Fly the Friendly Skies
By Martin Rots
The mortality rate of musicians on airplanes is astounding. We all assume drugs are the most common way to become one with the cosmos, but let's consider those who arrived at an alternative destination at the end of their flights. Many a promising career ended in a farmer's field.
It's a tradition that goes back to the early days of flight. Glenn Miller was the first noted musician to disappear on a flight from England to Paris during World War II. His intention was to entertain the troops that had recently liberated Paris. The plane took off from a rural English airfield and was never seen again.
The most famous crash was that of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper on February 3, 1959, in Clear Lake, Iowa. Touring with The Winter Dance Party to pick up some sorely needed quick cash, Buddy Holly found himself traveling on an unheated bus and consequently chartered a plane to take him to the next gig in Fargo, North Dakota.
Joking with band member Waylon Jennings who had driven them to the airport, Buddy Holly said, "I hope you freeze on that bus."
Jennings, much to his later regret, shot back, "I hope your plane crashes."
On December 10, 1967, Otis Redding and his back-up band, the Bar-Kays, went down in Lake Monono outside of Madison, Wisconsin. There was only one survivor, Ben Cauley, who was found clutching a seat cushion in the frigid waters. It wasn't long after that Redding had his biggest hit with Sitting On the Dock of the Bay, albeit posthumously.
Jim Croce died when the plane he was a passenger in managed to fly into the only tree around on takeoff. Steve Gaines, his sister Cassie, and Ronny VanZant of Leonard Skynard all died in the wreckage of a twin-engine Convair 240 that ran out of gas near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Randy Rhoads of Ozzy Osborne fame was killed when the plane he was a passenger in buzzed their own tour bus, not once, not twice, but three times. On the third pass, they clipped a wing on the back of the bus, cart wheeled into the ground and burst into flames. The pilot of the plane didn't even have valid credentials, they were lapsed.
Bill Graham died in a helicopter that flew into a large electric transmission tower returning from a Huey Lewis concert in bad weather. A last minute decision to take the chopper after a show in Wisconsin was fatal to Stevie Ray Vaughn. It flew into a ski slope at high speed almost immediately after takeoff, killing all on board.
Rick Nelson died during an emergency landing in a field. Traveling in an old DC-3, the cabin began to fill with smoke, most likely from a defective heater, and the pilots put it down in a field near DeKalb, Texas. Nelson and six members of his band and crew were killed in the crash. The pilot and co-pilot survived by escaping through the cockpit windows.
Where do they get these pilots? Did they used to fly the Sonora/Tucson route in '68? The tree Croce flew into was described in a contemporary account as the only one around for "hundreds of yards." How does one file a flight plan without taking fuel into account? Did the Leonard Skynard pilot think they could coast to the shoulder and wait for road service? Is it just me or do helicopters have an alarming habit of flying into things?
Were tight schedules to blame? They were all trying to save time getting somewhere, usually the next gig. Maybe they were the victims of too many gigs in too little time. Managers want to make as much money as possible and performers want to spend as little time on the road as possible.
All things considered, it might be safer to stick to public transportation.
To learn more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Miller
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1905/did-band-leader-glenn-miller-die-in-a-french-brothel
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/crash.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Redding
http://www3.gendisasters.com/louisiana/1962/natchitoches,-la-jim-croce-others-die-plane-crash,-sept-1973
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Graham_(promoter)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Nelson
http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/planecrash.html
http://www26.brinkster.com/jakapa/srv/death.htm
The mortality rate of musicians on airplanes is astounding. We all assume drugs are the most common way to become one with the cosmos, but let's consider those who arrived at an alternative destination at the end of their flights. Many a promising career ended in a farmer's field.
It's a tradition that goes back to the early days of flight. Glenn Miller was the first noted musician to disappear on a flight from England to Paris during World War II. His intention was to entertain the troops that had recently liberated Paris. The plane took off from a rural English airfield and was never seen again.
The most famous crash was that of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper on February 3, 1959, in Clear Lake, Iowa. Touring with The Winter Dance Party to pick up some sorely needed quick cash, Buddy Holly found himself traveling on an unheated bus and consequently chartered a plane to take him to the next gig in Fargo, North Dakota.
Joking with band member Waylon Jennings who had driven them to the airport, Buddy Holly said, "I hope you freeze on that bus."
Jennings, much to his later regret, shot back, "I hope your plane crashes."
On December 10, 1967, Otis Redding and his back-up band, the Bar-Kays, went down in Lake Monono outside of Madison, Wisconsin. There was only one survivor, Ben Cauley, who was found clutching a seat cushion in the frigid waters. It wasn't long after that Redding had his biggest hit with Sitting On the Dock of the Bay, albeit posthumously.
Jim Croce died when the plane he was a passenger in managed to fly into the only tree around on takeoff. Steve Gaines, his sister Cassie, and Ronny VanZant of Leonard Skynard all died in the wreckage of a twin-engine Convair 240 that ran out of gas near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Randy Rhoads of Ozzy Osborne fame was killed when the plane he was a passenger in buzzed their own tour bus, not once, not twice, but three times. On the third pass, they clipped a wing on the back of the bus, cart wheeled into the ground and burst into flames. The pilot of the plane didn't even have valid credentials, they were lapsed.
Bill Graham died in a helicopter that flew into a large electric transmission tower returning from a Huey Lewis concert in bad weather. A last minute decision to take the chopper after a show in Wisconsin was fatal to Stevie Ray Vaughn. It flew into a ski slope at high speed almost immediately after takeoff, killing all on board.
Rick Nelson died during an emergency landing in a field. Traveling in an old DC-3, the cabin began to fill with smoke, most likely from a defective heater, and the pilots put it down in a field near DeKalb, Texas. Nelson and six members of his band and crew were killed in the crash. The pilot and co-pilot survived by escaping through the cockpit windows.
Where do they get these pilots? Did they used to fly the Sonora/Tucson route in '68? The tree Croce flew into was described in a contemporary account as the only one around for "hundreds of yards." How does one file a flight plan without taking fuel into account? Did the Leonard Skynard pilot think they could coast to the shoulder and wait for road service? Is it just me or do helicopters have an alarming habit of flying into things?
Were tight schedules to blame? They were all trying to save time getting somewhere, usually the next gig. Maybe they were the victims of too many gigs in too little time. Managers want to make as much money as possible and performers want to spend as little time on the road as possible.
All things considered, it might be safer to stick to public transportation.
To learn more:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1905/did-band-leader-glenn-miller-die-in-a-french-brothel
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/crash.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Redding
http://www3.gendisasters.com/louisiana/1962/natchitoches,-la-jim-croce-others-die-plane-crash,-sept-1973
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Graham_(promoter)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Nelson
http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/planecrash.html
http://www26.brinkster.com/jakapa/srv/death.htm
Posted by Martin Rots at 8/30/2009 6:56 AM 
Categories: Dead Poet's Society, The Musicians
Tags: Steve Gaines entertain troops Rick Nelson February 3 1959 Ben Cauley Ronny Van Zant Jim Croce Gillsburg Mississippi Convair 240 Lake Monono Huey Lewis Clear Lake Iowa Richie Valens Waylon Jennings North Dakota Glenn Miller Buddy Holly Bar-Kays Randy Rhoads airplane death Winter Dance Party Leonard Skynard Bill Graham helicopter Stevie Ray Vaughn Ozzy Osborne Otis Redding mortality rate of musicians Cassie Van Zant Big Bopper Sitting On the Dock of the Bay DeKalb Texas Fargo
Categories: Dead Poet's Society, The Musicians
Tags: Steve Gaines entertain troops Rick Nelson February 3 1959 Ben Cauley Ronny Van Zant Jim Croce Gillsburg Mississippi Convair 240 Lake Monono Huey Lewis Clear Lake Iowa Richie Valens Waylon Jennings North Dakota Glenn Miller Buddy Holly Bar-Kays Randy Rhoads airplane death Winter Dance Party Leonard Skynard Bill Graham helicopter Stevie Ray Vaughn Ozzy Osborne Otis Redding mortality rate of musicians Cassie Van Zant Big Bopper Sitting On the Dock of the Bay DeKalb Texas Fargo
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