Buddy Holly Tribute at Summer Crush

Sixty-one years ago, on Feb. 2, 1959, in Clear Lake Iowa, a routine concert a winter tour, that included some of the hottest rising stars of Rock N Roll, occurred at the famous Surf Ballroom. The stars included 17-year-old Richie Valens, 28-year-old JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson, 19-year-old Dion DiMucci and 22-year-old Buddy Holly. The infamous plane crash that followed the show took 3 of them from us way too early and changed the music world forever.

On the 50th anniversary of that fateful night, several original venues on that Winter Tour route wanted to recreate that fateful 1959 Winter Dance Tour. They called on the best there is for the job; Johnny Rogers - a true third cousin to Elvis Presley. In fact, Johnny is the only artist who had ever done this special remembrance show for the Surf Ballroom! He has also played to full houses where Buddy’s career took root like the Clovis Music Festival, and in Buddy’s home town of Lubbock Texas with Buddy’s brothers Travis and Larry and niece Sherry, as well as having performed in concert with one-time Cricket Tommy Allsup! We did say Johnny’s the best!

In appreciation of the 61st-anniversary date of that final concert, Summer Crush contacted Mr. Rogers to see if he might bring this renowned Surf Ballroom show to Florida for a befitting tribute on the Summer Crush Surf Room stage. Johnny replied with an exuberant “yes” right away and is excited for the opportunity to bring this rare and historic performance to Ft Pierce. On stage, Johnny will be joined by six musicians and backup singers all the way from Chicago, to create an authentic reproduction of the famous show, including former Pointer Sisters drummer Doug Florence, former keyboardist for Jay & The Americans George Tuzzeo and the multi-talented Bill Frank on stand-up bass who has played with too many Oldies groups to list.

The tribute ends with the iconic hit penned by Don McLean, who as a 13-year-old newspaper delivery boy, read about the tragedy as he cut open his delivery bundle the next morning on his route ... But February made me shiver, With every paper, I’d deliver. Bad news on the doorstep. I couldn’t take one more step. I can’t remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride. Something touched me deep inside, the day the music died…..—Don McLean, “American Pie”.