On January 15, 1972, “American Pie,”, an epic poem in musical
form that has long been etched in popular consciousness, hit
#1 on the Billboard charts.
The story of Don McLean’s magnum opus begins almost 13
years before its release, on a date with significance well-known
to any American who was alive and conscious at the time.
Tuesday February 3, 1959, was the date of the plane crash that
took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the J.P. “the
Big Bopper” Richardson—a date that would be imbued with
transcendent meaning by Don McLean when he labeled it
“the Day the Music Died.”
(l. to r.): Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens.
Donald McLean III will be 80 years old in October.
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