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
The Best of Ritchie Valens (charting higher than the original), a new generation of Ritchie Valens fans surged all over the nation, wanting to experience the music as presented by Valens himself. Rhino responded by reissuing "The Best of Ritchie Valens" as part of the label's Golden Archive Series compilations. The success of the LP brought Valens back to the album charts after a 27-year absence, peaking at #100. Rhino then reissued Valens' original three Del-Fi albums, which sold well but did not chart. The Best of Ritchie Valens The Best of Ritchie Valens is a greatest hits package by Ritchie Valens. In 1981, Rhino