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Sunday, February 08, 2015

Love Is A Wonderful Thing

Okay, here we are.  The week of Valentine's Day.

With Valentine's Day falling on a Saturday this year, I imagine that most people will be making extra special plans to treat their guys or gals to a night on the town complete with dinner, dancing, and a whole lot of love making.

Myself?  I think it's pointless to devote one day of the year to treating your significant other like gold when you should be doing it all year round.  And I think it's sort of disrespectful to have a day of celebration named after a man who was locked in a tower, pelted with rocks, and beheaded.  But hey, that's just me, I guess.

The point is...I've been very much a dissenter of all things Valentine's Day.  I wanted the boxes of heart-shaped chocolates to be filled with hot pepper.  I wanted the dancing dogs and cats to sing inappropriate songs.  I wanted the heart shaped balloons to pop all at once.

(Well, just make sure the balloons are popped away from me.  I hate that sound.)

But at the same time, things are actually starting to get much better.  I'm starting to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm beginning to discover who I am now as a result of it.

So, I've decided that I would try to put a positive spin on Valentine's Day week by doing a few entries that tackle the subject of love.  I'm going to see how well that goes, and who knows?  Maybe by the time the fourteenth rolls around, I may change my opinion on the day.

Or, at the very least, not complain about it as much while I bite the wings off of chocolate Cupids.

I'm also bringing back the former theme days that I used to do for one week only, just to make this Valentine's Day week more pop culture themed, which would make today the Sunday Jukebox.

And admittedly, I've chosen a song that I'm quite surprised I like.

It's a cheesy love song that was released approximately twenty-four years ago, and the singer is one that was mocked a lot in the media.  In particular with his appearance. 

Now, take it from me.  I think making fun of someone based on physical looks is a cheap shot and disrespectful.  But, I have to admit that when I was a kid, I always wondered how this singer managed to have long hair and be balding at the same time.  It was always a bit of a puzzle to me.



But I don't think that Michael Bolton really cared about any of that.  From 1988 to 1997, he was definitely one of the biggest selling soft rock artists in the world, and I do remember quite a few of his songs being played on the radio.  Let's see...there was "Said I Loved You, But I Lied", "Time, Love & Tenderness", "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You", and "Can I Touch You...There?"



(Yes, that last one actually was a song title by Bolton.  Released in late 1995.)

But I decided that I would choose this song instead.  It's a song about love.  It's a song that admittedly has a cheesy music video that surprisingly works with the song itself.  And, it was also the subject of a copyright infringement controversy!

Okay, let's hear it!



ARTIST:  Michael Bolton
SONG:  Love Is a Wonderful Thing
ALBUM:  Time, Love & Tenderness
DATE RELEASED:  April 19, 1991
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #4

Yes, for those of us who are lucky enough to have found love, love, I've been told, is a wonderful thing.  But even for those of us who are single, love can be a wonderful thing that one day we hope to have happen.

And, of course, it's not all about romantic love either.  Love can also be displayed towards family members, friends, or even complete strangers too.  Love truly is a wonderful thing.



And it certainly proved to be a wonderful thing for Michael Bolton - well, at least from a musical perspective anyway.  The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1991, and it was a #1 adult contemporary hit on two separate occasions between May 1991 and June 1991.

As far as his real love life went, well...he and his wife Maureen McGuire ended up getting divorced, and he had an on-off relationship with "Desperate Housewives" actress Nicollette Sheridan which is currently off.  But hey, I'm sure that while he was in those relationships, he thought that love was a wonderful, wonderful thing.  He probably still thinks that today, even though there's no record of him being in a relationship that I can find.

You hear that ladies?  He's single!

But you know what wasn't a wonderful thing?  Charges of copyright infringement.



You see, a little over two and a half decades before "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" was first released by Michael Bolton, a group that called themselves "The Isley Brothers" released a song themselves which was also entitled "Love Is a Wonderful Thing".  Have a listen to their version below.



Now, this version by The Isley Brothers didn't nearly do as well on the charts as Michael Bolton's version.  The Isley Brothers version reached #10 on the Billboard "Bubbling Under" charts in 1966.  Now that might seem like it did well until you consider that when a song bubbles under, it means that it charts below the Billboard Hot 100.  So, essentially, that meant that this version peaked at #110.  Ouch.

But listen to both this version and Michael Bolton's version of this song.  They are both different songs with different arrangements.  The only similarity in either song lies within the chorus, as the line "love is a wonderful thing" seems to be sung exactly the same way.  But surely that couldn't be enough to launch a copyright infringement lawsuit against Bolton, could it?

Well, actually, yes...it could.

Shortly after Bolton's version was released, a lawsuit was launched against Bolton and his songwriting partner Andrew Goldmark charging both with copyright infringement, claiming that they had sampled enough of The Isley Brothers version of the song without asking for permission.  Bolton and Goldmark would argue that they did no such thing.  However, in 1994, a jury found both Bolton and Goldmark, and Sony Music Entertainment, liable of all charges, and they were ordered to pay the Isleys all profits earned by the single plus an additional 28% of the profits generated by Michael Bolton's "Time, Love & Tenderness" album, plus any other album the song appears on.

Ouch.  This could explain why it is almost impossible to find a Michael Bolton greatest hits album with "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" as one of the songs.

So, how much did The Isley Brothers end up receiving as a result of this decision?  A cool five million dollars!  Can you say Cha-Ching?

To his credit, Michael Bolton did attempt to make an appeal, stating that while he was a fan of The Isley Brothers and liked their music, he insisted that he was not guilty of copyright infringement as he had claimed to have not even heard the other version prior to releasing his own.  Alas, his appeal in January 2001 was not heard by the Supreme Court, and the original verdict issued in 1994 remained.

So, "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" turned out not to be such a wonderful thing for Bolton.  However, it became an extremely wonderful thing for The Isley Brothers.  Still, no matter what the decision was, it doesn't take away from the fact that Michael Bolton's version was still considered well-loved by his fans, and I am sure that this song gets played at a lot of weddings all over the world some twenty-four years later.

After all, both songs state the obvious.  Love is a wonderful thing.

Saturday, February 07, 2015

5 - 6 - 9 - 11 - 12 - 16 - 72 - 83 - 85 - 90 - 91 - 92 - 93 - 94 - 97

I swear to all of you...I have not lost my mind.  The title of this blog is what appears to be a bunch of random numbers.

I am not playing the lottery.

This is not my social insurance number (and believe me, if a site asks you to insert your social insurance number, DON'T DO IT).

This is not even a follow up to the Square One Television blog that I wrote yesterday.

The title of this blog really is 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 16, 72, 83, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, and 97.

But why?  What does this all mean? 

Well, I have a bit of a confession to make.  These numbers aren't quite so random.  You see, all of these numbers correspond with a department that I have worked in over the last decade.

And, yep.  That's a lot of departments.  And that's not even counting the store standards stint that I did.  Mainly because A) store standards has no department number, and B), I try to block that miserable time out of my mind.

Of course, you're probably wondering what these numbers mean.  And why I've shaded some of them in brown font.

Well, the numbers in brown are departments that I was officially coded with at one time.  The other ones are departments that I picked up along the way, or had to work in for a few shifts in between moves. 

And the department numbers are...

5 - Electronics (Entertainment)
6 - Cameras
9 - Sporting Goods
11 - Hardware & Tools
12 - Paint
16 - Lawn & Garden Centre
72 - Electronics (Hardware)
83 - Seafood
85 - One Hour Photo
90 - Dairy
91 - Frozen Foods
92 - Grocery & Dry Goods
93 - Meat
94 - Produce
97 - Pre-Packaged Deli

Whew.  I'm exhausted.



Of course, my current home is in the 9-12 range, but I have to say that I have had quite good experiences in all of the other areas that I have worked.  Even though many of the departments that I have worked were not by choice, somehow I adapted, and I think that I've become more well-rounded as a result of it.  Because I'm not afraid to take on new challenges at the workplace...

...well, most of the time.

You see, there are some departments in a department store that I know I would be a complete disaster in the minute I set foot in them.  Departments in which I would probably have complete mental breakdowns if I was ever placed there.

And, yes...I will share some of these departments with you in this blog - by the numbers.

(What can I say?  It's a Saturday, and I haven't got a whole lot to talk about today.)

So, which departments do you think I'd avoid like the plague?



10 - AUTOMOTIVE

Unless you want me to blow up your car in a spectacular explosion, DO NOT put me in this area.  I do not even have much driving experience, let alone experience in fixing a car.  At best, I know the difference between antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid.  I know what a tire looks like.  And I know they sell stereo equipment there because I redirected customers to the area when they were looking for car stereos while I was working electronics.  Anything else?  Um, no.  Just no.



Pretty Much Any Department in the 20s and 30s

And, no, by the twenties, I don't mean the Roaring Twenties.  I mean any of the departments that have to do with fashion.  You've heard of Project Runway?  I'm Project Trainwreck when it comes to fads, trends, and style.  I don't even think that I match my clothing half the time when I don't work.  Okay, so maybe I could handle men's wear okay, but don't even get me started on women's fashion.  I don't even think I know how some of those garments even get put on the body!

Basically, if the department is made of cloth, has things you have to clasp together, or has fitting rooms that some stupid people actually think is a bathroom, I want no part of it.

(And I wish I were kidding about that last statement, but alas, I am not.)



46 - COSMETICS

You know lipstick, nail polish, blush, eyeliner, foundation, perfume, and lip gloss?  I wear NONE of that stuff!  Putting me in cosmetics would be like forcing Paris Hilton to work a shift at Burger King!



80 - DELI COUNTER

Put me in here, I will burn the store down.  Not intentionally, of course.  It'll just happen.  Same deal for Department 98 - Bakery.  Just saying.



87 - WIRELESS CONNECTIONS

Interestingly enough, this section is right smack in the middle of electronics, but I never worked in it officially.  That's because our connection centre is operated by an outside company.  Which is fine by me because I really don't think that I know enough about cell phones to even provide anyone with the proper channels to communicate with their loved ones.  If anything, my explanation of the various cell phone plans would probably get people to hang up on me.  Better to leave that job to the experts. 

I mean, let's face it.  There are some parts of the store that I don't feel comfortable working in, and I don't think that I would ever develop the comfort to do exactly that.  But then again, I said the same about the other places I was moved to, and well, look at me now!  Even if I leave the store, or stay, I'll still have that experience.  Trust me, it's a good thing.

But, seriously.  DO NOT put me in Automotive.  EVER.  It's for your own safety.  TRUST ME.

Friday, February 06, 2015

Celebrating Square One Television!

I am of the camp who believes that learning should be a fun experience.

I know that back when I was in school, the common method of "teaching" (and believe me, I use that term loosely) was having the teacher read out a lesson plan from a ledger, us opening up textbooks related to said lesson plan, and doing mindless exercises in our notebooks until the recess bell freed us from all of the monotony.

(This was one of the reasons why university ended up not being for me.  I learn best by doing things and having fun doing it.  Not by sitting in a lecture hall listening to some eighty-seven year old man spew regurgitated stale information that is only 20% relevant to the topic of study.)

That's why when I was a young kid, I immediately got home and switched on PBS or TVOntario.  Television stations like those two made learning about things so much fun!

Admit it.  Wasn't science much more fun when you learned about it from Bill Nye The Science Guy?  Or perhaps you watched Beakman's World instead?  Either way, both shows were perfect for learning about how our world worked.

If you were looking for ways to improve your word score, figure out punctuation and spelling, or simply to have fun reading, then "Ghostwriter" was the show for you.  Well, at least it was for kids of my generation.  Plus you had fun solving mysteries as well!  But, I suppose if you're older than I am, "The Electric Company" was also another fine choice.  Heck, even "Readalong" was a great choice considering that the star of the show was an old boot!

But one subject that I absolutely struggled in was mathematics.

I have never been great with numbers which is exactly why I never pursued a career in accounting, bookkeeping, or even one of those people that pulls the lottery numbers out of the drum every Saturday night.  I always struggled with long division, multiplying three-digit numbers together, and telling the difference between a parallelogram and a...um...non-parallelogram.

And yet during elementary school, my grades in math were quite good.  Was it just blind luck?  A few good guesses? 

Well, to tell you the truth, I had a lot of help from one show that I used to watch when I was in grade school.  A show that helped myself and other kids my age get through math homework every afternoon at 5:30.



That show was Square One Television.

Now, to put things into perspective, I was only five years old when the show debuted on most PBS stations on January 26, 1987.  I didn't even know what half of the stuff that the actors in the show were even talking about.  But for some reason, I found myself glued to the tube every time it came on.



I guess if I could describe Square One Television in a sentence, it would be something like this.  It was like MTV with numbers.  And by numbers, I don't mean the chart positions on Total Request Live.

Seriously, the whole show was flashy, bright, colourful, and had a ton of music videos, television show spoofs, game shows, and celebrity guests.  Kind of sounds like early MTV to me.



Square One Television ran for five seasons, the final episode airing in November 1992.  The show ran for an additional two years in reruns well into 1994.  And even though I was only five when the show began, our PBS affiliate would rerun some of the older episodes, so over time I did get to see every single episode.  The show initially had seven cast members who would act out the skits and perform some of the songs in the show; Arthur Howard, Beverly Mickens, Cris Franco, Cynthia Darlow, Larry Cedar, Luisa Leschin, and Reg. E. Cathey.  An eighth cast member, Priscilla Barnes, joined the show in 1992.

So, what were some of the stuff that Square One Television performed to help mathematically challenged children (such as myself once upon a time) learn about math?

Well, I said that Square One Television was one of those shows that felt like you were watching MTV with numbers?  Well, this much is true.  In fact, here are three music videos from the show itself that have to deal with various math techniques by the cast themselves.



Oh, and did I mention that there were videos done by celebrity guests as well?  I found examples from Weird Al Yankovic and The Jets, which you can hear by clicking on the links in this sentence.

(Well, okay...the Jets WERE somewhat successful in the 1980s.)

Also, Square One really made the most of playing game shows on the show.  Some of them were spoofs, but some involved actual children who played for prizes.  Have a look at "Piece of the Pie" and "Triple Play".  They're quite well done, in my opinion.



You also learned about math through a couple of video game spoofs as well.  Have a look at the Pac-Man inspired sketch known as "Mathman".



Or, QBert inspired "Pauline's Perilous Pyramid".



And, remember how I said that there were some television spoofs included within Square One Television?  I saved one of the most well known ones for last.



You see, every episode would end with the continuing saga of the detectives from "Mathnet", a police force designed to stop mathematical crime waves from happening all over Los Angeles, and later New York City.

In case you haven't guessed yet, "Mathnet" is a spoof of the police crime drama "Dragnet".

Beverly Leech and Joe Howard play the roles of Kate Monday and George Frankly, and they would solve crimes by using mathematical techniques including probability, statistics, and even the Fibonacci Sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, Eureka!)

Ahem...sorry.  Had a Mathnet flashback there.

The show within a show ran during the whole series run, but Kate Monday was written off the show in 1990 to be replaced by Pat Tuesday, played by Toni DiBuono.  I liked both actresses, but some remain divided over who they liked best.

But if you click HERE, you can watch one of the Mathnet mysteries starring Kate Monday.

And clicking HERE will get you a Pat Tuesday mystery.

Thursday, February 05, 2015

You're Watching WHAT on TV?!?

You know, it's been a long time since I have done a blog entry about funny things that I've discovered on the Internet, and I thought that today was as good a time as any to write one.

I can't explain how I came up with the topic, but I can tell you that I have seen instances in which this has happened.

Those of you who own cable and satellite boxes know that when you are on the channel menu on your television set, it gives the name of the show, the channel it happens to be on, and a brief description of what the television show or movie is all about.  Whether you have Cogeco, Bell, Rogers, DirecTV, Comcast, or heck, maybe even Netflix has this feature as well, you know that sometimes when you're trying to choose a show, the tiny two sentence description can be the deciding factor in choosing what you will watch that night.

So, in other words, the program description has got to catch your eye.

But sometimes, the people who write the program synopses for each show may struggle with what to write, and they may write something that comes across as being wrong, funny, offensive, or just plain weird.

I still laugh at the time I came across a description for the TLC show "Sex Sent Me To The E.R." (which is a show title that basically writes itself), where the description read, "Couple does it in a department store window and man almost dies".

I don't know.  I found it funny, at least.

Anyway, here are 15 other examples of television show descriptions gone wrong.  A couple are from talk show captions, but the rest come from actual TV Guides and television and movie synopses found on television preview channels.

And I want to give credit to 11 Points, failblog, Huffington Post, Reddit, WTF Comcast, and College Humor for the images used today.



1.  I can only guess that someone at Comcast is NOT a Lindsay Lohan fan...



2.  Someone at TV Guide must have gone to one of Ellen's 12 Days Of Giveaways tapings!  



3.  Technically, this description is false.  Jim Carrey to my knowledge has never been African-American.  Still, this description is quite bold, wouldn't you say?



4.  Apparently, this dog resides on the Las Vegas Strip.



5.  That description could be for almost ANYTHING!



6.  Boy, America's Funniest Home Videos has changed a lot since Bob Saget hosted it!



7.  That could be ANY episode!!!



8.  I would think that Regina has good reason not to trust Bob!!!



9.  Most epic film synopsis ever.



10.  I'm just guessing that somehow they must have mixed up the descriptions for two programs.  Something tells me that if we go onto the next channel where a Horror Movie is airing, we might see that the serial killer lives on a diet of hash browns and belgian waffles.



11.  Wow, what a raunchy cartoon!



12.  I don't even know how to respond to this one!



13.  On one hand, seeing the inauguration of an American President and knowing that it is seven hours in length makes you want to switch to QVC.  On the other hand, seeing what the program might have to offer, I'm guessing that the inauguration proceedings have gotten a lot more liberal since Franklin D. Roosevelt took office.



14.  You know, technically the description is accurate when it comes to nudity.  When have you ever seen Big Bird, Elmo, and Oscar The Grouch wear clothes?



15.  I'm guessing those aren't Hot Wheels that Judy has been given.

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Getting My Mojo Back

So, I started my new job a couple of days ago.

Okay, okay.  Yes, I am still employed with the company that I have been a part of for the last few years, so technically it's not a new job.  It's just in a new section of the store I work at.

Technically, my main job is looking after your hardware needs, but I will also be looking after sporting goods and potentially seasonal merchandise as well.  They are all in the same area of the store, and I will likely have to cover all of these areas on days in which there is nobody else around (which admittedly happens quite often).  But to be perfectly honest with you, I really don't think I'm going to mind that much.  The last couple of days have been really good, and my stress levels are way down from when I was in my previous department, so this is definitely a good sign.

Still, I have a few nervous twitches that I have to work out before I feel fully comfortable with my area.

Such as the fact that I do not have the product knowledge to even recommend anything to customers, nor do I even know how to even use half of the items for sale in my area.

Of course, when I was in the electronics department, I knew nothing about how anything worked there either, and now I consider myself to be a semi-expert on the subject.

(Is that even a word?  Semi-expert?)

I also knew nothing about how to plant things and grow things when I was sent over to the Garden Centre area, and I managed to make it work.

I am confident that this new area will be easy to pick up as well.  I seem to be handling things well so far, at least. 



And really, that's all that matters in the long run.  Having some sort of stability and stress-free environment.

I haven't really had that for quite a while. 

There was a time - quite recently, matter of factly - where things were completely unbalanced.  Both my work life and my personal life were completely screwed up and I had absolutely no idea how to go about fixing it.  And part of the reason why this was the case was because of the fact that everything was going wrong all at once.

I couldn't deal with the high-stress environment of my previous department.  I was experiencing a moment in which I had just had enough of once solid friendships that had turned toxic.  And I absolutely hated my neighbours.  Less said about that lot, the better.

But things are starting to get back to normal - or, as normal as normal can be, I suppose.  I'm in a new area of the store that isn't as stressful as the last one (at least not right now), and I've cut out a lot of the toxic people from my life who were just bringing me down.  That improved my mood a lot!  As for my neighbours...well...I still hate every single one of them.  However, with everything else in my life being balanced, the next step is doing everything in my power to escape this building once and for all.


2015.  The year of change.  Bring it on.

Tuesday, February 03, 2015

February 3, 1959

Welcome to the thirty-fourth day of 2015!  Otherwise known as February 3.

It's also time for another Tuesday Timeline entry, the day of the week in which we take a look at a significant event in pop culture history.  And, when it comes down to choosing a topic for today's discussion, there's really only one event that stood out.

And we'll get to that event a little later in this piece.  But for now, you all know the drill.  It's time to look at what else happened on February 3, as well as the famous faces who are turning another year older today.

1377 - The Cesena Bloodbath takes place which sees Papal Troops kill more than two thousand people in Cesena, Italy

1690 - The colony of Massachusetts issues the first paper money in the Americas

1809 - The Territory of Illinois is created by the 10th United States Congress

1870 - The ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution occurs, guaranteeing the right to vote to citizens, regardless of race

1897 - The Greco-Turkish War commences

1913 - The Federal Government of the United States begins to impose and collect income tax from citizens, following the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution

1916 - Fire destroys the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

1924 - Former President of the United States Woodrow Wilson dies at the age of 67

1947 - The temperature of Snag, Yukon dips to a record -83 degrees Fahrenheit - the coldest temperature ever recorded in North America

1961 - The United States begins "Operation Looking Glass", which lasts until the early 1990s

1971 - NYPD Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a Brooklyn drug bust - he would survive his injuries and later testify against police corruption

1984 - John Buster and the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center research team announce history's first embryo transfer

1989 - Actor John Cassavetes dies of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 59

1995 - Eileen Collins becomes the first female astronaut to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Florida's Kennedy Space Center

1996 - Actress Audrey Meadows passes away at the age of 73

2003 - Record producer Phil Spector shoots and kills 40-year-old actress Lana Clarkson

2007 - A bombing incident at a Baghdad market kills 135 people and injures 339

That wraps up the event portion of the Timeline.  Next comes the following birthday wishes to the following people; Henry Heimlich, Shelley Berman, Val Doonican, Bridget Hanley, Blythe Danner, Stephen McHattie, Melanie Safka, Maev Alexander, Morgan Fairchild, Tiger Williams, Nathan Lane, Thomas Calabro, Michele Greene, Gary Webster, Maura Tierney, Dave Benson Phillips, Retief Goosen, Warwick Davis, Elisa Donovan, Eliza Schneider, Isla Fisher, Daddy Yankee, Adrian R'Mante, Alisa Reyes, Jessica Harp, Rebel Wilson, Ryne Sanborn, and Sean Kingston.

And now we get to today's date.  A date that music fans all over the world will automatically recognize.



February 3, 1959.  The Day The Music Died.

Now, most of you have probably heard that saying before.  In fact, that lyric is present in Don McLean's #1 hit single, "American Pie".  But I imagine that some of you in a younger demographic might not quite understand the significance of that statement.

Well, to explain it further, I want to introduce you to three musicians.



First, I want to introduce you to Buddy Holly.  Born with the name Charles Hardin Holley on September 7, 1936, Buddy was inspired to begin singing after seeing Elvis Presley performing in concert.  He was signed to a recording contract in 1956, right around the time he formed his own band, Buddy Holly & The Crickets.  He released a total of three albums in the late 1950s and had a few memorable hits such as the one below from 1957.



ARTIST:  Buddy Holly & The Crickets
SONG:  That'll Be The Day
ALBUM:  The "Chirping" Crickets
DATE RELEASED:  May 1957



The next musician we're going to meet is Jiles Perry Richardson, but many people know him better by his stage name "The Big Bopper".  He was born in Sabine Pass, Texas on October 24, 1930, and initially got his start in radio playing records at KTRM radio in Beaumont, Texas.  Though he was drafted into the United States Army in 1955, immediately after being discharged two years later, he went back into the radio business.  At that time, it wasn't uncommon for disc jockeys to transition from record player to record maker, and in 1958, The Big Bopper (the name came from observing a group of college students performing a dance move known as "The Bop") released the following song, which peaked at #6 on the charts.



ARTIST:  The Big Bopper
SONG:  Chantilly Lace
ALBUM:  Chantilly Lace
DATE RELEASED:  July 1958

TRIVIA:  The Big Bopper is credited with creating the very first music video a full twenty-three years before MTV debuted!



Last, but not least, I want to introduce you to Ritchie Valens, born Richard Valenzuela on May 13, 1941.  He first began his recording career in early 1958 when he was just a teenager.  But one could also consider him a sort of a child prodigy of music.  He taught himself how to play the guitar and started singing at a very early age.  Interestingly enough, his recording career almost ended as quickly as it began because of a fear of flying.  A freak accident which sent two planes crashing into a school playground made him fear boarding an airplane.  Eventually he overcame the fear long enough to make scheduled appearances on American Bandstand and other television shows.  Perhaps his two most well known singles were "Donna" and this classic.



ARTIST:  Ritchie Valens
SONG:  La Bamba
ALBUM:  Ritchie Valens
DATE RELEASED:  October 1958

So there you have it.  Three musicians each with a different background with one thing linking all three of them together permanently.

February 3, 1959 - the last day that the three of them would be seen alive.

At that time, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were experiencing success with their latest singles and were in the process of doing promotional tours.  As well, Buddy Holly had just parted ways with The Crickets as well as his manager Norman Lubbock.  He had formed a brand new band which was comprised of Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch, and Waylon Jennings and was looking at taking his career in a new direction.



As it so happens, all three musicians decided to take part in the "Winter Dance Party Tour" which began on January 23, 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The tour would last twenty-four days and play in twenty-four different locations throughout the Midwest United States.  In addition, Dion and The Belmonts were also added to the roster of performers.  Remember this for later.

Right off the bat, it seemed as though the Winter Dance Party Tour sustained one setback after another.  The heating system on the tour bus was exactly the most reliable, and after a day and a half of touring, it finally gave out, subjecting everyone inside the tour bus to frigid temperatures.  Several people ended up getting sick with the flu, including Carl Bunch, who was forced into the hospital after suffering terrible frostbite on his feet as a result of the cold temperatures inside of the tour bus.  Eventually a school bus was swapped out for the tour bus, and Holly, Valens, and Dion took turns playing the drums over the next few performances, as Bunch was still hospitalized at the time.

On February 2, 1959, the tour made an unscheduled stop at Clear Lake, Iowa which would be the last time that Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens would perform in public ever again.  The performance went off without a hitch, but growing increasingly frustrated over riding in the bus, Holly decided enough was enough.  He had the idea to charter a plane to North Dakota.  Then the rest of the band could pick him up there en route to the next gig in Minnesota.  The plane that Holly settled on was a single-engine 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza 35, N3794N, and in addition to Holly and the pilot - 21-year-old Roger Peterson - two more passengers could fit on the plane at a cost of $36 per person (or $215 per person in 2015 funds).

Dion was offered one of the seats, but he could not justify spending so much money on a single plane ticket and opted to stay on the bus instead.  This decision likely saved his life.

Waylon Jennings was also spared, for he agreed to give up his seat so that The Big Bopper (who had been suffering from the flu) could fly instead.  Holly heard of the switch and told Jennings that he wished his bus would freeze up, to which Jennings replied that he wished their plane crashed.

That remark would come back to haunt Jennings.

The third seat was settled with the toss of a coin.  Both Valens and Tommy Allsup wanted seats on the plane and the coin toss gave Valens - once afraid of flying - the final seat on the plane.

So, Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens were on the plane which departed from the airport just before one in the morning on February 3, 1959, while the others departed by bus.



The plane crashed less than six miles from the airport.  The three musicians, as well as the pilot were killed.  The cause of the crash was attributed to a combination of pilot error (the pilot was only twenty-one and was still taking flight instrumentation tests) and terrible weather (snow was in the forecast that night).

The deaths of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens sent shockwaves throughout the music community, and many mourned the loss of the three musicians, cut down way before their time.

J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson was 28 at the time of his death.
Buddy Holly was only 22.
And Ritchie Valens was just three months shy of his eighteenth birthday.

Despite the tragic loss, the Winter Dance Party Tour continued on.  Dion and the Belmonts remained on the setlist for the rest of the tour, and Bobby Vee, Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton, and Fabian were added to the roster.  The decision to continue with the tour clearly had some mixed reactions.  Some were upset that the tour continued, believing that it was slap in the face to those who died, but others supported it, saying that the move was exactly what Holly, Valens, and The Big Bopper would have wanted.

Either way, the events of February 3, 1959 left a hole in the heart of music for many decades, and many often wonder what might have been had the accident never happened.  I guess we'll never truly know.