"The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the "Big Bopper," and Ritchie Valens" by Larry Lehmer

 We added our stop in Clear Lake Iowa to our mostly South Dakota trip (it ended up being on the way) at the last minute.  I didn't have time to read up on the event before we left, though I knew a lot about it, in general, going in.

Well, when we got home, I googled around and tried to find a good book, specifically about the the tragic events on that sad night in 1959.  Well, I found "The Day the Music Died" by Larry Lehmer.

This PACKED volume gives a brief bio on Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, then it gets to the events around the Winter Dance Party, the stop in Clear Lake Iowa, and the plane crash.  The set up is perfect, but the author doesn't add filler- this book IS about the day the music died.

There are a TON of bits of info in the book, and if you are an obsessive rock fan like me, well, then, I know you love that kind of stuff.  I don't want to give too much away, but I really enjoyed reading about how TWO versions of the Crickets were around at one point.  Also, Lehmers book tells about how the Winter Dance Party Tour CONTINUED even after the deaths of the headliners.  

The author talks a lot about the conditions on the tour and on the bus that lead to Holly getting a plane to fly him.  You may or may not know that The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens weren't supposed to be on that flight.  Waylon Jennings (yes, THAT Waylon Jennings) was supposed to be on the plane.  

Larry Lahmer gives some very dark secrets about the crash you may not be aware of.  Did one of the rock stars have a premonition about the crash?  Are there conspiracies being thrown around?  The answer to both questions is yes, and you can read about them in this book!