It's Impossible To Forget The Tragic Iowa Plane Crash That Rewrote Parts Of History

Buddy Holly and a group of supporting musicians took to the stage as part of their midwestern "Winter Dance Tour". They played well into the night, and the concert ended just before midnight.

After the show, Jennings and Allsup both gave up their seats on the plane. JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson, one of the supporting acts, had the flu and asked Waylon Jennings if he could fly, rather than take the crowded tour bus. Jennings agreed. Ritchie Valens, another supporting musician, asked Tommy Allsup for his seat, and the two tossed a coin, with Valens winning the seat.

Unfortunately, the plane did not make it to the next tour stop in Moorehead, Minnesota. Shortly after takeoff, in darkness and with the challenges of snowy weather and poor visibility, the plane crashed to the ground in a nearby corn field. Roger Peterson was the pilot at just 21 years of age. Everyone on the flight died instantly.

You can listen to the local news broadcasts and see footage from the crash site on this video, put together by Youtube user King Todge

Even the musicians families learned of their fate by early morning news broadcasts. Holly's pregnant wife, María Elena, suffered such trauma that she miscarried, and has never been able to visit the gravesite. She did not attend Holly's funeral. Holly's own mother heard the news on the radio in Texas, and collapsed to the floor. Following the events, Police nationwide decided that news outlets would not be told victims names until their families were notified.

Today, you can find a path to the memorial off of Gull Road in Clear Lake. Look for a replica of Holly's signature glasses, and the path will take you from there.

The steel guitar and records were created by Ken Paquette, a local fan, in 1989. Paquette later made a tribute for the pilot, Peterson, as well. The Surf Ballroom hosts annual tribute concerts, and there is a granite memorial bearing the names of those who perished in the crash.

Perhaps no tribute is more famous, though, than the song that reminded the nation of the tragedy. American Pie was released by Don McLean in 1971, and forever changed the way the music industry referred to the crash. After the song rose to the top of the charts, the day the world lost Valens, Holly and the Big Bopper was known as "The Day the Music Died".