Rock idols die in plane crash 50 years ago this morning

MASON CITY, Iowa — Fifty years ago, the calendar was exactly the same as this year. The legendary Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa was jam-packed on Monday evening, Feb. 2, 1959 to hear three rock’n roll stars — Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as the “Big Bopper” — perform in concert as part of the famous Midwest Winter Dance Tour.