Today is the day the Music died

i remember reading about the "coin toss". richie flipped waylen jennings for the seat on the plain.

richie said, "haha...i hope you freeze your arse on the bus"

waylen said, "i hope your plain crashes"

jennings was never able to get rid of that nightmare.

rip

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i remember reading about the "coin toss". richie flipped waylen jennings for the seat on the plain.

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It was guitarist Tommy Allsup (part of Holly's band along with Jennings) who "lost" the coin toss with Valens:

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Ritchie Valens had never flown in a small plane before, and, in spite of his own fear of flying, asked Tommy Allsup for his seat on the plane. Tommy said "I'll flip ya for the remaining seat". Contrary to what is seen in La Bamba, the coin toss did not happen at the airport shortly before takeoff, nor did Buddy Holly toss it. Bob Hale, a DJ with KRIB-AM, was working the concert that night and flipped the coin in the ballroom's sidestage room shortly before the musicians departed for the airport. Valens won the coin toss, and with it a seat on the flight.

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richie said, "haha...i hope you freeze your arse on the bus"

waylen said, "i hope your plain crashes"

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This exchange was between Jennings and Buddy Holly (the two were old friends from when Jennings was a Texas radio DJ). The Big Bopper aka J.P. Richardson was a very big man and felt terribly confined by the small seats on the tour bus (which was freezing anyway), so Jennings gave the B.B. his seat on the plane (which had been rented by Holly for himself and his band) out of sympathy.

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Richardson had developed a case of flu during the tour and asked Waylon Jennings for his seat on the plane. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said in jest, "Well, I hope your old' bus freezes up" and Jennings responded, also in jest, "Well, I hope your old' plane crashes". This exchange of words would haunt Jennings for the rest of his life.

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Waylon Jennings, Buddy Holly, and Tommy Allsup on January 31, 1959:



Tommy Allsup is now 80 years old and living in Texas.