Dion DiMucci with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), Frankie Sardo, and other performers. On February 3, 1959, after a concert stop in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly and others decided to charter a flight to the next venue rather than travel on the tour bus. Dion was invited to accompany the group but decided that he did not want to spend $36 for the flight, as it was the same monthly rent his parents paid for his childhood apartment and he couldn't justify the indulgence. The plane crashed, killing all on board: Holly, Valens, Richardson, and the pilot Roger
Ritchie Valens Memorial Album Valens; except where indicated Ritchie Valens Memorial Album Ritchie Valens Memorial Album is the first greatest hits compilation by Ritchie Valens, featuring his first three charted hits plus tracks from the previous three albums. The original album was issued with a black album cover and the same photo of Valens from his second album "Ritchie". A few months later, the album was retitled "Ritchie Valens, His Greatest Hits" and repackaged with a white album cover and a photo of Ritchie taken from his Del-Fi EP "Ritchie Valens Sings" (DFEP-1111). Both issues include the same back cover and album contents. All