Music lovers of all ages know exactly where they were on February 3, 1959 when a small aircraft crashed on its way to Moorhead, Minnesota. The deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper became known as the “Day the Music Died,” a tragedy that will forever live in the hearts of music lovers. For Dick Dunkirk, however, the plane crash conjures up a variety of emotions. Although the “Day the Music Died” was an event he will never forget; it was also the start of a successful career that took him and the rest of Bobby Vee and the Shadows to places they had never thought possible.
Bobby Vee and the Shadows were hastily formed after the Iowa plane crash left the show at the Moorhead Armory without a main act. By 1963, the group had sold over 13 million records, including five gold records: “Devil or Angel”, “Rubber Ball”, “Take Good Care of My Baby”, “Run to Him”, and “The Night Has 1000 Eyes.” Although Bobby Vee and the Shadows broke up in 1963, the music never stopped. After their induction into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame in 2005, Dunkirk created a Shadows tribute band that has been rockin’ the Midwest ever since.
On February 7, “The Night the Music Died” will be playing at the Festival Concert Hall on the NDSU campus in Fargo. People that may have seen the show in the past have never seen one like this. “We decided to do something different this year,” Dunkirk said. For the first time, A Hard Day’s Night Band, a Beatles Tribute Band that is considered one of the best in the business, will join the Shadows tribute band. Together, the two bands will reenact a 1963 London concert that featured both Bobby Vee and the Beatles. “Nobody knew who they were at the time,” Dunkirk said in reference to the Beatles. The show will also feature a three-piece string section from the FM Symphony. “It’s really going to be a special show,” Dunkirk said.
Many books and movies have been dedicated to the lives of the three musicians killed in that February plane crash. The real history, however, lies in the hearts and minds of musicians like Dunkirk. “Do you know where the title of Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” came from?” Dunkirk asks before breaking into a spot-on impression of John Wayne reciting the famous line in his film, The Searchers. Interested in the controversy surrounding the coin flip that put Valens on the plane instead of Tommy Alsup? Ask Dunkirk. “Richie was bugging Tommy to let him ride because he had never ridden on a small plane. Tommy finally relented and flipped a coin. Richie won,” Dunkirk explained. “When Tommy and the rest of the guys got to the Comstock Hotel after riding the bus all night, Tommy said, ‘Give me a room next to Buddy Holly.’ The desk clerk pointed to the TV, where the story of the crash was running.”
The Shadows tribute band has been together since 2005, playing 30-40 shows a year. Dunkirk considers it an honor to be able to pay tribute to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper. “I was a huge fan of all of them,” he said. “They were special musicians and would have done great things if not for the tragedy.” During the show, Dunkirk performs as the Big Bopper, Ron Kerber plays Valens, and Jeff Boxwell brings Holly to life. 17-year-old phenome Chris Covert will perform the role of Bobby Vee. The addition of the Beatles tribute band adds a new dimension to the show that is without equal. “These guys are excellent,” Dunkirk said, “one of the best.”
Tickets for the February 7 show can be purchased by calling 701-231-7969 or online at www.tickets.ndsu.nodak.edu. All seats are reserved and are $23 in advance and $25 at the door.