J.P. Richardson

East Texas has always boasted a rich musical heritage. Attend any community celebration in any small town in the region, and a string band playing traditional folk tunes will always be a prominent feature. In the years following World War II, East Texans played important roles in defining a new musical genre as well: rock-and-roll. J. P. Richardson-The Big Bopper, as he was known to fans-was one such person.

Jiles Perry Richardson was born on October 24, 1930, in Sabine Pass, then moved with his family at a young age to Port Arthur. An extroverted, solidly built young man, Richardson attended public school in Port Arthur and Beaumont, playing football at Beaumont High before graduating in 1949. While still in his teens, he landed an on-air job at radio station KTRM in Beaumont, and began writing traditional country-and-western songs.

After serving a hitch in the army, Richardson returned to Beaumont and KTRM in 1955. Adopting the radio moniker "The Big Bopper, " he caught the eye of Mercury Records executive Pappy Dailey in Houston. His country songs, however, failed to attract any support from the Mercury label. Richardson then altered his musical style to accommodate the new, wildly popular rockabilly sound. left Mercury for a smaller, regional record label, and launched a brief but successful recording career as a rock-and-roll artist.

His first single, "Chantilly Lace," appeared in 1958 and garnered the Big Bopper an immediate following. Later hits, including "Big Bopper's Wedding," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor," cemented his reputation as a singer of novelty songs. His stage persona did nothing to discourage the impression that he was in the business for a good time. His gaudy clothes, histrionic performance style, and prop-laden song presentations made The Big Bopper a fan favorite.

In the 1950s, rock-and-roll musicians typically toured in groups of several acts to share expenses. Riding busses from town to town, usually scheduled to take advantage of state or county fair dates, it was a less-than-glamorous existence. Even the most profitable acts shared this routine. One such tour, the Winter Dance Party of 1959, included superstar Buddy Holly, young heartthrob Richie Valens, and J. P. Richardson, The Big Bopper. It would be the last tour for all three.

After a late show in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, Holly and Valens decided that they had had enough of the tour bus. They chartered a small plane to fly to the next scheduled venue in North Dakota. At the last minute Richardson, sick with the flu, convinced Holly's bass player, Waylon Jennings, to take the bus and allow him the last seat on the plane. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, the plane crashed in an Iowa field, killing everyone on board. J. P. Richardson, Beaumont's "Big Bopper," died at age twenty-eight, leaving a wife, a daughter, and a son born after his death.

J. P. Richardson was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Beaumont, a privately owned and maintained cemetery. To get there, follow Interstate 10 to Beaumont and exit at Pine St. (exit 855B). Travel north on Pine Street to East Lucas; just beyond the intersection you will find the cemetery, at 4955 Pine Street.

For more information about J. P. Richardson, see the New Handbook of Texas. Information about historic Beaumont can be found at http://www.cityofbeaumont.com. To learn more about East Texas history, contact the East Texas Historical Association at Stephen F. Austin State University or visit the ETHA web site at http://leonardo.sfasu.edu/etha/.