The Day the Music Died: My Iowa Road Trip

Buddy Holly Memorial at the Plane Crash Site, Clear Lake, IA

Iowa was a special trip for me as It combines two of my greatest passions, music and travel. One of the first tragedies to strike rock 'n’ roll took place on this date 62 years ago, when a plane carrying three of the genre’s biggest stars crashed into an icy cornfield north of Clear Lake, Iowa. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “the Big Bopper” Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson, died Feb. 3, 1959, following a Winter Dance Party tour stop at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. So tragic, Singer Don McLean memorialized Holly, Valens and Richardson in the 1972 No. 1 hit “American Pie,” Growing up with the music of Buddy Holly in my household I always felt I could relate to him. Maybe it was his boy next door charm or midwestern wit, or even his horn rimmed glasses. There was something inspiring about the guy who was one of the first to write, record and produce his own songs. On this road trip, I just had to see where it all took place.

Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa

The Backstory: Holly, 22, Richardson, 28, and Valens, 17, were marquee talent on the Winter Dance Party tour, each having found respective radio success with “That’ll be the Day,” “Chantilly Lace” and “La Bamba.” The tour, a run of Midwestern ballroom and auditorium shows booked for roughly three-and-a-half weeks, kicked off Jan. 23, 1959, in Milwaukee. Many called it the tour from hell with routing that zig-zagged from Wisconsin to Minnesota to Iowa and back again to Minnesota. Tour buses, traveling 300-plus miles on a given night through the frozen rural Midwest, broke down often, leaving the musicians sick and frostbitten.

Following earlier Iowa appearances in Davenport and Fort Dodge, the tour stopped Feb. 2, 1959, at the Surf Ballroom — a show that wasn’t even scheduled to happen. Tickets cost a whopping $1.25. After a blistering set which featured Waylon Jennings on bass and some say even Valens played drums for Buddy. Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson were driven to the Mason City Municipal Airport where Holly, fed up with the tour conditions, charted a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane to fly them to Hector Airport in Fargo, North Dakota, which is closest to Moorhead, MN - the location of their next gig.

Last Known Photo of Buddy Holly, Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA

On February 3, 1959, just past midnight, the plane crashed into a frozen field shortly after takeoff. Tragically, everyone on board were killed instantly. Holly’s pregnant wife, María Elena, found out about his death on a TV news report. Subsequently, she suffered a miscarriage from the trauma. Holly’s mother collapsed after hearing the news on the radio.

Plane Crash Site, Clear Lake, IA

Today, The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake is a living and breathing museum. Go backstage where the infamous coin flip to see who would ride on the plane took place. Walk on the same stage as Buddy and company and you can’t help but be overwhelmed by this place, almost frozen in time, it is a serene feeling to be standing in the midst of greatness. I cant help but wonder what could have become of these three musicians, had they not lost their lives so young. To me this will always be the day their music survived.

The exact spot Buddy Holly stood for his last performance. Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA

Planning to visit? Don’t miss The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Site of the last gig.

Free entry with a donation box.
460 N Shore Dr Clear Lake, IA 50428

Afterwards, head to the Buddy Holly crash site and memorial

22728 Gull Ave., Clear Lake, IA.
Insider tip, there are no road signs, so follow these directions: 5 minutes’ drive off of I-35. Once at Holly’s trademark glasses sign, you’ll see the gravel road that leads to the site. You have to park your car here and walk the rest of the way – it’s just around a ¼ of a mile.