Buddy Holly-Winter Dance Party Pt II

Frozen buses, dirty clothes, no sleep, a coin toss… a decision made

Main image: Exhibit at LBJ Presidential Library, Austin, TX, 2015. Inset: Buddy Holly photo-booth image 1959 -both images Public Domain via Wikimedia

In some of the worst weather in living memory, the 1959 Winter Dance Party trundled on, criss-crossing the Midwestern states of the United States. Four buses had already been replaced since setting out on 23 January from Chicago, Illinois, due to breakdowns in the icy conditions.

The first week had gone badly, with delays caused by the breakdowns, resulting in afternoon matinees being cancelled. Sometimes the bus arrived at a concert venue just minutes before the show was due to start, giving the artists no time to relax, wash their clothes or eat properly.

While things were beginning to fall apart on the tour, Buddy’s management in New York City were busy looking to the future by organising a short tour.

Buddy and his band would start this one five days after the current Winter Dance Party tour ended. Friday 20 February they would be in Washington D.C. with Ritchie Valens, Frankie Avalon, The Crests, Linda Laurie, and others on the bill.

Meanwhile on the 27 January 1959 Buddy’s New York lawyer had a lengthy telephone conversation with Buddy’s former manager Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, trying to arrange a meeting with Petty to clarify Holly’s financial affairs…