Posted in: Musicouching by Glynis Smy on January 12, 2009 | 49 Comments
We look at the skies and see the stars.
This is a tribute to stars we no longer see but their voices will never die. They may have sang for years with many hits, or as in the case of Richie Valens, just starting out on their career. Whatever their life map was, they remain with us in the form of music. They may have died the same way but they were all very different in the way they entertained us.
Take time to sit back and enjoy, I could have filled the page with facts and figures but their music would have outshined all research.
They were killed 50 years ago on February 3rd 1959. They were taken by the skies but their music lives on.
The swing band musical Major, Glenn Miller became famous for his jazz band and the jiving swing sound was welcomed during WWII. As soon as you hear the music, you just find yourself tapping your feet, even if you are not a jazz fan.
December 1944 he was flying from Bedford in the UK to Paris, this trip was to entertain the American troops based there, sadly he never made it.
Ricky Nelson died on 3oth December 1985, in an air crash on route to Dallas for a New Years Eve show.
Hello Mary Lou was one of his hits.
Patsy was killed in an air crash in 1963, she was flying home from Kansas.
John Denver was killed when his plane crashed into Monteray Bay, on October 1997.
Otis died on December 10Th 1967 when his plane crashed into Lake Monona, Madison, Wisconsin.
I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane with some of my favourite stars.
Debra. January 12th, 2009 at 6:08 am
Very well done, Glynis. You have definitely done your homework and and research on this one!
God bless.
nobert soloria bermosa January 12th, 2009 at 6:28 am
i only knew two of them-john denver and buddy holly,i am sure all the others are great musicians as well,nice tribute
Christine Ramsay January 12th, 2009 at 6:51 am
An excellent piece of work, Glynis. You have got many great musicians there but my all time favourite was and is John Denver. He always held me spellbound with his voice. I couldn’t believe it when he was killed. Great work.
Christine
Dendro Azures January 12th, 2009 at 6:53 am
I didn’t realize some of them died this way. You’re right, their music lives on (on my iPod
). And maybe the occasional karaoke attempt.
Rask Balavoine January 12th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Good one Glynis. These all died, so how did Demis Roussos manage to survive when his plane was hijacked in 1985? Maybe he was just not of the same calibre as those you remind us about!
nutuba January 12th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Thanks for the memories!
Lisa Clayton Williams January 12th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Wonderful tribute! Very informative and enjoyable article to read (and listen to!!!). Love how you put all of this together. This deserves to be in the Hot Content section!!
Patrick Bernauw January 12th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Great idea, Glynis, and worked out well! (But I miss those guys from Lynyrd Skynyrd!)
GordonG January 12th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Glynis,
Thanks for the trip down memory lane
Great work as always
Gordon
CHAN LEE PENG January 12th, 2009 at 10:08 am
They’re talented, I love to listen to them..
Joni Keith January 12th, 2009 at 10:15 am
So well done, Glynis. The world is a better place thanks to talented artists like those mentioned here. So sad their contributions were cut short. I noticed that Patsy Cline is the only woman on the list.
Thanks for doing such a memorable job here!
Glynis Smy January 12th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Thanks for the comments.
Lynrd Skynard is a favourite of mine but as they were a group, I did not include them, Freebird is an all time classic.
Jeoffrey Meister January 12th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Great music; great musical artists, Glynis. Thank you.
Christy Tuller January 12th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Wonderful articel Glynis! I enjoyed it very much!
lanne January 12th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Nice article Glynis. I started one like this but never got finished. I have always been a big Otis Redding fan, but didn`t know that was how he died.
Juancav January 12th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Excellent article,all they are great.
cardy January 12th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
a really good article give yourself a pat on the back for this one.
Moses Ingram January 12th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
A great tribute, I remember when Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and the The Big Bopper were killed back in 1959, and also most of the others you mentioned. It is sad when people of such talent die young and in such a manner, but as you say their music lives on.
Mr Cool January 12th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
I have only ever heard of Buddy Holly but I’m sure the others were great as well. A great article even if it is not memory lane for me.
Betty Carew January 12th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
It is definately memory lanefor me and i also remeber when they died. A subpurb article Glynis and very well presented.
thanks for the music.
Hein Marais January 12th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Great Article. I just love Buddy Holly’s music. I wonder how many hits he would have had if he didn’t die in that plane crash
Bren Parks January 12th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Great read! I love this kind of stuff.
Little Miss Lizzy January 12th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
wow Glynis, you have been busy, This is a truly fantastic article, with some great images and a video to boot. I did music degree and was lucky enough to study popular music from 1950 to 1980 and this brough back some great memories. So many great musicians – but Patsy Cline I really relate to – Crazy is such a beautiful song and you can feel her heart breaking as she sings it.
Thanks.
PS I dunno how you have time to get all this done with a wedding in 193 days LOL
Teresa Rose January 12th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Loved your article. John Denver was a favorite of mine. I miss his music. He was a good man as well as muscian. I was very sad when he went to be with his maker.
Inna Tysoe January 12th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
A beautiful tribute. Thank you!
Inna
AC Hamilton III January 12th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
That was really great! Thank you so much. I had just been thinking through all of this heavy about two months ago, and here you’ve brought it all together. Just wonderful.
AC
PR Mace January 12th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Oh, Glynis, that was one of your best articles. The memories and music brought me to tears. I loved John Denver and we still dance eastcoast swing to Glenn Miller. They are all missed but will forever live on in their music. Well, well, well done.
Glynis Smy January 13th, 2009 at 12:45 am
What wonderful comments, thank you all!!
Anne Lyken-Garner January 13th, 2009 at 4:00 am
A great tribute to some very talented artistes.
S A JOHNSON January 13th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Very nice article!
Lorna Dykstra January 13th, 2009 at 9:19 am
A nice article about some very talented musicians who are missed to this day.
lindalulu January 13th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Great tribute Glynis.
maranatha January 13th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
So many others as well…. Thanks for the memories.
Lauren Axelrod January 13th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I like this one Glynis. I have listened to all of these artists.
Michelle Murphy January 13th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Most of these were before my time, but I have heard them throughout my childhood. I thought this was a very well written article. great job.
Michelle
Glynis Smy January 14th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Thank you all for your private messages and public comments regarding this article. Your support is appreciated and I am glad you enjoyed it.
Timothy P Stavert January 14th, 2009 at 3:18 am
What great memories and sad to think that their lives were taken so tragically.
Keep rolling out these stars that reflect our past memories.
Good work and research Glynis.
Kind Regards
Tim
Yovita Siswati January 15th, 2009 at 4:59 am
Thanks Glynis, your pic bring back sweet memory. I love John Denver.
JK Kristie January 15th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
What a wonderful tribute. They may be gone but their music lives on…
R J Evans January 17th, 2009 at 9:30 am
I had no idea that some of these had died like this!
Great article – mind if I blog?
http://www.webphemera.com/2009/01/musicians-who-died-in-sky-tribute.html
Thanks!
eddiego65 January 17th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Great work. I love Denver’s music. I learned of the music of Patsy Cline, Ritchie Valens and Glenn Miller through my parents.
Glynis Smy January 17th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Thanks all!! R J thanks for the compliment, yes is the answer. Eddie, thank you.
Michele Cameron Drew January 19th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Great piece, Glynis… and a lovely tribute!
-M
Robert January 21st, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Interesting list, and the video clips are definitely a nice touch. I just have one question, though. As I read the article, one artist I was expecting to see but didn’t was Stevie Ray Vaughan. Any reason for the omission? He was a phenomenal blues artist and is certainly missed by many that follow that style of music, and those that appreciate great guitar playing. Still, it was a cool list. Thanks…
MMV Abad January 21st, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Nice article, Glynis.
Glynis Smy January 22nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Thanks for comments.
Robert, I could have gone on forever,sadly there are so many more who died this way. I just listed a few of them. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Cold Shot was one I enjoyed. Thanks for reminding me of him.
Johnny Yuma January 29th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Good work Glynis. There were several more that have died in plane crashes as well, but these are all great. Jim Reeves without checking I think did and Cowboy Copas to name only two more. Great work here my friend! Ricky Nelson was my alltime favorite Rock and Roll singer. I liked him much better than Elvis, and Mary Lou was probably my favorie song of his.
Again I say, “Great Work”!
Johnny Yuma
Nick Kenney February 6th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Lovely tribute Glynis! Another great that died in a plane crash was Stevie Ray Vaughnn. He was a blues great.
Sandra A Flowers February 17th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
love it, music is a big part of my life