The Buddy Holly Winter Dance Party Tour Through Duluth: 59 Years Ago...

The original poster advertising the event

January 31 marks the 59th anniversary of three days before "the day the music died" when Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash in Iowa. Three days prior to their death–January 31, 1959–these pop stars of the fifties performed at the Duluth Armory in a memorable appearance from my youth. A small private plane carrying these performers crashed following their final performance in Clear Lake Iowa, claiming their lives. The plane was heading to Fargo, North Dakota. As Don McLean wrote in his classic music parable, American Pie, the plane crash resulted in "the day the music died."

I, Bob Dylan and other area youths packed the Duluth Armory on January 31, 1959 to take in the performances of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson, three of Rock and Roll’s most promising musicians of that era. “The Winter Dance Party Tour” began on January 23, 1959 with performances scheduled for 24 cities. The Duluth appearance took place three days before the tour tragically ended.

My friend, Lew Latto, was the producer and MC of the Armory show that also included Dion and the Belmonts. Lew was a precocious teen who became a popular disc jockey as a youth and continued on with a successful career in radio until his death in 2011.

Ed Newman, blogger on Ennyman's Territory, interviewed me about that evening.  Read it HERE.

This year the Historic Duluth Armory is again paying tribute to the Winter Dance Party. Tickets may be purchased HERE. For more about the revitalization of the Historic Duluth Armory, follow that link.

You can find more photos and accounts of the original Duluth Dance Party Tour on the News Tribune Attic on January 31, 2014.

Duluth's 2015 Winter Dance Party fun...

Duluth's Historic Armory fundraiser:  2015 Winter Dance Party, 1-31-15.
The Travelogs provided the music–and the famous black horn-rimmed glasses. 

These are a few scenes from the Winter Dance Party held last weekend marking the 56^th anniversary of the similarly titled event in the Duluth Armory featuring entertainers Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in one of their final appearances before they were killed in the crash of a small plane. 

The event was a fundraiser for the Historic Duluth Armory where Holly et al appeared on the Winter Dance Party Tour before the historic "night the music died." I was introduced at this event as the only person in the audience who acknowledged having been at the original dance party. One other person said that he had been there for part of the event, but was quite young and apparently had been kicked out. 

This year’s observance, held at the Sacred Heart concert venue, was very well attended. Some of the music provided did take on original Holly-Valens hits and were performed in the spirit of the era by Todd Eckert and The Travelogs, a group that includes regional musicians Lonnie Knight, Gary Lopac, Stan Kipper and Jim Steinworth. It was a fun event for a great cause.

Jim Heffernan is introduced as the only person attending
the Duluth 2015 Winter Dance Party fundraiser event who also was at
the original Winter Dance Party held in the Duluth Armory 56 years ago.

Jim Heffernan (l) is pictured with Jerry Schnell (r),
a volunteer with the Historic Duluth Armory fundraiser event.

Duluth's 2015 Winter Dance Party!

Everyone's invited...
To join the Armory Arts & Music Center on Saturday, January 31st for an evening of song and dance in celebration of the 56th Anniversary of the historic Duluth Armory Winter Dance Party.

Dance to the music of Buddy Holly and contemporaries while raising awareness about the important restoration and revitalization work underway at the HISTORIC DULUTH ARMORY.

DANCING!!! APPETIZERS - CASH BAR - SILENT AUCTION -  BEST 50's COSTUME PRIZE
TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW

My friend, the late Lew Latto, was the MC for the original event 56 years ago at the Armory when Buddy Holly et al were there... along with me, Bob Dylan and a lot of area teens. As you all know, Holly's plane crashed and he and others died 3 days after leaving Duluth. 
The Day the music died...

 Read more on my blog HERE and HERE    Jim