Revisiting the Surf: 65 years later
Clear Lake's fabled ballroom continues rocking
Clear Lake becomes a pilgrimage destination for visitors every year.
They come for music and camaraderie. Since 1959, when three rock and roll stars and their pilot died in a plane crash, the so-called Day the Music Died has become a February memory maker.
I attended the Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake last week. The three-day music festival draws visitors from across the globe and a handful of people that saw Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson and other musicians performed that fateful winter night.
Saturday’s final jam session at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, February 3, brought together a group of musicians covering generations. (Photo by John Naughton.)
I wrote about the Winter Dance Party a year ago. (See below.) I’ve attended the event (all or part of the festival) perhaps 15 times. Every event features some of the same songs recorded by the trio, but all of the concerts feature their own unique qualities.
'The Day the Music Died' goes on 64 years later
Madonna Brue was thrilled to attend her first rock ‘n’ roll concert on February 2, 1959, at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The next day, the innocence of her childhood was shattered. Three music stars and the pilot of their tiny place had crashed in a corn field north of town.
One of the highlights this year was an 80th birthday salute to guitarist Albert Lee, a fantastic performer who has shown great loyalty to the Winter Dance Party. He was joined onstage by talented musicians like Marshall Crenshaw, Chris Montez and Blondie Chaplin from the Beach Boys.
Vocal group legends The Lettermen and The Elegants performed. So did The Chiffons and La La Brooks, who sang with the girls’ group The Crystals.
The site of the plane crash of three rock stars and the pilot has become a memorial. (Photo by John Naughton.)
There are a lot of other activities in Clear Lake during the Winter Dance Party. Two luncheons, one hosted by the Valens family and another called the Legends Lunch, bring together fans who can talk and enjoy a live band.
Fans can tour the Surf during the day, viewing a treasure trove of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia.
Some people made the trek along a snow-covered path to the plane crash site where Holly, Valens, Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson died. During some years, there’s deep snow or frigid winds; I went on Sunday, when conditions were much milder than usual.
As much as the Winter Dance Party is a thrilling, uptempo event, the crash site is solemn. There’s a memorial marker dedicated to the musicians and another to the pilot.
The Surf Ballroom’s annual Winter Dance Party attracts fans from all over the world. (Photo by John Naughton.
I have hiked out to the plane crash site (a walk of more than half a mile) and it’s a time to contemplate and consider those who touched so many lives through music.
The ill-fated plane left Mason City and crashed in a field north of Clear Lake. There’s also a small parking lot adjacent to the site that is dedicated to Don McLean, whose 1971 song “American Pie” has been closely associated with the accident.
A sculpture of Buddy Holly’s iconic glasses marks the path through a field toward the 1959 plane crash site outside Clear Lake, Iowa. (Photo by John Naughton.)
I toured the Surf Ballroom Sunday before I returned home. After witnessing three days of being surrounded by frenzied fans, I had the place to myself other than a few employees.
I ventured into the famous Green Room, an area where performers are held before they go on stage.
Hundreds of bands and performers (and a few fans) have written on the white walls with black markers.
A view inside the Green Room at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Hundreds of musicians and fans have written their names on its walls. (Photo by John Naughton.)
There are big names and unknowns. It’s a somewhat hidden gem if you can visit.
Goodbye for now, Surf. I hope to see you in another year (if not before).
Definitely one of the most romantic spots on the Iowa map of love.