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February 3, 2025
Today in Texas History
On this day in 1959, Charles Hardin Holley, better known as Buddy Holly, died in a plane crash near Mason City, Iowa.
After a show on the night of Feb. 2 in Clear Lake, Holly, fellow Texan J. P. Richardson (the "Big Bopper"), and Richie Valens took off in a chartered plane for Fargo, North Dakota. The aircraft went down shortly after take-off, and all aboard were killed.
The innovative Holly and his group, the Crickets, had achieved a high level of fame that persists more than 40 years later. In Lubbock, Holly's hometown, a large statue of the musician stands near the Lubbock Memorial Center.
After a show on the night of Feb. 2 in Clear Lake, Holly, fellow Texan J. P. Richardson (the "Big Bopper"), and Richie Valens took off in a chartered plane for Fargo, North Dakota. The aircraft went down shortly after take-off, and all aboard were killed.
The innovative Holly and his group, the Crickets, had achieved a high level of fame that persists more than 40 years later. In Lubbock, Holly's hometown, a large statue of the musician stands near the Lubbock Memorial Center.