Chords for The Day the Music Died: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper

[Cm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
[D] I can't [G] remember if I cried when I read [C] about [D] his _ bride.
[G] _
_ [D] Something touched [Em] me deep inside [C] the day _ _ [D]
the _ music _ [G] _ died.
Don McClane called this the day the music died.
Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we'll be learning more about the deaths [C] of early rock legends Buddy [G] Holly, Richie [D] Valens, and the Big Bopper.
[Ab] Hey Richie, relax man, everything's cool. _ _ _ _
Besides, the sky belongs to the stars, right?
_ _ [Eb] _
_ [Fm] Buddy Holly, [Bb] whose real name [Eb] was Charles Hardin Holly, [Ab] was born September 7, [Bb] _ [Eb] 1936 in Lubbock, Texas.
[Bb] He learned various instruments from [Eb] his older brothers [Ab] and began performing at talent [Bb] shows and [Eb] clubs in high school.
Soon, Holly [Ab] incorporated [Eb]
rockabilly and rock into his bluegrass musical [Ab] style [Bb] after being influenced [Eb] by Elvis Presley and Bill [Bb] Haley and his [A] Comets.
Vegas, _ [D] _ Vegas, [A] I _ [D] _ _ [A] can't for you.
[D] _ _ After a few unsuccessful Decca Records singles, Holly and his [A] band The Crickets had their first [E] smash with _ _ [D] 1957's That'll Be the [A] Day.
That'll be the day, when I [C] die, [D] well you gave me all your loving.
[A] During his lifetime, he [D] released three studio albums as a [Am] solo artist and with his band.
[Dm] The Chirping Crickets, [A] his eponymous sophomore effort, [B] and That'll Be the Day.
[E] Despite the band's eventual [Dm] breakup, Holly continued recording profusely, and because of this, [A] new material was released for years after his untimely [D] passing.
_ [C] _ _ [F] _ _
_ _ [Dm] _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _
_ [C] That we belong _ _ [F] _
together.
_ [Dm] Richie Valens was [G] born Richard Stephen Valenzuela [C] on May 13, [F] 1941 in [Dm] Pacoima, California.
He was [Gm] exposed to Mexican and Spanish music [F] early, and after learning to play multiple [Dm] instruments, he played at numerous [G] events by his mid-teens.
[C] Shortly after signing to Delphi [F] Records in 1958, [Dm] Valens began recording with [Gm] a full band at Hollywood's [C] Goldstar Studios.
[F] Though no [Dm] full-length albums were released during his lifetime, [G] Valens did record several [C] successful tracks.
These [F] included the number two hit Donna, _ _ _ _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [C] _ and a rock and [F] roll rendition of the Mexican folk song La [B] Bamba.
_ _ [Db] _ _ _ _ [G] _
Valens soon [Db] dropped out of high school to play [Ab] shows across the country, make numerous [Fm] television appearances, and to continue recording.
The songs from this period [G] later emerged on [N] posthumously released albums. _ _ _
_ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] _ _ _ Giles Perry J.P. Richardson Jr.
was born October 24, _ 1930 in Sabine [Ab] Pass, Texas.
He occasionally played with his college band, [Eb] but really pursued his love of music [Gm] when he quit his pre-law studies to become a full-time employee at [Eb] a Beaumont, Texas radio station.
[Gm] Following time in the U.S. Army, Richardson was given his own show and [Eb] became known as the Big Bopper.
[Gm] In 1957, the DJ made [Ebm] history after broadcasting for over [Ab] 120 hours.
He soon began writing songs and even [Eb] penned number one hits for George Jones [Bb] and Johnny Preston.
As a recording artist, the [Eb] Big Bopper's biggest song was the top ten pop hit, Chantilly [Ab] Lace.
_ [Abm] _ _
_ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ [Cm] _ _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] _ _ _ [N] _ _ _
[G] The fates of these three musicians connected the night of February [D] 3, [Em] 1959.
They were headed [A] to Moorhead, Minnesota as [C] part of the three-week-long 24 [Em]-city Winter Dance Party [A] Tour.
However, the distance [D] between stops became a problem when the heating system of [Em] their tour bus broke [A] down due to [D] extremely cold temperatures.
[Em] As a result, 21-year [D]-old Roger Peterson was hired [C] to fly some [B] of the musicians [Am] to their next stop, the New York City airport. _
[C] in a small Beechcraft Bonanza 35 [D] plane.
In an [G] ironic twist, many of those [E] aboard the plane were not meant to be.
[Am] As the Big Bopper [C] had a cold, Holly's bass player [G] Waylon Jennings gave him his spot.
[Am] Valens won his [G] seat in a coin [C] toss with Holly's guitar player, [G] Tommy Alsop.
Despite light snow, [C] the single [G]-engine aircraft took off at close to 1 a.m. [C] local time but quickly [D] disappeared from sight.
[G] Due to the [C] weather and an [G] inability to establish radio contact, the [C] crash site was only discovered [D] the next morning
when [Em] plane owner Hubert Dwyer [A] found the debris miles from Mason City [G] Municipal Airport [D] near Clear Lake, Iowa.
Poor visibility [Gm] and pilot error were [G] named as likely causes of the [Am] accident.
The [C] coroner reported the impact of the [G] crash [Am] had caused brain trauma and resulted [Em] in the unfortunate deaths [D] of all those aboard.
Even after [G] their premature deaths, the [D] legacies of these [Em] musicians lived on.
The Big [Am] Bopper was remembered as a record [C]-breaking DJ,
Richie [Em] Valens opened doors for Chicano [A] and Latin rock,
and Buddy [Bm] Holly popularized the band lineup of two guitars, bass [Em] and drums
while appealing to both black [D] and white audiences [Em] with his mix of rockabilly, country [Bm] and R&B. _
[C] As such, they will forever be [Am] remembered as architects of rock and roll [C] with an influence that reaches far and [D] wide. _
_ [G] _ _ [Bm] _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ [Am] _ _ _ [B] _ [C] _ For more information [G] _ _ [Bm] on _ [Em] _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ the Big _
[G] _ _ Bopper, [C] visit www _ [G] _ _
.fema _ [C].gov
_ _ [G] _ [D] _ [Cm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _