Frankie Sardo Frankie Sardo Frank Sardo Avianca (September 16, 1936 – February 26, 2014), who performed as Frankie Sardo, was an American rock and roll singer, actor and film producer. He was a member of the ill-fated Winter Dance Party in 1959 after which Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson lost their lives in a plane crash the morning after a show in Clear Lake, Iowa. He was born Frank Marco Sardo on September 16, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, into an Italian-American family. His father, Marco Sardo Sr. was a bricklayer and his mother Anita (Avianca) Sardo,
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly Richards, Ringo Starr, Jackson Browne, David Campbell and others who were inspired and touched by Holly’s music shared memories via video message. Buddy's widow Maria Elena Holly, seated beside Phil Everly was in attendance, singing along with every song. The event was filmed for a PBS pledge drive special featured throughout USA during December 2011. Listen to Me: Buddy Holly Listen to Me: Buddy Holly is a tribute album to rock ‘n roll pioneer Buddy Holly, in celebration of what would have been his 75th birthday in 2011. The album was released by Verve Forecast in the United States on