Buddy Holly and the Surf Ballroom
June 8 2023 Thursday This morning we drove to Clear Lake Iowa to tour the Surf Ballroom. It has been in operation at its present location since 1948. The Surf Ballroom may have already earned its place in music history in 1959, as any music legends had played there over the years. Back then you weren’t a success until you played the Surf. On February the 9th after the 1959 Winter Dance Party performance at the Surf, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and JD Richardson (Big Bopper) boarded a small chartered plane to fly to the next stop on the tour. The airplane crashed into a farmer’s field shortly after takeoff, there were no survivors. The present day Surf Ballroom has been restored to its original 1948 design, it still hosts concerts at night, but during the day it is a museum for all the legendary performers who appeared there and a shrine to the three Rock and Rollers. Millie and I were genuinely impressed during our visit; there are many autographed pictures and memorabilia of past per