Amateur music historian visiting the 24 stops on the Winter Dance Party tour

COSHOCTON − Coshocton has a unique spot in one of the most tragic events in rock'n'roll history and because of that has long been a destination an amateur music historian from Canada has wanted to visit.

Sevan Garabedian was scheduled to visit Coshocton last May, but was unable to make it due to visa issues. However, other music historians did come in for a tour of the Coshocton Armory and to meet with residents who recalled attending the Winter Dance Party stop there on Feb. 12, 1959 — 65 years ago.

On Feb. 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “Big Bopper” J.P. Richardson died in an airplane crash shortly after it took off from Clear Lake, Iowa, on its way to Moorehead, Minnesota. It's become known as the Day the Music Died and the end of the golden age of rock 'n roll.

They were headliners for the tour, so promoters pressed onward with replacements acts. The poster for the Coshocton show advertised Buddy Holly's Crickets, Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton, Dion and the Belmonts and Frankie Sardo as an extra attraction. Tickets for those through junior high school age were 75 cents and high school through adult was $1.50. Proceeds were to benefit youth activities by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Those who visited with the historians last year brought photos, news clippings and autographs from acts. Garabedian is hoping to meet with some of those people and to see the memorabilia along with anyone else who might have a connection to the local show. He plans to be in Coshocton on Feb. 13. He'll be visiting the armory at 2 p.m. and seeing other locations, including WTNS Radio which sponsored the concert.

Garabedian has made it his mission to visit all of the 24 stops on the Winter Dance Party tour and his visit to Coshocton has been a long time coming. He was originally hoping to come in 2020. On this trip, he'll first be going to Louisville, Kentucky. He plans to visit the last city he needs next February − Muskegon, Michigan.

"It means a lot to actually go to these cities and walk in their footsteps. To me, it means a lot to meet the fans who were there. They appreciate it, because it was a simpler time for them. It's bittersweet for the post-crash shows," Garabedian said.

He grew up in the 1990s listening to the sounds of the day until the radio station he listened to switched formats to become an oldies station. Nostalgia for the 1950s was big at the time and Garabedien got swept up in it.

Every January, the station talked about The Day the Music Died and played the songs of those who died in the crash. This was before the internet was widely available, so Garabedian went to the library to research the Winter Dance Party tour. He discovered a tribute show was held every year in Clear Lake, Iowa, and began attending in 2004.

Garabedian and others have started to put together interviews into a documentary series called the Winter Dance Party Tapes. A trailer for the larger project and two-part interview with late singer Frankie Sardo is posted on YouTube.

"It was almost like I grew up with the music, but not in the 50s. This tour, in its entirety, represents that era and the end of the era," Garabedian said. "This is my way of paying respect. The tour was symbolic of the area, it's peak and its wrapping up. It's important for me to walk in the footsteps of my heroes."

Those who attended the concert or have information or memorabilia related to it can contact Sevan Garabedian at sevan1@sympatico.ca or 514-970-1959.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Canadian music historian visiting stops on Winter Dance Party Tour