Surf Ballroom - Atlas Obscura

Surf Ballroom

The last location where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson played before their tragic deaths. 

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This concert venue in Clear Lake, Iowa, was the last location where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson played before their tragic deaths in a plane crash in 1959. Surf Ballroom is now turned into a museum of music greats, but it also still hosts concerts and events.

A stone memorial outside the venue pays tribute to the Holly, Valens, and Richardson. Not far from Surf Ballroom, the Day The Music Died Memorial marks the spot where the performers’ plane went down.

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February 27, 2024

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