Feb. 3, 1959 — it’s been popularly called The Day the Music Died, in reference to Don McLeod’s 1971 iconic ballad “American Pie,” which references the date that rock ’n’ roll singers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Mason City, Iowa.
For the generation that grew up with the trio’s rockabilly sounds, the current OnStage Playhouse production of “Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story” will bring back a flood of enchanted memories. For younger audience members, it’s a chance to rediscover the roots of rock ’n’ roll, which even in the late 1950s was still in the process of evolving … and exploding in all directions.
Holly (whose real name was Charles Hardin Holley) was definitely talented and, at just 22, was on the road to becoming a giant in the recording industry.
Noah Zuniga-Williams portrays Holly in the OnStage Production and does a fantastic job of recreating Holly’s mannerisms and signature voice. In fact, he could likely make a career out of playing Holly and his music. But type-casting can sometimes be fatal in career choices.
Zuniga-Williams, thin and energetic, said his transformation into Holly was a year in the making.
“About a year ago, Teri (OnStage director Teri Brown) approached me about playing the part,” the Poway High School graduate explained. “I read the script but there wasn’t a lot of video out there of him to study.
“It took a while to get all his mannerisms down, especially the vocal hiccups were a big part of his music (as were Holly’s alternation between his regular voice and falsetto).”
Zuniga-Williams considers himself a musician first and the ability with which he plays the electric guitar makes his performance on stage even more electrifying.
What’s incredible is that this is Zuniga-Williams’ first lead role in a musical. “It’s been so much fun,” he said.
Edgar Diaz-Gutierrez, a native of Tijuana and graduate of Patrick Henry High School, portrays Valens in the OnStage production.
Asked what could have happened if the plane crash never occurred, Diaz-Gutierrez said he felt that Valens, only 17 at his death, had the potential that “he could have matched Buddy Holly.”
Then, the question begs: Who could Holly have matched?
Time capsule
One has to remember that Holly, Valens and Richardson were all stars in the very earliest days of rock ‘n’ roll. What they could have done as leaders of this new style of music is open to conjecture.
Holly represented the creative young middle-America kid with an uncanny ability to write music that drew the attention of millions. He was clean cut, had a little-boy smile and could have been a star perhaps in films and other media like Elvis Presley.
Presley had the “bad boy” tag, but Holly was someone parents could probably tolerate a lot easier. Holly pioneered the rockabilly style of music, later adopted by others. In fact, Holly opened for Presley three times in 1955 and also for Bill Haley & the Comets.
Holly is seen as a major influence on later groups such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Elton John. It is reported that, as a 13-year-old, John began wearing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses to imitate Holly.
Holly was among the inaugural inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and named the number 13 artist on Rolling Stone magazine’s top 100 performers of all time.
Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela, born in Pacoima, in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles) was perhaps the first rock ’n’ roll star of Hispanic descent and his contributions could have also had a great impact. Valens was only in high school, certainly not a seasoned performer, but was learning the business as he went.
If there is still a bias against Hispanic performers in some areas and/or regions, perhaps Valens would have helped break down that barrier.
He transformed “La Bamba”from a traditional Mexican folk song by giving it a rock rhythm and beat and it hit big in 1958 and it sold over 1,000,000 copies. The other side (B side) was “Donna,” a song he wrote about a real-life girlfriend.
Later Hispanic rock and Latin rock groups include Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Carlos Santana.
Both Holly and Valens have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Holly’s wife, Maria Elena, was pregnant at the time of the crash and later miscarried to what was termed “psychological trauma” due to the event.
Holly’s signature glasses (minus the lenses) were not found initially at thecrash site but were later turned into the local authorities after the surrounding snow melted. The bodies of Holly, Valens and Richardson were found near the wreckage after being ejected from the plan upon impact. It was determined that death was instantaneous for all on board.
Holly’s body was interred at the City of Lubbock cemetery. His headstone carries the correct spelling of his name (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Scott Hopkins contributed to this story.
