Broadcast legend Bob Hale, the morning Rock & Roll disc jockey on KRIB radio in Mason City, Iowa. Bob Hale
“I arrived at the radio station early,” Bob remembered as we spoke by phone. “I was the morning Rock & Roll disc jockey on KRIB AM in Mason City, Iowa. The night before was a late one. I had the honor, pleasure, and privilege of being the host and MC at The Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in neighboring Clear Lake. What a night!” he added before pausing as if in deep thought.
On the other end of the phone I did my best to try and imagine what Bob was feeling at that moment.
He cleared his throat and continued. “I went on the air at 10:00 a.m. the next morning, but arrived early to prepare for the show. The music was still swirling in my head. I pulled a report off of the wire service about a small plane crash north of Mason City but really never gave it a second thought. I just didn’t put two and two together. Ten o’clock came and I was on the air, spinning records and reminiscing about how just the night before, the greatest assembly of contemporary musical talent in the world had been under one roof and here in our community. I met them, I talked to them, I interviewed them, and I hosted the show. Wow. It was an amazing night . . .”
Bob Hale is a broadcast legend, not only in Chicago where he spent the majority of his career, but nationwide. Buddy Holly and a few other musical pioneers transformed contemporary music while Bob Hale and his visionary colleagues at WLS AM radio in Chicago—the 50,000 watt Clear Channel behemoth of broadcasting—transformed Rock & Roll radio.
Broadcast legend Bob Hale, the morning Rock & Roll disc jockey on KRIB radio in Mason City, Iowa. Bob Hale
As I noted earlier, I grew up in Kankakee, Illinois. I was 25 miles as the crow flies from the WLS tower in Tinley Park. All my friends listened to WLS, which owned Rock & Roll in the Midwest. Bob Hale, Dick Biondi, and a few others were the voices of the era and for thousands of listeners, the voices of their radio generation.
Bob continued his story for me. “About 10:10, Carroll Anderson called me at the station. Carroll ran the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, the venue that hosted The Winter Dance Party the night before,” he explained. “I took the call. I don’t remember what record was spinning, but I’m sure it was one of the performers from the night before. It was probably Buddy.”
Here is how the conversation between Bob and Carroll unfolded:
“Bob, they’re dead,” Carroll said.
“What?” Bob asked. He didn’t understand who Carroll was talking about. “Who’s dead?”
“Their plane went down just north of town,” Carroll continued with deep emotion in his voice. “They’re all lying out in that corn field now. They’re all dead, Bob.”
Bob thought for a moment about who exactly was on the plane and then he understood. My God! Carroll was talking about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper! “Are you sure it’s their plane? Are you sure they’re all dead?” asked Bob, hoping for a different answer.
Carroll confirmed the worst. “Yes. They’re all dead. All of them.”
“That must have been so horrible to hear,” I replied after hearing the conversation that Bob had just described to me.
“I made the sorrowful announcement on the air,” continued Bob. “I don’t remember the exact words but I do remember the feeling of disbelief and loss. People immediately began arriving at the station. Kids left school and came directly to the studio. Some came alone. Some with friends. Others accompanied by their parents. There were so many tears. The sadness was overwhelming. That entire day turned into an on-air wake. I’ll never forget February 3, 1959.”
“Bob, can you share with me some of your memories and impressions of Buddy from the evening before?” I asked.
Bob was happy to do so. “The bus arrived late in the afternoon. It was a typical February day in Clear Lake. Very cold,” he said. “They had continual mechanical problems with their chartered bus from the very beginning of the tour. They arrived without their drummer, Carl Bunch, who was left in Green Bay, Wisconsin, hospitalized with frost bitten toes. The heater on the bus didn’t work.
“From the moment the bus arrived, Buddy took charge. He directed the equipment set-up, discussed the upcoming evening event, discussed and decided performance order and did so while sitting at the piano, playing as he spoke. He was only twenty-two years old but possessed the leadership skills of a modern-day CEO. Buddy was clearly in charge of everything and everyone. It was equally apparent that those he led respected and liked him, while looking to him for direction.
“They didn’t have a drummer so Buddy said he would play drums for the other acts that night if Ritchie would play for him. Buddy and Ritchie were the only two who could play the drums, so it was agreed. Can you imagine that happening today?” Bob asked. “Buddy was one of the biggest acts in Rock & Roll, but agreed to back up the others on drums. I think that speaks of his lack of ego and of his exceptional character. Buddy was all about getting the job done and doing whatever it took to do so.
“The tour director, Sam Gellar of General Artists Corporation, walked over to me and said, ‘That guy,’ pointing to Holly at the piano, ‘is going to be the biggest influence in the history of the entertainment industry. He’s not just a performer. He writes his own stuff and writes music for others. He produces his own records and runs the tour. Someday soon he will have his own recording studio, record label, and television show. We’ll be working for him! He will be starring on the big screen, while writing and producing his own motion pictures. He can and will do it all. There is no one else like him that I’ve seen and I’ve been at this a long, long time.’”
“Do you think he was right?” I interjected.
“I do think Sam was right,” replied Bob. “Buddy seemed to enjoy producing and writing for others as much as he did for himself. I think for Buddy, it was never about himself, but about the music and the creative process.”
“And you witnessed all this firsthand . . .”
“In the short time he was in Clear Lake, Buddy directed set-up and preparation, played the piano, arranged for food to be brought for everyone, played the drums as part of the band for others, played and performed as the evening headliner, and chartered a plane for later that night. He was destined to be ‘Buddy, Inc,’” Bob continued, his voice suddenly filled with a lively energy as if he was anticipating the future rather than reliving one of the saddest memories of his life.
I remember thinking during this part of the conversation that Bob could be describing an early version of Oprah. I also thought about how the public persona of a very talented singer-songwriter in black glasses was only the tip of the iceberg. Buddy was so much more. He had the ability and drive to create an entertainment dynasty.
“The night began and there was a packed crowd at the Surf,” Bob continued. “And not just teens but their parents, too. Carroll Anderson ran a good operation. He invited the parents to come to all the Rock & Roll shows, sometimes at a discount and sometimes for free. He supported this new music and wanted the parents there to see it was a good and wholesome event. The performers that night were Dion and the Belmonts, Ritchie Valens, J. P. ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson, Frankie Sardo, and of course, Buddy Holly. It was electrifying and the crowd at the Surf, parents and kids, loved every moment.”
“Where were you during the show?” I asked.
“After Dion and the Belmonts performed, I sat on the front of the stage with Dion and asked him to introduce the band. One by one he called out their names and a little information about each of them. When it came to the drummer, Dion said, ‘And here is our drummer . . . what’s his name? His name . . . let’s see. Well, his name is . . . Buddy Holly!’ And with that, Buddy leaped out from behind the drums, where he had previously gone unnoticed, grabbed his guitar, and began playing ‘Gotta Travel On,’ a hit in 1958 by Billy Grammer, and the night roared to a climactic end with Holly as headliner.”
Bob fell silent for a few moments. I so wished at that moment I could have shared his memories because he was vividly envisioning that night as he spoke. Bob didn’t just witness history; he was a part of it.
“I’m often asked what was the last song Buddy performed that night. ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ is the answer. The crowd begged for more. They yelled and screamed for an encore, but Buddy told them . . . he was running to catch a plane.”
The phone was silent again for several seconds as Bob let the words sink in.
“How would you ever think that this would be his last performance, or that ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ would be the last song he would ever sing? But as he walked off the stage that night, the unimaginable was about to happen, and the history of Rock & Roll was forever changed.”
For a moment I felt like asking Bob why he didn’t stop them from leaving for that plane. He was there! He could have changed everything! But of course, there was no way to know what was about to happen.
I changed the conversation to John Mueller and his impression of the legend.
“John Mueller is the closest thing to Buddy Holly that there can be,” Bob confirmed. “He has him down pat and like Holly, John is a true gentleman. For me, John brings back all the memories of that night and the era. I’ve worked with John a few times and boy, does that bring back the emotions.”
“Is there anything else you think I should know?”
“Buddy was clearly the star,” Bob answered without hesitation. “He gets all the attention and he was the most popular of this tour, but don’t cut Ritchie or The Big Bopper short. They were all talented and unique in their own special ways. Losing any one of them would have been a real tragedy and a loss for Rock & Roll, but to lose all of them in one night?
“Buddy Holly was so far ahead of us, not only in entertainment but in human relations. He traveled in a bus with African-Americans, something that in 1959 caused gasps from the masses. Buddy, a Baptist Texan, married a Puerto Rican Catholic. Maria Elena is a beautiful and wonderful woman, but in 1958 it was a bold step and an unlikely pairing. Buddy was way out in front of all of us in every part of his life.”
The words conjured up the message someone had sent out via Twitter: “Buddy Holly was 52 years ahead of his time and we are still left trying to catch up.” The tweet was perhaps more profound and accurate than its author realized.
“Buddy continued to be influential after his death. The Beatles say Buddy was their inspiration and that they modeled their early sound after him,” explained Bob. “Now look at The Beatles’ influence, not just musical influence but on modern culture! As good as The Beatles were, they stood on the shoulders of Buddy Holly. And you know, most people have no idea. Most people do not know. John Mueller and his Winter Dance Party is introducing Buddy to a new generation and keeping the flame burning.”
“How did Buddy Holly impact your life?” I asked.
“The fact I was the MC that last night in Clear Lake gave me instantaneous and national exposure. I moved quickly from Mason City to Chicago, with short stops in Springfield and Peoria,” he explained. “I believe I would have made it to Chicago anyway, but I moved quickly because of my association with that last night at The Surf.” Bob paused. “He was an amazing talent and a nice young man. I only met him once for a short but meaningful evening, but I will never forget him. Buddy was the real deal. It is impossible to fathom how far Buddy might have gone.”
And where Buddy might have taken the rest of us, I wondered.