What brush with death did Waylon Jennings escape from, early in his life?!
Question: I know the answer. Do you?
Answers: I know the answer. Do you?
Yes, I do. He was scheduled to fly with his band leader, Buddy Holly, from Iowa to the next show on the "Winter Dance Party" tour on February 2, 1959. J.P. Richardson, a country songwriter (he wrote "White Lightnin'") who had a novelty hit with "Chantilly Lace" under the name "The Big Bopper," was complaining of a cold, so Jennings offered to ride in the bus and let Richardson take his seat in the plane.
According to Jennings on the VH-1 "Behind the Music" special on "The Day the Music Died," he and Holly good-naturedly kidded each other about Jennings' decision. Holly told Jennings, "I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" and Jennings replied, "Yeah? Well I hope your ol' plane crashes!"
Those were the last words Jennings ever said to his friend, as the plane crashed about 1 AM the next morning, February 3, 1959. For years Jennings refused to even discuss his time with Holly because it was just too painful for him.
He gave up his plane seat to The Big Bopper, and the plane crashed. Waylon never really recovered from that knowledge.
he gave up his seat on the plane that killed buddy holly, and he lived with it all his life
Waylon Jennings was playing Bass for Buddy Holly on the ill- fated Winter Dance Party multi-artist package concert tour, that criss-crossed the frozen US Midwest from Jan- Feb 1959.
The old bus the all star tour members used to get between gigs with, on this concert tour; the heater kept breaking down, didn't work in all this frigid mid-winter ice and snow weather they had to travel in! Made for miserable travel ! The bus finally broke down and forced them to walk to the next town thru the snow and ice, to get transport onwards, before they reached their next gig.
They played a concert booking at Clear Lake, Iowa on the night of February 2, 1959. Sometime after that concert, Buddy Holly decided he would take Waylon Jennings and Ritchie Valens with him and charter a private plane to fly on to the next booking about 500 miles farther. That would get them into the next city in a few hours time, give them a couple days before the next gig to rest up, wash their cloths, before the rest of the band and tour members, who had to take the bus, got to the next gig.
Waylon said in his autobiogrpahy and in many recent-year TV interviews that; He, Ritchie and Buddy had already got on the plane ready to fly out. Before they could get started, The Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson, found-out Buddy was flying to the next gig and wanted a seat on the plane! He came out and knocked on the door of the plane and Buddy got out. The plane couldn't take all of them, so when Waylon heard what the Bopper asked Buddy, Waylon talked with Buddy and they decided who would fly on to the next gig with Buddy, by the toss of a coin.
Waylon lost the toss, The Big Bopper won and Buddy and the Bopper both got on that little single engine plane and with Ritchie Valens and the pilot already on-board, they took-off in a snowstorm, sometime after 12:35 or 12:40 AM, in the early hours of February 3rd, 1959. The plane took off and flew less than 5 miles before it crashed, killing everyone aboard. That crash would've happened somewhere about/around 1 AM, February 03, 1959. This date literally marks "The Day the Music Died"...(words to the song "American Pie"- by Don McLean),,,meaning rock 'n' roll music died, with the deaths of those 3 early rock pioneer stars!
Waylon didn't find out until the next day, that Buddy's plane had crashed only a few minutes after take-off.
It was the toss of a coin to see who got Waylons seat on that plane and a few minutes time then, that came that close to taking Waylons life. Though that plane crash did take the lives of Buddy Holly, Waylons long time close friend, as well as Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and the pilot.
Think this is the answer you were looking for! :)
Thank you for the great, FUN music question to answer!
The plane crash that killed Buddy Holly ,The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens.
He gave up his seat on the ill fated plane with the late Buddy Holly,Ritchee Valens and the Big Bopper