Portion of a popcorn box, 6.25 x 4, signed in blue ink on the light brown inside portion, “Buddy Holly,” and also signed by Waylon Jennings, signed “Waylon Crickets,” and by Dion and the Belmonts members “Dion,” Carlo Mastrangelo and Freddie Milano, signing “Carlo,” and “Freddie,” respectively. Archivally matted and framed with acid-free mats and UV protective glass, and a small plaque to an overall size of 13.25 x 12. Signatures were obtained during the ill-fated Winter Dance Party Tour on January 27, 1959, just one week before the fateful plane crash that took Holly’s life. These signatures were obtained after the tour appeared at the Fiesta Ballroom in Montevideo, Minnesota, at the then Highway Cafe on Highway 212 in Montevideo, by a young female fan. A portion of a scrapbook page is included, measuring 11.5 x 8.25, with two straw wrappers and a Wrigley’s gum wrapper taped to the page, with collector’s notations reading “We had just a ball that night. It was the 1st time I had been at the Fiesta and I hope not the last! We had there [sic] autographs on our arms too. Afterwards, we went out to the Highway cafe and all the stars came a short time after. Then is when we really got to know them.” Also included are photocopies of several pages from the book entitled The Day The Music Died, which references the exact meeting when these signatures were obtained. Page 74 notes: “The singers then went to the Highway Cafe on Highway 212. There Wanda Quilitz of Madison, Minnesota, collected autographs from the singers on the inside of a popcorn box.” In very good condition, with signatures a shade or two light, but completely legible, with Jennings’ signature lighter than the rest, some light surface loss to left of Holly’s signature, and expected folds and creases.
The looming tragedy—the so-called day the music died—was fast approaching. But this cold January in Minnesota, young fans “had just a ball that night” as they met their singing idols. After experiencing first-hand the Winter Dance Party Tour, the original recipient noted how they converged on a local cafe, where they were joined later by band members. “Then is when we really got to know them,” the original recipient notes, and also secured their autographs…on body parts as well as the inside of this very popcorn box. The events that followed a week later are now part of rock and roll legend…the tale of how the Big Bopper had developed a case of flu and asked Jennings, Holly's bass player, for his seat on the plane. Jennings agreed and was haunted by the twist of fate for years. Dion decided that, since the $36 cost of the flight was the same as the monthly rent his parents paid for his childhood apartment, he couldn't justify the indulgence. And so, the rest of the band boarded their cold bus while Holly and his entourage headed toward their icy deaths. A week earlier, however, loud music and popcorn boxes ruled the night, with this example a lasting tribute to their popularity. Pre-certified Roger Epperson/REAL and RR Auction COA.
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