Published: February 03, 2008 12:30 am      

LUCINSKI: Today’s the day the music died

Welcome to Super Sunday.

It’s the day for overblown discussions of football, advertising and our obsession with them. The merger of the National Football League and popular culture seems to be just about complete.

The proof? “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest is the front man for Super Bowl pre-game festivities this afternoon on the FOX television network. The FOX publicity machine says it’s not all that far-fetched. Seacrest supposedly has the credentials because played football for his high school in Atlanta. Not quite the NFL, but OK.

But if you want to know more about Super Sunday, turn to the sports section. Today also marks a point in history for those of us whose DNA includes a passion for the development and the history of rock and roll. Feb. 3 is The Day the Music Died.

It was about 1 a.m., Feb. 3, 1959, when a light plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. (The Big Bopper) Richardson crashed near Mason City, Iowa. The trio had just finished a concert in Clear Lake and was headed to Fargo, N.D., the next stop on their tour, when the plane went down in bad weather.

All three were hitmakers on the music scene at the time, Valens with the song “La Bamba” and Richardson with “Chantilly Lace.”

But the real star of the group was Holly. He was the creator of songs which are now considered to be part of the roots of rock and roll, tunes such as “That’ll Be the Day,” “Words of Love” (covered by the Beatles), “Not Fade Away” (the Rolling Stones first British hit) and other classics.

All of his success and the legacy he left behind was created in just a very short time. When he died, Buddy Holly was just 22 years old.

That leads one to wonder if that plane hadn’t gone down 49 years ago today, what else might he have contributed to the world of music?

When people are cut down in the prime of life, it’s a tragedy unto itself. One has to go no further than the casualties of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to feel the pain of the loss. The recent traffic accident death of 21-year-old Kelly Rae Voltz, a Grand Island nurse's assistant, is yet another example. Who knows how she might have contributed to mankind had she not met an early end? We’ll never find out.

So, when you’re figuring out what points the teams have to score for you to win your office pool; when you’re watching Ryan Seacrest introduce Super Bowl-related entertainment; when you’re watching the game itself, you might want to stop for a second. Remember The Day the Music Died. And, more importantly, remember the contributions made by those who left us early and mourn the contributions they might have made but will never get the chance.

Dick Lucinski is the managing editor of the Niagara Gazette. His columns appear on Wednesdays and Sundays.