Mariner [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Shellybenoit It was this accident that drastically changed the world of rock and roll. Music became a lot more bland (even Elvis started to sing a lot of non-rock music in the early 1960’s) until the Beatles began the second wave of rock and roll in 1963 and 1964. 4 posted on 02/03/2010 5:43:05 AM PST by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Shellybenoit A right spiral dive at cruise power in IFR conditions, it is very possible the pilot, and certainly the passengers, never knew the plane was crashing.

Lots of pressure on the pilot and the charter service to get three pop stars to their destination in time to perform, the flight probably would have been cancelled otherwise due to weather. Sad story of bad judgement. John Kennedy junior and his passengers died the same way. 6 posted on 02/03/2010 5:53:00 AM PST by HerrBlucher (Jail Al Gore and the Climate Frauds!) To: Shellybenoit From the article: "Decca Records told Holly he wasn't quite good enough when they first signed him and to go back home to Texas and practice. He did and made "That'll Be The Day'. Buddy Holly and the Crickets brought such classics as "Peggy Sue", "Rock Around the Clock" to the world. Damn, Bill Haley died on board that plane too? Research dammit, research. [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ] To: mkjessup Bill Haley died Feb. 9, 1981 with brain cancer. He was not on the plane that night. RESEARCH.

12 posted on 02/03/2010 6:13:46 AM PST by political1 (Love your neighbors) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ] To: political1 I know that smart ass, I was pointing out that the writer of the article needed to do RESEARCH. 13 posted on 02/03/2010 6:18:09 AM PST by mkjessup [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies ] To: RayChuang88 To be fair, a lot of Elvis’ country and gospel from that era is really amazing stuff. I don’t think he was going “bland”, just rediscovering a lot of his musical roots. 14 posted on 02/03/2010 6:23:27 AM PST by SJSAMPLE [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies ] To: SJSAMPLE Lynyrd Skynyrd, Patsy Cline, Jim Croce, Ricki Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughn. If I was in the Music industry I would be afraid of planes.

There is a new version of ‘We are the World’ With all new artist re-doing the song 25 years later. After seeing the list of stars I said to my self. “Self, I wonder if they could load all these people up in a plane and do a tour. 17 posted on 02/03/2010 6:47:19 AM PST by political1 (Love your neighbors) To: Dr. Scarpetta Waylon Jennings. He flipped a coin for the last seat on the airplane and lost out to The Big Bopper. Well, actually, the reason he doesn’t fly now is that he died in 2002. But, right up until then, he still wouldn’t fly ;) He jokingly said to Buddy Holly, “I hope your plane crashes.” and felt terribly guilty about it until the day he died.

18 posted on 02/03/2010 7:00:20 AM PST by SJSAMPLE To: Shellybenoit Biography for Buddy Holly Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas[1] to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake in 1936. The Holleys were a musical family and as a young boy Holley learned to play the violin (his brothers oiled the strings so much that no one could hear him play), piano, guitar and fiddle. In the fall of 1949, he met Bob Montgomery in Hutchinson Junior High School. They shared a common interest in music and soon teamed up as the duo "Buddy and Bob." Initially influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. His musical interests grew throughout high school while singing in the Lubbock High School Choir. Holly turned to rock music after seeing Elvis Presley sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. A few months later, he appeared on the same bill with Presley, also in Lubbock.

Holly's transition to rock was finalized when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local rock show organized by Eddie Crandall, who was also the manager for Marty Robbins. As a result of this performance, Holly was offered a contract with Decca Records to work alone, which he accepted. According to the Amburn book (p. 45), his public name changed from "Holley" to "Holly" on February 8, 1956, when he signed the Decca contract. Among the tracks recorded for Decca was an early version of "That'll Be The Day", which took its title from a phrase that John Wayne's character said repeatedly in the 1956 film, The Searchers. "The Crickets": Buddy Holly, Joe B. Mauldin, Jerry Allison, and Niki SullivanBack in Lubbock, Holly formed his own band, The Crickets and began making records at Norman Petty's studios in Clovis, New Mexico. Norman had music industry contacts and believing that "That'll Be the Day" would be a hit single, he contacted publishers and labels. Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca, signed Buddy Holly and The Crickets.

This put Holly in the unusual position of having two record contracts at the same time. Before "That'll Be The Day" had its nationwide release, Holly played lead guitar on the hit-single "Starlight", recorded in April, 1957, featuring Jack Huddle. The initial, unsuccessful version of "That'll Be The Day" played more slowly and about half an octave higher than the hit version Holly managed to bridge some of the racial divide that marked rock n' roll music. While Elvis made black music more acceptable to whites, Holly won over an all-black audience when the Crickets were accidentally booked at New York's Apollo Theater (though, unlike the immediate response depicted in the 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story, it actually took several performances for his talents to be appreciated). After the release of several highly successful songs, Holly and the Crickets toured the United Kingdom in 1958. That same year, he met Maria Elena Santiago (born 1935 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) while she was working as a receptionist for a New York music publisher. He proposed to her on their very first date.

She initially thought he was kidding, but they were married in Lubbock, Texas on August 15, 1958, less than two months after they met. Maria traveled on some of the tours, doing everything from the laundry to equipment set-up to ensuring the group got paid. The ambitious Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music/recording/publishing scene, while his easygoing bandmates wanted to go back home to Lubbock. As a result, in 1959, the group split. Holly began a solo tour with other notable performers, including Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, "The Big Bopper." One night after a performance in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at the Riverside Ballroom, the three headliners gave their final show, at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on February 2, 1959. Afterwards, Buddy Holly chartered a Beechcraft Bonanza to take him and his new back-up band (Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch, and Waylon Jennings) to Fargo, North Dakota. Carl Bunch missed the flight as he had been hospitalized for frostbite three days earlier.

The Big Bopper asked Jennings for his spot on the four-seat plane, as he was recovering from the flu. Ritchie Valens was still signing autographs at the concert site when Allsup walked in and told him it was time to go. Allsup pulled a 50 cent coin out of his pocket and the two men flipped for the seat. Allsup lost. The plane took off in light snow and gusty winds at around 12:55 A.M., but crashed after only a few minutes. The wreckage was discovered several hours later by the plane's owner, Jerry Dwyer, some 8 miles (13 km) from the airport on the property of Albert Juhl. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson, and the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson. Holly's body, along with those of Valens and Richardson, were thrown from the wreckage, Holly's body being nearly decapitated by his impact with a tree. Holly and Valens lay 17 feet (5.2 m) south of the wreckage and Richardson was thrown around 40 feet (12 m) to the north of the wreckage. The pilot's body remained in the wreckage.

All had suffered severe and multiple injuries. Without any doubt, all had died on impact, with the plane hitting the ground at 170 mph (270 km/h). While theories abound as to the exact cause of the crash, an official determination of pilot error was rendered by the Civil Aeronautics Board. Although the crash received a good deal of local coverage, it was displaced in the national news by an accident that occurred the same day in New York City, when American Airlines Flight 320 crashed during an instrument landing approach at LaGuardia Airport, killing 65. Don McLean referred to it as "the Day the Music Died." Holly's pregnant wife became a widow after barely six months of marriage and miscarried soon after. City of Lubbock Cemetery, Holly's Headstone Holly's funeral services were held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, and his body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery in the eastern part of the city. Holly's headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.

[ Got this from ] 20 posted on 02/03/2010 8:10:34 AM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming) To: political1; mkjessup You were saying ... Bill Haley died Feb. 9, 1981 with brain cancer. He was not on the plane that night. I had the " 45 " of Rock Around the Clock , that I played a lot, at the time... :-) But, alas, I no longer have it (but I sure wish I did...). 24 posted on 02/03/2010 8:38:59 AM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming) To: SJSAMPLE; Dr. Scarpetta You were saying ... He jokingly said to Buddy Holly, I hope your plane crashes. and felt terribly guilty about it until the day he died.

[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies ] To: SJSAMPLE In fact, I believe that's how Elvis remained fairly popular--he proved to be a surprisingly good country and gospel singer (there are Elvis collectors who specialize in his gospel songs). But Elvis was quickly overtaken by the British Invasion led by the Beatles until that famous TV special in 1968 that revived Elvis' career. 26 posted on 02/03/2010 7:20:23 PM PST by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies ] Mike Berry with the Outlaws - Tribute To Buddy Holly 27 posted on 02/08/2015 10:56:57 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary men) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies ] Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

1000+ images about BUDDY HOLLY,RICHIE VALENS,BIG BOPPER on Pinterest | La bamba, Ritchie valens and Musicians On February 3rd 1959, 3 famous rock and rollers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a small single engine plane near Clear Lake, Iowa. It was later entitled “The Day That Music Died”. See More Attention:You are browsing our famous burial locations. If you are looking for a non-famous grave, please start from our home page . b. October 24, 1930 d. February 3, 1959 Rock Singer. He is best remembered for his song "Chantilly Lace" (1958), and for dying in the plane crash that killed rockers Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, along with pilot Roger Peterson. Born Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr, in Sabine Pass, Texas, he was the son of Jiles P. and Elise Stalsby Richardson. His father worked as a driller in the oil fields.

To distinguish him from his father, he was called JP or Jape by his friends. When he was very young, his family moved to Beaumont, Texas... [Read More] (Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson ) Cause of death: Plane crash Plot: First burial plot-Lily Pool Garden, Block C, Lot 31, Space 3 Big Bull the Buffalo 'Hornaday's Bull' d. 1886 "Big Bull" (aka "Hornaday's Bull") is the buffalo that the United States Treasury Department used as a model for its Buffalo Nickel. William T. Hornaday killed and stuffed Big Bull in 1886 because he wanted something to remember the wild buffalo by that were becoming increasing small in numbers due to the settlers out West overhunting them. Big Bull was then shipped to the Smithsonian Institute where the Treasury Department discovered him. They used Big Bull as the model for stamps and nickels... [Read More] (Bio by: Heather from VA ) b. May 3, 1911 d. November 24, 1985 Musician. Born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr.

in Kansas City, Missouri, he was dubbed "Boss of the Blues", whose booming voice shook up the blues scene and inspired the birth of rock 'n' roll. He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie and his original Atlantic recording of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954), remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Among his many hits are "Chains of Love", "Sweet Sixteen", "Honey Hush", "Flip Flop and Fly", "Still in the Dark"... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) b. July 29, 1971 d. May 22, 2003 Rap Musician. A member of the rap musical group, 'Onyx.' The group was formed in 1989 in Queens, New York, with Big DS, Sticky Fingaz, Fredo Starr, and DJ Suave Sonny Caesar, after the four men met while working as barbers. The group began playing locally in clubs, which gained them attention of Run DMC's Jam Master Jay, who signed them to his JMJ Record Label.

They released there debut album, 'Bacdafu#up' and it became a platinum-certified hit, thanks to the song, "Slam." That same year the... [Read More] (Bio by: K ) * Find A Grave is currently seeking additional burial information for this individual. Please email with any updates you may have. Thank you! b. February 16, 1878 d. May 11, 1920 Organized Crime Figure. Colosimo was ten years old when he left Italy with his family destined for Chicago. As a teenager he began supplementing his income with thievery, including pickpocketing, and by the time he was 18 he began engaging prostitutes to work for him. Early in his career he took up the Italian practice of sending Black Hand letters to wealthy citizens of Chicago. These anonymous messages threatened violence unless money was paid, and were usually signed with an imprinted black... [Read More] (Bio by: Saratoga ) b. December 11, 1926 d. July 25, 1984 Musician. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, she was a blues singer and songwriter.

She began career in the 1940s, became well known and as the opening act the New York Apollo in 1952, was nicknamed "Big Mama" for her vocal tension and coarseness. Signed to Peacock Records, she sang the original version of the song "Hound Dog", with the B-side "They Call Me Big Mama" and the single sold almost two million copies. She received a lifetime total of $500 for the song, even though Elvis Presley went on to... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) Plot: 'M' Plot, Lot 2486-B GPS coordinates: 33.9647713, -118.3438034 (hddd.dddd) b. 1770 d. 1846 Native American Chief. He was known as Ong-pa-ton-ga to the Omaha Tribe. As a youngster, the Pawnee Tribe was the enemy of the Omaha people, and Big Elk earned a reputation as a warrior fighting skirmishes with them. Within his own tribe he was known for his courage in battle and for his fairness in making decisions.

When Chief Washinggusaba (Black Bird), who was known as a tyrant by the Omaha people, died in 1800, Big Elk was chosen as the new principal chief. About this time the white folks... [Read More] (Bio by: Tom Todd ) Sullivan, Jim 'Big' b. February 14, 1941 d. October 2, 2012 Musician, legendary session man. Known for being the lead guitarist to playing a Gibson Les Paul in England. Born James George Tomkins, Big Jim at the age 16 was already a professional musician, and was soon considered one of the most sought guitarists in 60s and 70s. He was arranger of nearly 1000 songs in the Top 10 British rankings, including 55 classified first. Among the many songs that he played, are worthy of mention "Sweet little sixteen" by Michael Cox, "Krewkats of the Bat", the "... [Read More] (Bio by: Lucy Caldarelli ) * Find A Grave is currently seeking additional burial information for this individual. Please email with any updates you may have. Thank you! b.

July 30, 1907 d. November 10, 1976 Disney artist. Known as Big Roy and Big Moosketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club. He also designed the "mouse" ears. Plot: Courts of Remembrance, Crypt 2290, Sp 2 GPS coordinates: 34.1500816, -118.3202591 (hddd.dddd) b. January 7, 1913 d. June 2, 1993 Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. He played Major League baseball as a 1st baseman for 15 seasons (1936 to 1942, 1946 to 1953) with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and New York Yankees. One of the premier National League sluggers, he also was a duel threat for his ability to hit for average as well as his home run power.

After toiling in the Cardinals minor league system for six years, he was brought up in 1936 and had a spectacular rookie season, batting .329 with 19 Home... [Read More] (Bio by: Russ Dodge ) Plot: Section 11, Lot J-5 b. September 15, 1811 d. April 26, 1859 Folk Figure. As a child, Jim was very small and sickly. He became a jockey at the age of fourteen at Elm Tree Garden, a racetrack on Shippingport. At the age of seventeen he started to grow, and he grew for three years until he reached 7 feet 8 inches. Locals would take bets on how much he would grow in a week and every Saturday night Jim would allow himself to be weighed and measured. Around 1830 "Big" was added to his name and he became known as "Big" Jim Porter "The Kentucky Giant." Jim... [Read More] (Bio by: Shock ) Plot: Section F, Lot 439 b. June 26, 1893 d.

August 15, 1958 Musician. Known as �Big Bill', he was a prolific blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, beginning his career in the early 1920s. In 1924, he was signed to Paramount Records and later performed at the Spirituals of Swing Concert, filling the open slot of the late blues master Robert Johnson. Through the 1930s and �40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to urban blues which was popular with white and black audiences. He copyrighted more than 300 songs during his lifetime with hits... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) b. May 13, 1888 d. October 5, 1912 Zelig was the leader of a band of Jewish gangsters in New York City in the early 1900s. �Early in 1912, the Zelig gang was hired by corrupt New York City Police Lieutenant Charles Becker who ran a protection racket for the New York gangs to kill another Manhattan gangster named Herman (Beansie) Rosenthal whom Becker thought was an informant.

�Rosenthal was shot to death on a Manhattan Street on July 16,1912 by four of Big Jack's men. Police lieut. Becker was arrested and charged with ordering... [Read More] Plot: Section 4, Post 396, Row 3, Grave 4. b. April 5, 1876 d. January 13, 1955 Major League Baseball Player. Played Major League baseball as a pitcher for twelve seasons (1898 to 1909) with the Washington Nationals, Boston Beaneaters (Braves), Boston Pilgrims (Red Sox), and St. Louis Browns. Arriving in the big leagues in 1898, he pitched two fairly forgettable years with the Washington National League team, losing 20 Games in 1899. In February 1900 the team sold off most of its better players and disbanded (it would return a few years later as the American League... [Read More] (Bio by: Russ Dodge ) Plot: Section 65, Lot 1 b. May 2, 1963 d.

September 22, 2004 Professional Wrestler. Born in Marietta, Georgia as Raymond "Ray" W. Traylor, Jr. Ray began his career in wrestling in 1986 as Jim Cornette's bodyguard known as Big Bubba Rogers. His career saw him perform in WWE, WCW and All Japan Wrestling, and he has competed as The Big Boss Man, The Boss, The Guardian Angel, War Machine, and under his real name and he teamed with Akeem in the late '80s as 'The Twin Towers.' His last major run was with the WWF in 1998 and 1999 as a part of the Corporation... [Read More] (Bio by: Shock ) b. February 10, 1921 d. May 6, 2007 Musician. He was known as a blues and boogie pianist pioneer, who created the musical path for every blues and blues-rock musician to follow.

In the 1940s, his big voice on blues boogie compositions and pop songs were standards on such tunes as "Well, Well Baby" and "I Met a Girl Named Martha." For years, he performed at clubs nationally as well as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and clubs in London, Berlin and Paris. He also was featured in a British documentary, "The History of... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) Plot: Section 38, Site 256 b. 1841 d. November 27, 1929 Kiowa War Chief. The first Native American tried in a civil court, a case that received international attention because it treated his acts as common criminal acts rather than crimes of a people at war. After the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 sent the Kiowa to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma, he and other Kiowa warriors left the reservation and made continuous raids on white settlers in northwestern Texas, including scalping, torture and burning of captives. On May 18, 1871, he joined...

[Read More] (Bio by: Claudia Naugle ) Smith, Willie 'Big Eyes' b. January 19, 1936 d. September 16, 2011 Musician. Four over five decades, he was a noted vocalist, harp player and drummer of the Chicago blues scene. At age 17, he learned to play harmonica, moved to Chicago in 1953 and played in the Rocket Four, a band led by blues guitarist Arthur �Big Boy' Spires. In 1955, he played harmonica on Bo Diddley's recording of "Diddy Wah Diddy" on the Checker label. Since Drummers were in more demand than harp players, Smith switched to drums and starting playing with Muddy Waters' band. He recorded... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) * Find A Grave is currently seeking additional burial information for this individual. Please email with any updates you may have. Thank you! b. July 16, 1843 d. September 17, 1928 Western Frontiersman.

He was a Frenchman who left home on an expedition at the age of 15 to trade with the Indians, and it was this early contact that made him into one of the most acclaimed scout guides and interpreter of the times. During these trading trips, he met Oglala Lakota chief Red Cloud and their friendship endured until Red Cloud's death. He was called "Big Bat" to distinguish him from Baptiste Garnier, another scout for the military. On his first trip to Wyoming he met John... [Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith ) h2g2 - Famous Air Crash Victims - Part 2: Musicians - Edited Entry Famous Air Crash Victims Part 1: Aviators | Part 2: Musicians | Part 3: Sportsmen | Part 4: Politicians The pressures of punishing tour schedules can cause musicians to spend much of their life on the road. They can rack up a good few air miles too, and by the laws of probability alone we can expect to have lost a few in air accidents. But what talent we have lost!

Songs such as 'In The Mood', 'That'll Be The Day', 'Chantilly Lace', 'La Bamba', 'Free Bird', '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay', 'Distant Drums', 'Annie's Song' and many others live on in our memories of these curtailed lives. Glenn Miller Many will associate memories of life during the the years of World War II with the music of Glenn Miller 1 and his big band. Sixty years after his untimely death at the age of 40, his signature tunes continue to be instantly recognisable: 'In The Mood', Moonlight Serenade', 'Tuxedo Junction', 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' - the list goes on and on. Miller had developed a unique jazz sound which relied more on orchestration than improvisation, and it was a hit. Miller, a US Air Force captain, was in high demand to entertain the troops during the conflict. In 1944 he relocated to London with his 24-piece dance band, and from there engaged in a busy schedule of concerts.

It was on 15 December, 1944 that Miller and his pilot took a flight in a UC-64A Noorduyn Norseman from RAF Twinwood Farm, Bedfordshire to Paris , for a concert to celebrate its recent liberation by Allied forces. The aircraft never arrived , and no explanation has been found. One theory is that the plane was hit by RAF bombs jettisoned over the English Channel. The Day The Music Died Don McLean's 1971 hit ' American Pie ', released 12 years after the event, was one of the many tributes to three young rock 'n' roll stars who perished on 3 February, 1959 at Clear Lake, Iowa, US, when their unnamed Beechcraft Bonanza crashed shortly after taking off in a snowstorm. The pilot, who was not qualified to fly in those conditions, was also killed. Buddy Holly 2 was only 22, but had already amassed a huge following on the back of hits such as 'That'll Be The Day', 'Peggy Sue', 'Oh Boy!' and 'Maybe Baby'.

It was in the middle of a winter multi-act tour, and Holly had chartered the small plane to get him to the next show in Fargo, North Dakota ahead of time, being unhappy with conditions on the tour bus. The other two seats were originally earmarked for two of his new line-up Crickets backing band, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup, but the seats were cadged by two other performers: Mexican-American Ritchie Valens 3 , a 17-year-old whose hits 'La Bamba' and 'Donna' had catapulted him to fame, and 'The Big Bopper' 4 , originally a disc jockey at KTRM radio, Beaumont, Texas, before he sprang to fame with his inimitable version of 'Chantilly Lace'. Patsy Cline Another who died at the height of her career was the country music star Patsy Cline 5 . On 5 March, 1963, a Piper Comanche piloted by her manager, ferrying her and fellow stars Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas, crashed near Camden, Tennessee, en route to Nashville.

As with Buddy Holly four years earlier, the pilot was not qualified to fly the plane on instruments, and lost control after running into a storm. Patsy was 30 years old and the biggest-selling female country music singer of her day. In her short career she left a number of hits including 'I Fall To Pieces' and 'Crazy'. Jim Reeves Soft-voiced country and western singer Jim Reeves 6 enjoyed a string of hit singles in the early 1960s, including 'He'll Have To Go', 'I Won't Forget You' and, following his death, the biggest-selling single of 1964, 'I Love You Because'. His songs continued to record posthumous success right through to the 1970s, perhaps the most memorable being the 1966 hit 'Distant Drums'. On 31 July, 1964, Reeves was piloting a Beechcraft 35-B33 Debonair returning from Batesville, Arkansas to Nashville, Tennessee, when he ran into a thunderstorm.

As was the case with the pilots in charge of the planes which killed Buddy Holly and Patsy Cline, Reeves was not qualified to fly on instruments. Two days later, the wreckage was found in dense woods ten miles south of Nashville. Reeves and his manager Dean Manuel were both killed. Coincidentally, both Reeves and Patsy Cline's pilot were trained by the same instructor. Otis Redding Black American soul singer Otis Redding 7 will forever be remembered for the haunting '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay', recorded three days before and released shortly after his untimely death at the age of 26, on 10 December, 1967. Following a concert in Madison, Wisconsin , Redding and his backing band, the Bar-Kays boarded a brand new Beechcraft H18 and took off in foggy conditions for Cleveland, Ohio . It remains a mystery exactly how, four miles into the flight, the aircraft spun and crashed into the icy waters of Lake Monona. One of the band survived, but the other five on board lost their lives.

Jim Croce Only 30 at the time of his death was US singer-songwriter Jim Croce 8 , best known for his hits 'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown', and the posthumously-released 'I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song'. Following a concert on 20 September, 1973 at Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana , Croce and his entourage boarded a Beechcraft E18S. Sadly, all six on board died after the pilot failed to gain altitude on take-off and clipped a tree at the end of the runway . These included Croce's guitarist , manager and publicist. Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd 9 were the undisputed kings of Southern Rock, producing five best-selling studio albums between 1973 and 1977, as well as the hit singles 'Free Bird' and 'Sweet Home Alabama'. Formed by Ronnie Van Zant in 1964 from friends and schoolmates in Jacksonville, Florida, the band was at its peak when on a tour of the southern states of the USA on 20 October, 1977.

En route between Greenville, South Carolina and Baton Rouge, Louisiana , their Convair CV-300 developed an engine problem, and started consuming excessive fuel. Eventually running low, the plane crash-landed in woodland near Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing six of the 26 aboard and seriously injuring many of the rest. Sadly, the dead included three band members: vocalist Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and Steve's sister and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines. Randy Rhoads Heavy Metal guitarist Randy Rhoads 10 , a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band, was 25 years old when he died in a bizarre air accident. On 19 March, 1982, the band were on their way to a festival in Orlando, Florida and had stopped over at the house of the tourbus driver Andrew Aycock. Early in the morning, while the band were sleeping on the bus, Rhoads and the band's hairdresser were invited for a ride in a Beechcraft Bonanza F35 by Aycock. Whether or not they knew that Aycock's licence had expired or that he had taken the plane without permission, or that he had taken cocaine is not recorded.

Four times the plane attempted to 'buzz' the bus. On the fourth pass, one of the wings clipped it, and the plane embedded itself into a nearby house. None of the plane's passengers survived. Ricky Nelson Rock 'n' roll teen idol Ricky Nelson 11 was second only to Elvis Presley in popularity and commercial success at the peak of his career in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His string of hit singles included 'Hello Mary Lou' and 'It's Late'. Nelson's career, and indeed his life was somewhat on the slide in the 1980s, when he started touring again on the 'nostalgia circuit'. On 31 December, 1985, on his way to a New Year's Eve concert in Dallas, Texas , the Douglas DC-3 in which Nelson and the band were flying caught fire, probably through a faulty cabin heater, and the cockpit and cabin filled with smoke. Crashing in a field near De Kalb, Texas, both pilots survived, but Nelson, his fiancée and his backing band all lost their lives.

Stevie Ray Vaughan Eric Clapton sang 'Born Under A Bad Sign' with Cream in 1968, and he's suffered more than his fair share of life's misfortunes. One such event was the untimely death of fellow blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan 12 on 27 August, 1990. Following a blues concert featuring Clapton, Vaughan, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray in East Troy, Wisconsin, the band were set to return to Chicago. As well as on the tour bus, a number of seats were available on helicopters, and Vaughan obtained a seat on a Bell BHT-206B, replacing his brother Jimmie. It was foggy, and the pilot failed to gain enough altitude to clear the hill at the Alpine Valley Resort, crashing on a ski slope. All five on board died: the pilot, Vaughan and three of Clapton's crew. John Denver One of the biggest-selling artists of the 1970s, John Denver 13 wrote and recorded a number of memorable, almost poetic songs which struck a chord with the record-buying public.

Notable among these were 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', 'Sunshine On My Shoulders', 'Annie's Song' and 'Thank God I'm A Country Boy'. His musical career had largely peaked in the 1970s, but he went on to become active in politics and humanitarian work. Denver was 53 years old when he lost his life, solo-piloting his Rutan Long EZ on 12 October, 1997 off Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California. Denver was unfamiliar with the aircraft, and lost control while trying to operate a fuel transfer switch. In addition, he was not medically qualified to fly, having had his certificate revoked in 1996 by the FAA 14 after it had learned of Denver's drink problem . Aaliyah Rising star of R&B, Aaliyah 15 was only 22 years old at the time of her death, yet had been recording albums since she was discovered by hip-hop producer R Kelly at the age of 14. She had also broken into movies, most notably starring in Queen Of The Damned.

On 25 August, 2001, Aaliyah was one of nine passengers in a Cessna 402B chartered by Virgin Records, returning from Marsh Harbour, Bahamas to Miami , after shooting a video for her new single 'Rock The Boat'. They didn't get far; the plane crashed in flames at the end of the runway , killing all nine. Investigations later showed that the plane was overloaded by 700lbs and was only licensed to carry eight. In addition, the pilot was unqualified, and tested positively for cocaine and alcohol. Honourable Mentions Paul Jeffreys - Cockney Rebel's bass player, 33, and his new wife Rachel were among 259 killed on 21 December, 1988 when Pan American flight 103, a Boeing 747, was bombed by Libyan terrorists and crashed at Lockerbie, Scotland. Stan Rogers - On 2 June, 1983, the Canadian folk singer, 33, was on his way home to Toronto from the Kerrville Folk Festival, Texas on Air Canada flight 797, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32.

During the flight a mysterious fire began in the rear lavatory, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Cincinnatti, Ohio . When the doors were opened to evacuate the passengers, the influx of air caused a flash fire, which killed 23, including Rogers, who lost his life attempting to rescue other passengers. The Classical World Ginette Neveu - The French virtuoso violinist, 30, and her pianist accompanist brother Jean-Paul were flying to the US for a concert tour on 28 October, 1949. Approaching San Miguel Island in the Azores for a scheduled stop-over, the Air France Lockheed Constellation twice aborted the landing before flying into a mountainside. All 48 on board were killed. These also included French champion boxer Marcel Cerdan, who was flying to New York to fight Jake LaMotta. Jacques Thibaud - Four years later, on 1 September, 1953, another Air France Lockheed Constellation crashed on landing, while carrying another celebrated French violinist.

This time it was 73-year old Jacques Thibaud - one of 42 who died when their plane crashed into Mt Cemet in the French Alps on the final approach to Nice. Thibeau was en route to French Indochina 16 . Not surprisingly, the irreplaceable Strad violins of both Neveu and Thibeau were destroyed. 1 Born Alton Glenn Miller on 1 March, 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa, USA. 2 Born Charles Hardin Holley, 7 September, 1936 in Lubbock, Texas , USA. 3 Born Richard Steven Valenzuela, 13 May, 1941 in Pacoima, Los Angeles , USA. He is not to be confused with Ricky Valance of 'Tell Laura I Love Her' fame, although this name adopted by David Spencer from Ynysddu, South Wales was no accident. 4 Born Jiles Perry Richardson Jr on 24 October, 1930 in Sabine Pass, Texas, USA. 5 Born Virginia Patterson Hensley, 8 September, 1932 in Winchester, Virginia, USA.

6 Born James Travis Reeves, 20 August, 1923 in Galloway, Texas, USA. 7 Born Otis Ray Redding, Jr on 9 September, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, USA. 8 Born James Joseph Croce on 10 January, 1943 in South Philadelphia , USA. 9 Pronounced 'Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd', as their 1973 debut album tells us. 10 Born Randall William Rhoads, 6 December, 1956 in Santa Monica , California, USA. 11 Born Eric Hilliard Nelson, on 8 May, 1940 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. 12 Born Stephen Ray Vaughan on 3 October, 1954 in Dallas, Texas, USA. 13 Born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr on 31 December, 1943 in Roswell , New Mexico , USA. 14 Federal Aviation Administration. 15 Born Aaliyah Dana Houghton on 16 January, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

16 French Indochina is the region occupied today by Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Learn and talk about The Big Bopper, 20th-century American singers, American male singers, American novelty song performers, American radio DJs Mercury Records Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American musician, songwriter, and disc jockey whose big rockabilly look, style, voice, and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star. He is best known for his 1958 recording of " Chantilly Lace ". [1] On February 3, 1959, Richardson died in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa , along with music stars Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and pilot Roger Peterson . [2] The accident was famously eulogized as " The Day the Music Died " in Don McLean 's 1971 song " American Pie ". [3] Contents Early years[ edit ] J. P.

Richardson was born in Sabine Pass, Texas , the oldest son of oil-field worker Jiles Perry Richardson, Sr. and his wife Elise (Stalsby) Richardson. Richardson had two younger brothers, Cecil and James. The family soon moved to Beaumont, Texas . Richardson graduated from Beaumont High School in 1947 and played on the "Royal Purple" football team as a defensive lineman, wearing number 85. [4] Richardson later studied prelaw at Lamar College , and was a member of the band and chorus. Radio[ edit ] Richardson worked part-time at Beaumont, Texas radio station KTRM (now KZZB). He was hired by the station full-time in 1949 and quit college. Richardson married Adrianne Joy Fryou on April 18, 1952, and their daughter Debra Joy was born in December 1953, soon after Richardson was promoted to supervisor of announcers at KTRM. In March 1955, he was drafted into the United States Army and did his basic training at Fort Ord , California.

He spent the rest of his two-year service as a radar instructor at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas . Richardson returned to KTRM radio following his discharge as a corporal in March 1957, where he held down the "Dishwashers' Serenade" shift from 11 am to 12:30 pm, Monday through Friday. One of the station's sponsors wanted Richardson for a new time slot, and suggested an idea for a show. Richardson had seen college students doing a dance called The Bop, and he decided to call himself "The Big Bopper". His new radio show ran from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, and he soon became the station's program director. In May 1957, he broke the record for continuous on-air broadcasting by 8 minutes. He performed for a total of five days, two hours, and eight minutes from a remote setup in the lobby of the Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont, playing 1,821 records [5] and taking showers during 5-minute newscasts. Richardson is credited for creating the first music video in 1958, and recorded an early example himself.

[5] Singer and songwriter[ edit ] Richardson, who played guitar, began his musical career as a songwriter. George Jones later recorded Richardson's " White Lightning ", which became Jones' first #1 country hit in 1959 (#73 on the pop charts). Richardson also wrote " Running Bear " for Johnny Preston , his friend from Port Arthur, Texas . The inspiration for the song came from Richardson's childhood memory of the Sabine River , where he heard stories about Indian tribes. Richardson sang background on "Running Bear", but the recording was not released until August 1959, seven months after his death. The song become a #1 hit for three weeks in January 1960. The man who launched Richardson as a recording artist was Harold "Pappy" Daily from Houston . Daily was promotion director for Mercury and Starday Records and signed Richardson to Mercury. Richardson's first single, "Beggar to a King", had a country flavor, but failed to gain any chart action. He soon cut " Chantilly Lace " as "The Big Bopper" [1] for Pappy Daily's D label . Mercury bought the recording and released it in the summer of 1958.

It reached #6 on the pop charts and spent 22 weeks in the national Top 40. It also inspired an answer record by Jayne Mansfield titled "That Makes It". In "Chantilly Lace", Richardson pretends to have a flirting phone conversation with his girlfriend; [1] the Mansfield record suggests what his girlfriend might have been saying at the other end of the line. Later that year, he scored a second hit, a raucous novelty tune entitled "The Big Bopper's Wedding", in which Richardson pretends to be getting cold feet at the altar. Main article: The Day the Music Died With the success of "Chantilly Lace", Richardson took time off from KTRM radio and joined Buddy Holly , Ritchie Valens , and Dion and the Belmonts for a " Winter Dance Party " tour starting on January 23, 1959. On the 11th night of the tour (February 2, 1959), the musicians played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa .

That night, rock star Buddy Holly chartered an airplane from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa , intending to fly himself and his bandmates ( Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup) ahead to their next tour venue in Moorhead, Minnesota , immediately after the show in Clear Lake. The musicians had been traveling by bus for over a week, and it had already broken down twice. They were tired, they had not been paid yet, and all of their clothes were dirty. The chartered flight would allow them to avoid another arduous bus ride, arrive early before the Moorhead show, do their laundry, and get some rest. A 21-year-old local pilot, Roger Peterson of Dwyer Flying Service, had agreed to take Holly and his bandmates to their next destination. The local weather forecast for the Clear Lake area was 18 °F (−8 °C) that night with moderate gusty winds and light scattered snow, and Peterson was fatigued from a 17-hour workday, but he agreed to fly the trip.

While Frankie Sardo went to meet the crowd, Holly went into one of the dressing rooms at the Surf Ballroom where he notified Allsup and Jennings that he had chartered a plane to take them to Fargo, North Dakota (which is directly adjacent to Moorhead, Minnesota). On a friendly wager, Ritchie Valens flipped a coin with Tommy Allsup for his seat on the plane, and Valens won the coin-toss. Meanwhile, J.P. Richardson was suffering from the flu and was complaining that the bus was too cold and uncomfortable for him, so Waylon Jennings voluntarily surrendered his seat on the plane to Richardson. Upon hearing that his bandmates had given away their plane seats and were going to take the bus rather than fly, Holly joked, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up again." Waylon Jennings jokingly replied, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." Those words would haunt Jennings for the rest of his life. After the Clear Lake show ended (at around midnight), Holly, Valens and Richardson drove to the Mason City Airport, loaded their luggage and boarded the red and white single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza .

At around 1:00 am on February 3, 1959, pilot Roger Peterson received clearance from the control tower, taxied down the runway and took off; however, the plane remained airborne for only a few minutes. For some unknown reason, shortly after take-off, the plane slammed into the ground at full-throttle about 5 miles outside Mason City in the middle of farm country. Possibly, Peterson lost his visual reference and thought he was ascending while he was actually descending; and it's possible that he had mechanical problems and was attempting to turn back toward Mason City. For whatever reason, the right wingtip of the Beechcraft Bonanza first sliced into the frozen ground and sent the aircraft cartwheeling across a cleared cornfield at approximately 170 mph. The bodies of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson were ejected from the plane on impact and probably tumbled along with the wreckage across the icy field, before the mangled plane came to rest against a barbwire fence.

While pilot Roger Peterson's body remained entangled in the main mass of plane wreckage, the fully clothed bodies of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens came to rest several feet away from the wreckage on open ground. Wearing only a red-checked flannel shirt and light blue cotton pants, the body of J.P. Richardson was thrown approximately 100 feet beyond the wreckage, across the fenceline and into the next cornfield. Like Holly and Valens, Richardson died instantly of massive head and chest injuries. The crash site was not discovered until well after sunrise, when the owner of Dwyer Flying Service conducted a brief search, following Peterson's flight path. [6] Because of the weather and remote location of the wreck, no ground team was able reach the crash site until later in the morning. "Their airplane registered on the radar of the 789th Air Force Radar Station located near Omaha for a few sweeps. Long enough for the Search Radar Operator to contact me and notify me of the appearance of the new target. As Movements and Identification Operator, my job was to identify every radar return as Friend or Foe.

I had enough time to realize the blip was moving away from our site, thus it was a Probably Friendly, and before we could set up a track on the board, the blip faded from sight. Some time later, before the crash site was found, we were asked if we had seen it. The last location was given and in effect, we were the last people to see Rock and Roll, before they and their music died." Willis S. Cole, Jr. A2C (1957–61), 789th AC&W (1959–61). [7] Son[ edit ] Richardson was survived by his wife and five-year-old daughter. His son, Jay Perry, was born two months later in April 1959. At the time of his death, Richardson had been building a recording studio in his home in Beaumont, Texas , and was also planning to invest in a radio station. He had written 20 new songs he planned to record himself or with other artists. Jay Perry Richardson took up a musical career and was known professionally as "The Big Bopper, Jr.", and performed around the world.

He toured on the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly impersonator John Mueller on some stages where his father performed. In January 2007, Jay requested that his father's body be exhumed and an autopsy be performed in response to an alleged internet rumor about guns being fired aboard the plane, and Richardson himself initially surviving the crash; [8] although Jay Richardson never divulged the name of the site where he had seen this rumor. The autopsy was performed by Dr. Bill Bass , a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee , Knoxville . Jay was present with Dr. Bass throughout the autopsy and observed as the casket was opened; both men were surprised to find the remains well enough preserved to be recognizable as those of the late rock star. "Dad still amazes me 48 years after his death, that he was in remarkable shape," Richardson told the Associated Press. "I surprised myself. I handled it better than I thought I would". [9] Dr. Bass's findings indicated no signs of foul play. He was quoted as saying, "There are fractures from head to toe. Massive fractures ...[Richardson] died immediately. He didn't crawl away. He didn't walk away from the plane".

[9] After the autopsy, Richardson's body was placed in a new casket made by the same company as the original, then was reburied next to his wife in Beaumont's Forest Lawn Cemetery. Jay then allowed the old casket to be put on display at the Texas Musicians Museum . In December 2008, Jay Richardson announced that he would be placing the old casket up for auction on eBay, giving a share of the proceeds to the Texas Musicians Museum, [10] but downplayed the suggestion in later interviews. [11] Jay Richardson "Big Bopper, Jr." died on August 21, 2013, at the age of 54, three years after his sister Debra Bridges died. [12] He was survived by his wife Patty, sons Jay Jr. and Thomas, and daughter Ashlyn, along with her husband Kevin Ray Adams and their daughter Hadley. Patty Richardson currently holds all trademarks relating to the Big Bopper, and has signed Earl Benjamin of C3 Entertainment as the licensing agent.

Songs Richardson composed and recorded include: " Chantilly Lace " #6 hit for the Big Bopper " White Lightnin' ", #1 Country hit for George Jones "Treasure of Love" (George Jones song) "Little Red Riding Hood" "Walking Through My Dreams" (two versions, one on 45-RPM only, the other on LP) "Beggar to a King" (recorded under his real name), (later recorded by Hank Snow in 1961, it made it to #5 on the country singles chart) "Crazy Blues" (recorded under his real name) "Bopper's Boogie Woogie" "That's What I'm Talking About" "Pink Petticoats" "Monkey Song (You Made a Monkey out of Me)" "It's the Truth, Ruth" (two versions, one on 45-RPM only, the other on LP) "Preacher and the Bear" Tributes[ edit ] Monument at crash site, September 16, 2003 In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the 1950s era, erected a stainless steel monument at the crash site depicting a steel guitar and

 a set of three records bearing the names of each of the three performers.

It is located on private farmland, about one-quarter-mile west of the intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue, about eight miles north of Clear Lake. Paquette also created a similar stainless steel monument to the three near the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin . The memorial was unveiled on July 17, 2003. [13] J.P. Richardson's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame . The Big Bopper is fondly remembered not only for his distinctive singing and songwriting, but also as a humorist who combined the best elements of country, R&B, and rock 'n' roll. In 2010, Richardson was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame . Richardson's name is mentioned as one of the upcoming musical acts in both the print and television versions of Stephen King 's short story " You Know They Got a Hell of a Band " about a town inhabited by late musical legends. Buddy Holly is subsequently featured in the story.

The Canadian television comedy show SCTV featured a character named "Sue Bopper-Simpson", a fictional daughter of the Big Bopper, played by Catherine O'Hara . The character was a part-time real estate agent who appeared in a musical titled I'm Taking My Own Head, Screwing It on Right, and No Guy's Gonna Tell Me That It Ain't. Shortly after the fatal plane crash, Tommy Dee wrote and recorded a song titled " Three Stars " in tribute to Richardson, Holly, and Valens. It was later recorded by Eddie Cochran , a friend of the three musicians. Van Halen 's song "Good Enough" from their 1986 album 5150 begins with singer Sammy Hagar calling out "Hello Baby!", imitating the Big Bopper's hook in "Chantilly Lace". Phil Lewis of L.A. Guns does the same in their song "17 Crash" from their 1989 album Cocked & Loaded . The Simpsons episode " Sideshow Bob Roberts " features a gravestone of The Big Bopper in Springfield that Sideshow Bob ( Kelsey Grammer ) used to help commit voter fraud and become elected for mayor.

The gravestone is a bust of the Big Bopper holding a telephone receiver, with the epitaph reading "The Big Bopper", his birth and death years (1930–1959), then a parody on the memorable hook by reading "Gooooodbye, baby". He also appeared as a vampire holding a telephone in an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon during the episode " C.E.D'oh ". An episode of The X-Files features the Big Bopper. The episode is called " Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose ". Book, film, and stage[ edit ] In Not Fade Away, a turbulent road novel taking place at the end of the fifties, Jim Dodge narrates an eventful trip to the Big Bopper's grave. [14] Richardson was portrayed by Gailard Sartain in The Buddy Holly Story , Stephen Lee (actor) in La Bamba , and John Ennis in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story . On the London stage, Richardson has been portrayed by John Simon Rawlings and Steve Dorsett in the musical Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story.

Jason Blackwater in the 2013/14 '25th Anniversary' UK National tour and Thomas Mitchells in the 2016/17 UK National Tour. "Chantilly Lace" is used in the movies True Romance and American Graffiti . [15] The character Dragoon is referenced as being the Big Bopper, as is his partner/body host Red Mantle being Buddy Holly in the animated series The Venture Bros. A documentary film, Bopper and Me, is currently in production. It follows John Cumberland, a scrap metal merchant from North East England, as he travels to America in the hope of getting The Big Bopper inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [16] [17]

Question: Late US singer/songwriter Jiles Perry Richardson Jr, born October 1930, was better known by what name?
Answer: The Big Bopper