Relive the last moments before the Day the Music Died when KUWS-FM airs three programs Friday bringing back to life the "Winter Dance Party" held 50 years ago at the Duluth National Guard Armory. The landmark concert featured Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Dion and the Bel-monts.
The concert came just two days before a plane crash in Iowa killed Holly, Valens, Richardson and the pilot -- in-famously known as "The Day the Music Died."
At 5 p.m., KUWS (91.3 FM Superior and 102.9 Ashland) will air "Final Edition" with retired Duluth News Tribune columnist Jim Heffernan and former rock 'n' roll disc jockey Tim Michaels. Both attended the Jan. 31, 1959, concert in Duluth, and they'll share their memories.
At 5:30 p.m., the station will present two half-hour episodes of "Radio Superior" re-enacting a half-hour '50s rock 'n' roll radio show, featuring a "live" broadcast from the "Winter Dance Party" concerts from Jan. 30-31, 1959.
