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History Daily

The Day the Music Died

History Daily

History Daily

History

4.42.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

February 3, 1959. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” die in a plane crash on their way from Iowa to Minnesota.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:04.1

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0:06.0

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0:10.6

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0:30.8

Thank you. It's the morning of February 3, 1959, at the Mason City Airport in Iowa.

0:35.2

Hubert Dwyer leans over his desk listening to the crackle of the radio.

0:38.0

He's the owner of the Dwyer Flying Service and has been trying to reach one of his planes for hours,

0:40.8

but there's been no response,

0:42.4

and with each passing minute, Hubert's anxiety rises.

0:46.2

After one final attempt at the radio,

0:48.7

he pushes out his chair and grabs his jacket from a nearby hook.

0:52.5

Outside, a freezing wind lashes his face as he

0:55.7

hurries across the tarmac to his own plane. All night, heavy snow had battered this tiny

1:00.9

airport in the fields around it. But now that it's light out, Hubert is determined to find out

1:05.8

what happened to his missing aircraft. The men on board weren't just any passengers. The man who chartered the flight

1:12.0

was none other than famous musician Buddy Holly, accompanied by two other stars, teenage

1:17.4

singing sensation Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, also known as the Big Bopper. Hubert

1:23.5

climbs into his plane and starts the engines. The missing aircraft was headed northeast to join up with Buddy's band on the next stop

1:30.4

and their tour.

1:31.6

Hubert hopes that if he can follow their planned route, he'll find some clues as to what

1:35.9

might have happened.

1:37.5

As he climbs into the sky, Hubert can't shake the uneasy feeling that's been bothering

...

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