The Day The Music Died: Ritchie Valens & The Big Bopper Commemorated As Bobblehead Figures!

 

Sixty-six years ago today, February 3rd, 1959 was “The Day the Music Died” as rock ‘n’ roll legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in a tragic plane crash in a corn field northwest of Clear Lake, Iowa. All of the artists had performed in Clear Lake that night as part of their “Winter Dance Party” tour and were flying to Minnesota when bad weather took the plane down.  

To commemorate and celebrate the lives and careers of Valens and Richardson, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has announced its release of the first officially-licensed bobblehead figures of the late singers, as seen above. The figures are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum along with C3 Entertainment, representatives for Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and the Winter Dance Party brands. The über-cool bobbleheads were unveiled last week at the 2025 Winter Dance Party, held annually at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Fun fact: C3 has been in business for 60+ years and was originally formed by comedy legends The Three Stooges as Comedy III Productions!

Ritchie Valens

Valens was born as Richard Valenzuela in 1941 in Los Angeles, his name later shorted to “Valens” by label owner and producer Bob Keane of the Hollywood-based Del-Fi Records, who signed the teenage prodigy to a deal. During Valens’ first session at Gold Star Studios in May 1958, backed by members of the “Wrecking Crew” session pros including Carol Kaye and Earl Palmer, he recorded his first single, the original song “Come On, Let’s Go” b/w the Leiber & Stoller song “Framed.” Rushed out on the market within days of its recording, the single was a modest hit that led to a quick follow-up single, “Donna” b/w “La Bamba.”

“Donna” peaked at #2 on the Billboard chart and would be Valens’ final success, selling better than a million copies to be certified Gold™ by the RIAA. The first Mexican-American rock star, Valens is considered a pioneer of Chicano rock, influencing artists like Los Lobos and Carlos Santana. Sadly, Valens was only 17 years old at the time of his death, but his legacy was ensured by the 1987 movie La Bamba, which starred actor Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens, with Los Lobos contributing music to the film. In August 2024, the filming of a new Valens biopic was announced, with Luis Valdez, the writer and director of the 1987 movie, as executive producer. Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of fame, and the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame.   

Jiles Perry “J.P.” Richardson, Jr. was born in Sabine Pass, Texas in 1930 and grew up in Beaumont, Texas, playing high school football before going to Lamar College to study pre-law. He worked part-time as a deejay for KTRM radio in Beaumont, quitting school in 1949 to work full-time at the station. He was drafted into the Army in 1955 and, after a two-year service at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, returned to KRTM where he would take on “The Big Bopper” nickname before eventually becoming the station’s program director. He began his music biz career as a songwriter, striking gold fairly quickly when George Jones recorded his song “White Lightning” as his first chart-topping country hit. Jones enjoyed another hit with Richardson’s song “Treasure of Love.” Richardson also wrote “Running Bear” for his friend Johnny Preston, which hit #1 on the pop chart nearly a year after Richardson’s death, and his songs would be recorded by country performers Hank Snow and Sonny James.

The Big Bopper

Signed as an artist to Mercury Records (Jones’ label at the time) by promotion director Harold “Pappy” Daily, Richardson released his first single, the country tune “Beggar To A King,” under his own name but it didn’t even wave at the charts. Richardson recorded his song “Chantilly Lace” as The Big Bopper for Daily’s D Records label; the single was picked up by Mercury and released in June 1958, subsequently hitting #6 on the pop chart, where it spent 22 weeks in the ‘Top 40’ on its way to selling over a million copies. Richardson followed it up with the novelty hit “The Big Bopper’s Wedding.” After performing in Clear Lake, Richardson – who was suffering from the flu – convinced Buddy Holly’s Crickets’ bandmate (and future country music legend) Waylon Jennings to give him his seat on the ill-fated flight.     

In a press release announcing the figures, National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar says “we’re excited to unveil the first bobbleheads celebrating music legends Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Taken far too early, both musicians made lasting marks and the bobbleheads will be must-haves for music fans.” The bobbleheads display Valens and Richardson holding guitars in poses that duplicate iconic photos of the artists.

Where can you buy these future additions to your rock ‘n’ roll collection? The bobbleheads are individually numbered in a limited edition of 2,025 figures each and are available only through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum online store [link]. The cost of each figure is $30, which is right around par for this kind of collectible, with shipping a flat rate of $8 per order; the figures are expected to ship in June. Tell ‘em that the Reverend sent ya!

 

Have A Bo Diddley Holiday!

 

Having a hard time figuring out a gift for the rock ‘n’ roller on your Christmas list? Don’t wanna buy ‘em just another crappy CD or a ragged vintage band tee? Well, consider the problem solved me droogs, ‘cause here comes Bo Diddley to the rescue!

Rock ‘n’ roll innovator Bo is back in the form of three gorgeous bobblehead figures. These special edition bobbles were produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the help and support of the Bo Diddley Estate. Just look at ‘em! Three different classic Bo poses with the legendary guitarist wielding his trademark, self-designed rectangular “cigar box” guitar.

The ‘standing’ figure features Bo sporting the timeless red plaid jacket he wore on the cover of his sophomore album, 1969’s Go Bo Diddley. The figure of Bo astride his trusty custom scooter pays homage to the cover photo of Diddley’s 1959 album Have Guitar, Will Travel album, shot in Brooklyn, and re-used again for 1963’s Rides Again album. The ‘sitting’ figure looks like ‘70s-era Bo as portrayed on illustrated album covers for 1972’s Where In All Began and the following year’s The London Bo Diddley Sessions, with Diddley wearing his signature hat with the prominent badge.

In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past few decades and are unfamiliar with ‘The Originator,’ Bo Diddley (a/k/a Ellas McDaniel) was the prototype rocker, an influential guitarist and songwriter with accolades as long as your arm. In 1987 he was inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame; he made his way into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003. Diddley’s 1960s-era hits – classic tunes like the self-referential “Bo Diddley,” “Pretty Thing,” “Who Do You Love?,” “You Can’t Judge A Book By the Cover,” and “Diddy Wah Diddy” – influenced musicians on both sides of the ocean, from the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones to Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly.

Diddley passed away in June 2008 at 79 years old after a lengthy illness. Over the course of his legendary career, Diddley released 33 studio and live albums, his last being 1996’s A Man Among Men, recorded with blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan and Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones. Bo also recorded with blues harmonica wizard Little Walter, Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters, and fellow rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry. He toured with bands like the Grateful Dead and the Clash and appeared in movies like Trading Places and Rockula. When Bo died, artists as diverse as George Thorogood, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello, among many others, lined up to sing his praises.

In a press release for the bobbleheads, National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar says “we’re excited to unveil the first bobbleheads of the legendary Bo Diddley as a tribute to the remarkable and groundbreaking musician. As one of the most influential performers of rock music’s early period, these bobbleheads are sure to be a must-have for music fans everywhere.”

Where can you get ‘em? The bobbleheads are individually numbered to 2,024 and are available exclusively through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum online store [link]. The cost of each figure is right around the average for these sort of limited-edition collectibles: $30 for Bo standing, $35 for Bo Sitting, and $40 for Bo on the bike, or a cool $100 for all three. Shipping is a flat rate $8 per order.

Shipping won’t be until January 2025 but you can print out a picture of your bobblehead gift and give it to its recipient on December 25th and they’ll be anxiously watching the mailbox for the next month! You can bet that the Reverend will be adding one (or more) ‘Bo’s to my own growing bobblehead collection!