Songful Style: “Chantilly Lace!”

I’m not gonna say that it’s hard to believe June is almost over, but I am going to say I’m surprised it’s almost July. My friends, we are in the dog daze of summer. Yes, I misspelled that on purpose because the heat here leaves you in a daze! It’s just miserable to be outside for very long at all. But, I grabbed one of my favorite photographers and did what a good blogger does…took one for the team! Anyway, welcome to the last Monday in June and another edition of Songful Style! Suzy and Shelbee decided to riff (see what I did there) on Style Imitating Art only with music! Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Suzy of Suzy Turner, and I make up the bloggers in this group. You can find all of us on our blogs and Instagram.  Our ensembles (pun intended) may be inspired by the lyrics of a song, the artwork of the album cover, maybe the MTV video, or even a memory the song evokes. Shelbee chose this month’s song. Last time, I selected “Love Shack” by The B-52s (and didn’t even participate). Oh, and there’s a link party, too!

The singer…

The Big Bopper, Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr was born on October 24, 1930, in Sabine Pass, Texas. His dad was an oil field worker, and I’m guessing his mom was a homemaker as there is no mention of what she did.  He had two brothers, James and Cecil.  At some point, the family moved to Beaumont where Richardson was a defensive lineman (number 85) for the “Royal Purple” American football team.  He graduated from Beaumont High School in 1947 and began college at Lamar College.  He was studying prelaw and was a member of the band and chorus. 

A little more…

At first, Richardson worked part time at the radio station, KTRM (now KZZB).  In 1949, he was hired  as a full time DJ and quit college.  In 1952, he married Adrianne Joy Fryou.  Their daughter, Debra Joy, was born in December 1953 with a son, Jay, born two months after his death.  In 1955, Richardson was drafted in the US Army.  He spent the two years of his service at Fort Bliss in El Paso as a radar instructor.  Following his discharge, Richardson returned to KTRM and worked the “Dishwashers’ Serenade” shift from 11am to 12:30 pm, Monday through Friday. 

Still more…

Eventually, a station sponsor suggested Richardson move to a new time slot as well as an idea for a show.  About this time, Richardson became the Big Bopper as a result of a college dance, The Bop.  In May, 1957, Richardson broke a record for continuous on-air broadcasting.  He was on-air for five days, two hours, and eight minutes.  He did shower during newscasts that lasted five minutes!  He played in the lobby of the Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont. In 1958, Richardson created the first music video when he recorded himself playing music.

At last…

Richardson began writing songs including “White Lightning” which was George Jones’ first Number 1 country hit in 1959.  He also wrote “Running Bear” for his friend, Johnny Preston who did not release the recording until August 1959, six months after the accident which claimed The Big Bopper’s life.  The song was a hit and reached number 1 in January 1960.  It stayed there for three weeks.  Harold “Pappy”Daily signed Richardson to Mercury Records.  Richardson’s first song, “Beggar to a King” didn’t chart.  In 1958, Richardson cut “Chantilly Lace” as The Big Bopper.  Mercury bought the recording (which doesn’t make sense to me if he was already signed to them).  The song was released at the end of June 1958.  It crawled to No.6 on the pop chart and spent 22 weeks in the national Top 40. The record sold more than one million copies and received a gold disc.  In November of the same year, The Big Bopper released a second hit, “The Big Bopper’s Wedding.”  Both were getting being played through January of 1959.  Richardson had written 20 new songs he wanted to record or with other artists as well as building a recording studio at his home. 

The accident…

As his singing career began taking off, Richardson took some time away from the radio station and joined Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Dion and the Belmonts for a “Winter Dance Party” tour.  The tour, which was traveling by bus, started on January 23, 1959.  On February 2, the group had finished their eleventh night in Clear Lake, Iowa.  Holly decided to charter a plane so they could get to Moorhead, Minnesota a little faster.  They would be able to be there early, get some rest, and do some laundry.  Holly, Waylon Jennings, and Tommy Allsup (Holly’s bandmates) were the musicians who would be flying.  A local pilot, Roger Peterson agreed to take them.  The forecast called for cold temperatures with gusty winds and light scattered snow.  But, Peterson had just worked a 17 hour workday. 

A little more…

Holly told Alsup and Jennings he’d booked them a plane to Fargo, ND (closest to Moorhead).  Valens and Allsup had a friendly little wager…they’d flip a coin to see who would win Alsup’s seat on the plane.  Valens won when he actually lost in a huge and tragic way.  Richardson had been feeling sick and felt the bus would be just too much so Jennings volunteered to give up his seat.  When Holly heard his bandmates had given away their plane seats, he joked, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up again.”  Jennings replied, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.”  In 1999, Jennings said,

“I was so afraid for many years that somebody was going to find out I said that,” Jennings told CMT in 1999. “Somehow, I blamed myself. Compounding that was the guilty feeling that I was still alive. I hadn’t contributed anything to the world at that time compared to Buddy.  “Why would he die and not me? It took a long time to figure that out, and it brought about some big changes in my life — the way I thought about things (source).”

Still more…

The show ended around midnight, and the three young rockers drove to the airport, loaded their luggage and got on the plane.  The flight was cleared for takeoff around 12:55am on February 3, 1959.  The plane was airborne for only a few minutes before crashing at full throttle about five miles outside of Mason City.  No one knows for sure, but it’s believed Peterson lost his visual reference and thought he was going up when he was really going down.  The plane hit the frozen ground at approximately 170 mph (270 km/h). It cartwheeled across the frozen cornfield, eventually coming to a stop beside a barbed wire fence.  All three rockers were thrown from the plane on impact.  They died instantly of head and chest injuries.  The Big Bopper was 28 years old.  Ritchie Valens was 17 years old, and Buddy Holly was 22 years old. 

Controversy…

Jay Perry Richardson, known as The Big Bopper, Jr., also was a performer and toured on the “Winter Dance Party” with a Buddy Holly impersonator, John Mueller.  They performed on some of the same stages his father had played.  In January, 2007, Jay Richardson requested the exhumation of his father’s body.  He had heard, via the Internet, there had been guns fired on the plane and his father had survived the crash.  An autopsy was performed by William M. Bass, a forensic anthropologist.  He determined The Big Bopper had died instantaneously.  If you want to read more about the exhumation and autopsy, here’s an article.  Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr. was reburied beside his wife in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumont, Texas.  For a bit, the original casket was displayed at the Texas Musicians Museum.  Jay Richardson even announced he was going to put the casket up for auction on eBay and donate part of the money to the museum.  Nothing came of that.  The Big Bopper’s grandchildren are roofing contractors in Texas.  Their business is named for their grandfather, Jiles Solar Power and Roofing. 

The song…

What it means…

I think it’s pretty apparent what this song is about. It’s a one-sided phone call with the singer answering his girlfriend’s questions. He tells her how much he likes to see her in chantilly lace…which makes you wonder, right? Are they going out at all? I mean, he does say he doesn’t have any money. Some read a little bit more into the “long necked goose,” but I think it just worked in the rhyme scheme. I could be wrong, though. In 1966, Jayne Mansfield recorded the other side of the phone call. I’ll let you decide if it worked or not!

The video…

Interesting covers…

This band does a really nice job with the song, but it’s a bit lackluster.

I like this guy’s vibe!

This one definitely gives me Big Bopper vibes!

This one is a little meh to me, but the guy is trying…

And, my Norwegian friend, Leo has let me down once again.

My interpretation…

I actually googled chantilly lace because I wasn’t sure which lace it was. It seems to have a few iterations. I just decided to go with lacy! I’m wearing an April Cornell coverup that I’ve used in other Songful Style and Style Imitating Art challenges. My dress? Do you like it? It’s actually a nightgown! I bought it for our very first trip to London to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in 2001. It’s got two layers so it’s really too hot to sleep in. I’ve kept it to wear as a slip, but it worked perfectly as a dress today. In fact, I just may start wearing it that way. With two layers, it’s not sheer and certainly passes for a dress. It was so hot when we did this photo shoot, and the hair was definitely not cooperating!

The Lewk!

For some reason, I gravitated toward rose gold jewelry. The earrings, bracelet, and necklace with the big crystals are from Stella & Dot. The story behind the earrings and bracelet is really sweet. One of the founders had found a piece of lace that reminded her of her grandmother. It could also be that the lace was a scrap in her grandmother’s belongings. These pieces are so old, I really can’t find their origin story. The other necklace is a very long necklace from Banana Republic. I also have it in silver and gold. I do wish Banana Republic would make jewelry like this again. The sandals are also very old and are by Carlos Santana.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

Are you familiar with Don McLean’s “American Pie?” One of its many interpretations is that it’s about this plane crash. I remember it was all the rage in 1971. You couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing it. Of course, I taped it on my tape recorder! I had no idea what the song meant nor did I know many of the references he makes. Nigel was the one to tell me it was about the plane crash (which I had no idea about, either). I was shocked to discover just how young all of the victims were, including the pilot (he was 21). It really does prove that death waits for no one. Geez, that was morbid. So, can we talk? Did you know “American Pie” was about this terrible plane crash? Did you know Waylon Jennings had given up his seat to The Big Bopper? Would you wear a slip as a dress? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.

Thank you!

Thank you so very much for reading today’s post. I hope you enjoyed it. I also very much appreciate those of you who comment, email and/or subscribe. It’s what keeps me going! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

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Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.  My April Cornell code, MARSHA15, now works, but it’s good for only one use. You can get $15 off $100. I’d wait and use it during a really good sale! Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

And, now, it’s your turn!

Please link up your favorite posts, DIY, baking, gardening, fashion…you name it…as long as it’s family friendly! Link up with me, visit a couple of others, and leave a comment or two! No worries if you don’t have a blog, just look around! You may find a new blog just waiting for you!

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