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The Day the Music Died falls on Wednesday, February 3, 2027. That is 99 days away.

A small plane went down in a snowy Iowa field after a winter concert, and three young rock and roll stars died with the pilot: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known on stage as The Big Bopper. The name for the anniversary comes from Don McLean's song "American Pie," which calls the crash the day the music died.

The three were on a long, cold bus tour of the Midwest. Holly had chartered the plane to skip a miserable overnight ride to the next show. Seats were traded and coin tosses decided who flew, a detail that still gets retold whenever the story comes up.

Their music outlasted them. Holly, with his glasses and his Fender Stratocaster, helped set the template for the rock band that writes its own songs. Valens took a Mexican folk song, "La Bamba," and turned it into a rock record while still a teenager. Richardson's "Chantilly Lace" opens with a telephone greeting that many people can still quote.

Most people mark the day by listening. Radio stations play the songs, fans share old performance clips, and some make the trip to Clear Lake, Iowa, where the Surf Ballroom, the last venue they played, still hosts dances and tribute concerts. A memorial with a pair of oversized glasses stands near the crash site.

The last concert they gave was at that ballroom, and the building still has its dance floor.

Ways to celebrate

• Play "Peggy Sue," "La Bamba" and "Chantilly Lace" back to back.
• Listen to "American Pie" all the way through and follow the lyrics.
• Watch archival performance clips of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.
• Share a favorite early rock and roll song with someone younger.
• Look up the Surf Ballroom and its history in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Dates

All national days on February 3

Also on February 3

• National Carrot Cake Day
• National Golden Retriever Day
• Feed the Birds Day
• Four Chaplains Day

Categories: History daysCommemorative days