The Big Bopper
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Jiles Perry Richardson Jr., better known by his stage name The Big Bopper, was an American musician and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include "Chantilly Lace", "Running Bear", and "White Li
Richardson in 1958
Advertisement featured in Cashbox magazine, 13 December 1958
Monument in front of Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa
Monument at crash site, September 16, 2003
The Day the Music Died
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On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger P
The Big Bopper
…Richardson achieved his breakthrough with the song "Chantilly Lace", which was the lead single from his 1958 debut album of the same name. Richardson was killed in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa, in February 1959, along with fellow musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Richardson was born…
The wreckage of the Bonanza at the crash site
A V-tailed Bonanza similar to N3794N, the accident aircraft
Concert poster for the "Winter Dance Party" tour.
Newspaper clipping, February 3, 1959