Tommy Allsup Dies But He Survived The Day The Music Died

Guitarist Tommy Allsup, who played with Buddy Holly, passed away yesterday at the age of 85.


Allsup's life very nearly came to an end on the early morning of February 3, 1959. After a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa on the Winter Dance Tour, Allsup had been scheduled to fly to their next gig in Moorhead, Minnesota when Ritchie Valens asked Allsup if he could have his seat on the flight. Allsup and Valens agreed to a coin toss. Allsup picked heads, Valens got his seat. Hours later Valens, Holly and J.P. Richardson a.k.a. The Big Bopper (who had taken the seat originally intended for Waylon Jennings) perished in a plane crash along with pilot Roger Peterson shortly after take off.

Losing that coin toss saved Allsup's life. Allsup never did achieve fame, but he was able to play music for nearly 60 more years as a session musician and at the annual Winter Dance tribute concert in at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa for Holly, The Big Bopper and Valens.


In 1994, Allsup met with Valens' relatives. Allsup feared they would be angry at him because of the coin toss, but as it turned out they welcomed him with open arms because he was the only living link to Valens and remained in touch with them during the last two decades of his life.


Allsup's son Austin followed in his father's musical footsteps and in 2016 was a contestant on NBC's The Voice.


I leave you with Allsup doing what he did best. Here he is in 2011 at the Winter Dance tribute concert performing Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy".