The Big Bopper

Jiles Perry Richardson Jr. was born on October 24, 1930, in Sabine Pass, Texas. Studying law at Lamar State College of Technology while working as a radio disc jockey at KTRM in Beaumont, Texas, his magnetic voice and spontaneous humor earned him massive local popularity. In May 1957, Richardson set a world record for continuous broadcasting by disc-jockeying on air for five straight days, two hours, and eight minutes (122 hours), spinning 1,821 records.

Creating the flamboyant stage persona 'The Big Bopper', he recorded 'Chantilly Lace' in the summer of 1958 for Mercury Records. The song became a runaway international sensation, spending twenty-two weeks on the national charts and peaking at #6 in the US and #12 in the UK. Richardson was also an exceptionally gifted songwriter, penning country classic 'White Lightning' (which gave George Jones his first #1 hit) and 'Running Bear' (a #1 smash for Johnny Preston). He was an early visionary who predicted music videos, shooting three promotional video clips for his songs in 1958.

In January 1959, Richardson joined the grueling 'Winter Dance Party' tour across the frozen American Midwest. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, following a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa, Richardson, suffering from the flu, took a seat aboard a chartered four-passenger plane alongside rock stars Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. The plane crashed minutes after takeoff in a blinding blizzard, an event immortalized in Don McLean's epic song 'American Pie' as 'The Day the Music Died'. Inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Richardson remains a beloved founding architect of rock and roll.