Most of us know the story but there might be something to glean from this.
February 3, 1959 – The Day the Music Died…But Not in Illinois!
February 3, 1959. It’s been called “the day the music died.” Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson perished shortly after their plane took off from the Mason City, Iowa, airport after they had just played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
Shockingly, the Winter Dance Party tour continued with replacement singers Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clayton and Fabian as well as the acts that were already a part of the tour, including Dion and the Belmonts along with Frankie Sardo.
In Illinois, stops were scheduled in Chicago, Spring Valley, Peoria and Springfield.
“The tour started on January 23 in Milwaukee, slated to hopscotch across the Midwest for 24 shows in 24 days,” recalls documentarian Sevan Garabedian. Just as news of the tragedy filled the newspapers, so did announcements that the tour would go on. Generally, the tour travelled by bus, with little consideration for proper tour routing (see tour map).
Garabedian and his company Blue Days Productions is now producing a documentary on the Winter Days ’59 tour and looking for anyone who may have some history on the Illinois stops, or any of the other tour dates. (You can contact Blue Days Productions at sevan1@sympatico.ca)
The first appearance in Illinois was on February 7 at Les Buzz Ballroom in Spring Valley. Although only four days after the plane crash, posters were already printed up with the new lineup with the headline “the show must go on.”
Les Buzz was a ballroom and roller rink owned by Arthur "Buzz" Verucchi. And while the ballroom is long gone, some memorabilia still exists at Verucchi’s Ristorante (600 N Greenwood St) in Spring Valley. (Another family member is Dick Verucchi of Buckacre fame who still performs in the area.)
“The show still went on with Crickets and other musicians. Those who attended recall that there wasn't a dry eye in the room,” recalls Verucchi’s grandson Luke Tomsha. “Although original posters still exist, the ballroom does not. A replica poster signed by the Big Bopper's son and a few others on a ‘Winter Dance Party’ reunion tour a few years ago still hangs in our family restaurant, Verucchi's, which is also in Spring Valley, IL and established in 1914.”
The next day, the tour was slated to play the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Newspaper announcements in Chicago papers noted Frankie Avalon and Jimmy Clayton filling in as replacements.
After the Aragon, the tour hopscotched across the Midwest – Waterloo, Iowa (Feb. 9), Dubuque, Iowa (Feb. 10), Louisville, Kentucky (Feb. 11), Canton, Ohio (Feb. 12) and Youngstown, Ohio (Feb. 13) — before jumping back to Illinois, having by then being rebranded from “Winter Party ‘59” to the “Shower of Stars,” with two shows scheduled at the Peoria Armory. The shows were promoted by local radio station WIRL as a cerebral palsy benefit.
The next day was the last stop on the tour at the Illinois State Armory in Springfield, promoted by local radio station WMAY, a show also a benefit for the United Cerebral Palsy organization.
When Chuck Salvo, a local record store owner who partnered with the radio station on promoting the show, learned of the crash, he immediately contacted the managers of the Winter Dance Party, asking them to supply more performers.
“To cancel the show would have been a blow to the fans and to the sponsors. We secured a good amount of advance ticket sales,” he recalled in a story in the Sangamon Link. WMAY soon after reported the replacement talent for the Feb. 15 Springfield performance. Added to the line-up besides Fabian were Bill Parsons (“All American Boy”) and Jimmy Clanton (“Just a Dream”).
While the tour came to an end, rock and roll has never died.
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February 3, 1959 – The Day the Music Died…But Not in Illinois!
February 3, 1959. It’s been called “the day the music died.” Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson perished shortly after their plane took off from the Mason City, Iowa, airport after they had just played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
Shockingly, the Winter Dance Party tour continued with replacement singers Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clayton and Fabian as well as the acts that were already a part of the tour, including Dion and the Belmonts along with Frankie Sardo.
In Illinois, stops were scheduled in Chicago, Spring Valley, Peoria and Springfield.
“The tour started on January 23 in Milwaukee, slated to hopscotch across the Midwest for 24 shows in 24 days,” recalls documentarian Sevan Garabedian. Just as news of the tragedy filled the newspapers, so did announcements that the tour would go on. Generally, the tour travelled by bus, with little consideration for proper tour routing (see tour map).
Garabedian and his company Blue Days Productions is now producing a documentary on the Winter Days ’59 tour and looking for anyone who may have some history on the Illinois stops, or any of the other tour dates. (You can contact Blue Days Productions at sevan1@sympatico.ca)
The first appearance in Illinois was on February 7 at Les Buzz Ballroom in Spring Valley. Although only four days after the plane crash, posters were already printed up with the new lineup with the headline “the show must go on.”
Les Buzz was a ballroom and roller rink owned by Arthur "Buzz" Verucchi. And while the ballroom is long gone, some memorabilia still exists at Verucchi’s Ristorante (600 N Greenwood St) in Spring Valley. (Another family member is Dick Verucchi of Buckacre fame who still performs in the area.)
“The show still went on with Crickets and other musicians. Those who attended recall that there wasn't a dry eye in the room,” recalls Verucchi’s grandson Luke Tomsha. “Although original posters still exist, the ballroom does not. A replica poster signed by the Big Bopper's son and a few others on a ‘Winter Dance Party’ reunion tour a few years ago still hangs in our family restaurant, Verucchi's, which is also in Spring Valley, IL and established in 1914.”
The next day, the tour was slated to play the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Newspaper announcements in Chicago papers noted Frankie Avalon and Jimmy Clayton filling in as replacements.
After the Aragon, the tour hopscotched across the Midwest – Waterloo, Iowa (Feb. 9), Dubuque, Iowa (Feb. 10), Louisville, Kentucky (Feb. 11), Canton, Ohio (Feb. 12) and Youngstown, Ohio (Feb. 13) — before jumping back to Illinois, having by then being rebranded from “Winter Party ‘59” to the “Shower of Stars,” with two shows scheduled at the Peoria Armory. The shows were promoted by local radio station WIRL as a cerebral palsy benefit.
The next day was the last stop on the tour at the Illinois State Armory in Springfield, promoted by local radio station WMAY, a show also a benefit for the United Cerebral Palsy organization.
When Chuck Salvo, a local record store owner who partnered with the radio station on promoting the show, learned of the crash, he immediately contacted the managers of the Winter Dance Party, asking them to supply more performers.
“To cancel the show would have been a blow to the fans and to the sponsors. We secured a good amount of advance ticket sales,” he recalled in a story in the Sangamon Link. WMAY soon after reported the replacement talent for the Feb. 15 Springfield performance. Added to the line-up besides Fabian were Bill Parsons (“All American Boy”) and Jimmy Clanton (“Just a Dream”).
While the tour came to an end, rock and roll has never died.
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