Because 49th anniversaries are the ones people always remember.

And, more importantly, remember the contributions made by those who left us early and mourn the contributions they might have made but will never get the chance.

Not entirely appropriate, but the best I could do:

Poor Mel, cut down early at the tender age of 81. Who knows what he might have gone on to do?

SpinStopper: And, more importantly, remember the contributions made by those who left us early and mourn the contributions they might have made but will never get the chance.

Indeed. Here's another "best I could do" (^)

Must have heard that one about a thousand times when I was a kid. I think it was the standard "DJ needs a potty break" tune at the oldies station my parents liked.

And turned future Vegas schlock acts into perpetual martyrs.

planecrashes kill more music than piracy.
Someoue should graph that.

Jesus Christ, Fanny Brice,
Wolfie Mozart and Humphrey Bogart and
Genghis Khan and
on to H. G. Wells.

Ho Chi Minh, Gunga Din
Henry Luce and John Wilkes Booth
and Alexanders
King and Graham Bell.

Ramar Krishna, Mama Whistler,
Patrice Lumumba and Russ Colombo,
Karl and Chico Marx,
Albert Camus.

E. A. Poe, Henri Rousseau,
Sholom Aleichem and Caryl Chessman,
Alan Freed and Buster Keaton too

Isotope: Indeed. Here's another "best I could do" (^)

Brought a tear to me eye.

"I was conceived in cold circumstances in the front seat of a 1955 four door Chevrolet in the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 3, 1959 near Des Moines, Iowa ... the song playing on the car radio during the crucial moment was Buddy Holly's `Heartbeat'.
"I was careful to never let mother know that I think `Heartbeat' is a lousy song."

They actually had some folks on the Art Bell show a few months ago who dug up the body of the big bopper to see if he had been shot during the plane crash becasue they found bullet holes in one of the seats - He had not been shot though - His huge ass was launched from the plane in one piece.

It's also the day Waylon Jennings discovered that he was a luckiest man on Earth.

And still no official Buddy Holly boxset. WTF?

/googling "Purple Chick" "Complete Buddy Holly" might help ease that pain.

Already have my reservations set for next year in Clear Lake.

I made the pilgrimage a couple of years ago. The Surf Ballroom is a fantastic place to visit. I was even shown the crash site north of town.

SHoulda let the drunken monkey fly the damned plane.

Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Barry Manilow=1000s of hours of flying. Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Lynryd Skynyrd are the ones who crash

Just saying....

All three deaths were very sad -- but Buddy was really just beginning to scratch the surface of his talent and I think he would have become an even more important figure...

darling: And still no official Buddy Holly boxset. WTF?

That's because ,unfortunately, it wouldn't sell all that well since it seems like all most people nowadays know about Buddy is that he died in a plane crash and some horrible singer-songwriter wrote a crappy song about him in the 70s.

/Buddy was awesome
//if there were no Buddy, there would be no Beatles.

Time to drive the Chevy to the levy again.

RocketRod

Sorry to say you'll fine that it's dry.

JeffTL: Sorry to say you'll fine that it's dry.

Then I guess I'll just find some good ol' boys drinkin' whiskey and rye.

darling: And still no official Buddy Holly boxset. WTF?

Yes - where do folks think the Beatles got their name?

But there is "THe Complete Buddy Holly" and plenty of bootlegs of what it misses. But, yeah, ought to be a digitally remastered, a fancified set

A friend's uncle was the only passenger on a puddle jumper in some podunk airfield when out of the blue a van showed up with the Little River Band. They all laughed about the "must-not-fly-with-musicians-on-small-planes" shtick, but he was still nervous.

It looks like American Pie isn't getting as much airplay today (pops) as I expected.

They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into..

That's what they get for trying to show up Dewey Cox.

El Freak: darling: And still no official Buddy Holly boxset. WTF?

That's because ,unfortunately, it wouldn't sell all that well since it seems like all most people nowadays know about Buddy is that he died in a plane crash and some horrible singer-songwriter wrote a crappy song about him in the 70s.

/Buddy was awesome
//if there were no Buddy, there would be no Beatles.

THIS

Buddy is also the only good thing to have come out of Lubbock, TX.

"My god! We'll have to endure the terrible music of the Big Bopper and the horrible tragedy of his death."