Route 66 - The Day The Music Died - January 31, 2019

February 3rd marks 60 years since the tragic death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, who all died in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa. It was an event that shook the music industry, and is often referred to as "the day the music died."

Their music, however, continues to influence every new generation of singers, from Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, all the way up to Jack White and the Black Keys.

We will be coming back to that event a little later in the show, but I encourage all the listeners to check out more of their music, especially Buddy Holly who was only 22 at the time of his death, but left an amazing legacy of timeless music.

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The next album celebrating its 25th Anniversary is the self-titled debut from Weezer, released on May 10, 1994.

Back in 1994, Weezer was a unique band very different from the heavy grunge acts. The were considered "geek rock" or even "nerd rock." Yet their clever lyrics and catchy hooks produced several hit songs including "The Sweater Song" and "Say It Ain't So."

Unlike many of the artists from 1994 that I've featured on this segment, Weezer remains both very popular and relevant. They consistently release new music, and have had genuine rock star success over the past 2 1/2 decades. Even this album has remained a best seller, including subsequent re-releases on deluxe vinyl editions.

Here are two tracks from this debut album: the very first song "My Name is Jonas," and then arguably one of their all-time biggest hits. A song that pays tribute to the singer we've been featuring all show, the late great Buddy Holly.

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Continuing our look back 50 years to the anniversary of Woodstock, I thought we'd feature one of the most memorable acts of the entire festival - the immortal Jimi Hendrix. I decided to feature him on the same night we remember Buddy Holly because, as singer-songwriter-guitarist, he definitely follows in the rock star tradition established by Buddy Holly.

Jimi Hendrix was the closing act of Woodstock, and he gave one of the most iconic performances in rock history. It seems like every clip or video from Woodstock features Hendrix playing the Star-Spangled Banner. But he also played nearly 20 songs that day including most of his biggest hits.

After Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix was as popular as ever. But sadly, like Buddy Holly before him, he would also live a tragically short life. Just one year after Woodstock, on September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died at the age of 27.

Here is a song he did not play at the festival, but one that was featured on his 1968 album Electric Ladyland -- here is "Burning of the Midnight Lamp."