60th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED
HONORING THIS SPECIAL DAY IS ‘NOT FADE AWAY: THE ULTIMATE BUDDY HOLLY EXPERIENCE’
AT THE MILFORD PERFORMANCE CENTER ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 1st
In January of 1959 Buddy Holly, Dion and the Belmonts, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper set out on a twenty-four day tour of the mid-western United States. Making the closely booked appearances by bus this tour was torture for the performers. Several degrees below zero, and a bus with a broken heating system, caused many to receive frostbite. This infamous tour was known as "The Winter Dance Party." and is reconstructed at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, every year to remember Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson, and Buddy Holly.
The tour was a disaster from the start, playing small dates in frozen towns in the upper Midwest, with all the musicians crammed into a drafty bus. By February 1, Carl Bunch, Holly's drummer had left with frost bitten feet and a mood of rebellion was overtaking the tour. The tour was scheduled to play two shows that day and then to go to Clear Lake, Iowa for the next evening's performance. By the time they got there, everyone was in a bad mood. Holly told his band members, guitarist Tommy Allsup and bassist Waylon Jennings, that after the show he was going to lease a plane from Dwyer's Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa to fly them to Fargo, North Dakota, ahead of everyone.
The Big Bopper, who was tired of wedging his oversized frame into tiny bus seats, asked Jennings to let him have his seat to which Jennings agreed. Valens asked Allsup for his seat. Allsup wasn't as agreeable as Jennings and they decide to flip a coin with the loser riding the bus. Allison lost. Holly, Richardson, and Valens got into the plane and Peterson started the engine of the four place Beechcraft Bonanza and took off. By this time Dwyer was back and noticed that the take off was shaky. A few minutes later he got on the radio to see if everything was alright. When there was no answer he called the Fargo airfield to see if the plane had landed. It hadn't. Worried he got into another plane and went to search for them. He found the plane eight miles from Clear Lake, crashed in a cornfield, with bodies strewn all around. All had died on impact.
For one night, on this 60th Anniversary, The music lives at The Milford Performance Center. Not Fade Away: A Tribute to Buddy Holly is set to take the stage on Friday February 1st at 8:00pm (doors open at 7:00pm)
Buddy Holly, who is considered by many to be a father of rock and roll, performed with the Crickets at the Granada Theater in London, England, on March 14, 1958. At the time Maybe Baby, Peggy Sue and Oh Boy! were on Billboard’s Top 100 Chart in the United States. The show was a LIVE! BBC broadcast. The theater had a seating capacity of 2,434; and sitting in one of those seats was a fourteen-year-old lad from Dartford, Kent named Mick Jagger … The Rolling Stones famously covered Not Fade Away in 1964.
you dancing the night away. Twirl down memory lane to the unforgettable sounds of Buddy, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper…you’ll be taken to a world of legends. Buddys’ effect on artists like Bill Haley, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison,Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, The Beatles, Dylan, The Stones and more! You’ve never experienced rock n roll quite like this!
Buddy will be paid tribute to by Jared Mancuso. “With his short, curly hair and thick framed glasses, Mancuso captures not only the look and sound of Buddy Holly but also the spirit of the young rock ‘n roller ... Jared Mancuso becomes Buddy Holly! He has been spending the past couple years as Buddy, either in regional revivals of the musical that bears his name or in his own self-penned tribute show Buddy’s Back!,
About The Milford Performance Center
The Milford Performance Center is located at The Parsons Govt. Center in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. MPC, a 501(c)3, is culturally dedicated to nurturing the arts in the community by creating new and exciting performance experiences, from Classic Rock to Classical Music, Jazz, Blues & Comedy to Country, Bluegrass, Folk and more. Located at 53 W. Main Street on the corner of W. River Street, Milford and on the web at www.MilfordPerformanceCenter.org
All shows at MPC help multiple local Charities. This show is helping Food 2 Kids. Please see a list, on the MPC website, of kid friendly foods to bring and help fill our donation box for Food2Kids. Doors open at 7:00 PM & the Show Starts at 8:00PM. Refreshments, wine and beer is available.
If you are a Federal Employee affected by the Govt. Shutdown (and possible repeat 3 weeks from now) Show your ID at the ticket booth to receive 1 free ticket to the show!
For Tickets and Information: go to www.MilfordPerformanceCenter.org. Tickets are also available at the door on show day or online until midnight on Thursday night.