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It was fifty-one years ago this past Feb. 3rd that, according to Don McLean, “the music died”. Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson, all died on a snowy February day back in 1959 and took with them the talent and potential of a new generation. But what they left behind was a legacy that has influenced just about every musician to come after in one way or another, even if they aren’t aware of it – any musician who lists Bob Dylan, The Who, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, or The Beach Boys as influences have been indirectly influenced by Buddy Holly. Heck, anyone who lists The Beatles as an influence has been touched by Buddy Holly because they recorded at least six of Holly’s songs but also songs that he recorded, and made into hits, written by others. All this is a long-winded introduction to a show I had occasion to attend on Friday, February 5th at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.

This show is a tribute to the last fateful concert tour that Holly took with Valens, Richardson and Dion and the Belmonts. They criss-crossed Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa in the dead of winter in a unreliable tour bus that had no heating (one passenger had to go home due to frostbitten toes). Holly growing tired with the misery chartered a plane to take him to the next tour stop but the inexperienced pilot and dodgy weather caused the plane to crash in a farmers field shortly after take off. John Mueller, who has played Holly in numerous productions both in film and on stage, put together this fine tribute show in 1999 and has been touring with it ever since. Although no one knows for sure what the set list was for that tour, or even if there was one, Mueller has pieced together a kind of “greatest hits” that combines Holly’s music with covers of other musicians of the time such as Chuck Berry, Paul Anka, and Little Richard. Having played with several members of Holly’s band (Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch and Niki Sullivan) probably helped Mueller piece together a set list that bears some semblance to what would have been played then.

I don’t know what to say about this show except that you must see it when it comes around again. It was one of the best nights of music I’ve been to in a long while. It was so much fun that everyone who attended, both young and old, left with huge grins on their faces. Not only is Mueller bang on perfect as Holly (it helps that he has a striking resemblance to the real man), but Toronto’s Ray Anthony is definitely channelling Richie Valens. Although I’m too young to have seen these artists when they were alive, Mueller and Anthony sure bring Holly and Valens to life and I have to admit that it brought a tear to my eye when Anthony launched into “La Bamba”. Valens was just seventeen when he died and his popularity was based on basically two songs, “Donna” and “La Bamba”, and it was sad to think of what might have been if he had lived. Such talent to be snuffed out so young.

J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson was portrayed by his son, J.P. Richardson Jr. and I have to say it, he was the weakest link in this production. Of course, this probably is because of another one of my petty biases showing itself, I never really liked The Big Bopper to begin with. He is best known for his huge hit “Chantilly Lace” and a novelty hit, “The Big Boppers Wedding” but he also wrote “White Lightening” for George Jones, and “Running Bear” that was a number one hit for Johnny Preston. These four songs were basically the whole set for Richardson and were, on a whole, done well with great enthusiasm from both the performer and the crowd.

The whole show is less than two hours long but could easily have gone on longer if the crowd response was any indication. There was cheering. There was yelling. There was dancing in the aisles. There was clapping of hands. There were Canadians out in public having a jolly good time and not being afraid to show it. Even Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion was dancing up a storm in the aisles. It was actually quite shocking. But I jest, well, not about the dancing and cheering and stuff, just about Canadians having a demonstrably good time. Anthony, especially, had the crowd jumping with La Bamba.

Although Holly released only three official albums, he was a prolific writer and so many more songs were released after his death. Mueller only performed those songs that would have been released at the time so we were treated to such classics as It’s So Easy, True Love Ways, That’ll Be The Day, I Guess It Doesn’t Matter Anymore, Peggy Sue, Not Fade Away, and Brown-Eyed Handsome Man. He also performed, as a closing, a song he wrote to Holly, Hey, Buddy, which takes the titles of some of Holly’s best known tunes and weaves them into a fine tribute to the man. He said he has amended it to add a couple of verses that include Valens and Richardson.

As I said earlier, if you see this show playing anywhere near you please go and see it even if you don’t know who Holly, Valens, or The Big Bopper are. There is just no denying the influence Holly had, and continues to have, on pop music. This is as close as you will ever come to the real thing and since that isn’t available Mueller et. al. are worth every penny.

You can visit the official Winter Dance Party blog here, although it hasn’t been updated in a while, or you can go to John Mueller’s website or MySpace page for more information, albums, and tour dates. There are a few dates on the east coast in March so if you live in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick look out for them. You can also find out more about Ray Anthony as Richie Valens here and here, and J.P. Richardson Jr. here, although this site is under construction. And as always, you can by the original music on iTunes,
Amazon, or, well, just about everywhere.