Richardson was born in Sabine Pass, Texas, the oldest son of Jiles Perry, Sr. and Elise (Stalsby) Richardson. His father was an oil field worker and driller. He had two younger brothers, Cecil and James. Within a short time the family moved to Beaumont, Texas. He graduated from Beaumont High School in 1947 and was a member of the "Royal Purple" football team, wearing number "85" as a defensive lineman.
Richardson later studied law at Lamar College, and was a member of the band and chorus. During this time he worked part time at KTRM radio, where in 1949 he was hired full-time and left school. On April 18, 1952, Richardson married Adrianne Joy Fryou from Montegut, Louisiana; in December 1953 their daughter, Debra Joy, was born. Earlier that year Richardson was promoted to Supervisor of Announcers at KTRM. In March 1955 he was drafted into the United States Army. His basic training was at Fort Ord, California after which Richardson spent two years as a radar instructor at Fort Bliss, Texas. Upon his discharge at the rank of Corporal in March 1957, Richardson returned to KTRM radio, where he held down the "Dishwashers' Serenade" shift from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
One of the station's sponsors wanted Richardson for a new time slot and suggested a gimmick for the show. Richardson noticed all the college kids doing a dance called The Bop, so he decided to become known as "The Big Bopper". He kicked off a new radio show from 3 to 6 p.m., and soon The Big Bopper became the station's program director.
In May of 1957, he broke the record for continuous on-the-air broadcasting by eight minutes. He went a total of five days, two hours and eight minutes, playing 1,821 records and taking showers during five-minute newscasts. During the marathon, he lost 35 pounds (16 kg). KTRM paid Richardson $746.50 for his overtime and he quickly hit the sack for 20 hours.
According to the Internet Accuracy Project website, Richardson is credited with coining the term "rock video".
Around this time, Richardson -- who played guitar -- started writing more songs. George Jones later recorded Richardson's "White Lightning", which became Jones' first #1 country hit in 1959 (#73 on the pop charts). Richardson also wrote "Running Bear" for Johnny Preston, his friend from Port Arthur, Texas. Inspiration for the song came from Richardson's childhood memory of the Sabine river, where he heard stories about Indian tribes. Jape sang background on "Running Bear", but it wasn't released until September 1959, after his death. Within several months it went to #1.
The man who launched Richardson as a recording artist was Harold "Pappy" Dailey from Houston. Dailey was promotion director for Mercury and Starday records and signed Richardson to Mercury. Richardson's first single, "Beggar To A King", had a country flavor, but failed to gain any chart action. He soon cut "Chantilly Lace" as "The Big Bopper" for Pappy Dailey's D label. Mercury bought the recording and released it during the summer of 1958. It reached #6 on the pop charts and spent 22 weeks on the national Top 40. It also inspired an answer record by Jayne Mansfield titled "That Makes It". In "Chantilly Lace", Richardson pretends to have a flirting phone call with his girlfriend; the Mansfield record suggests what his girlfriend might have been saying at the other end of the line.
With the success of "Chantilly Lace," Richardson took some time off from KTRM radio and joined Buddy Holly and The Crickets, Ritchie Valens and Dion & the Belmonts for a "Winter Dance Party" tour. On February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly chartered a Beechcraft Bonanza to take him and his new Crickets band (Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings) to Fargo, North Dakota. Richardson came down with the flu and didn't feel comfortable on the bus, so Jennings gave his plane seat to Richardson. Valens had never flown on a small plane and requested Allsup's seat. They flipped a coin, and Valens called heads and won the toss.
In the early morning of February 3, after a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, the small four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza took off from the Mason City airport during a blinding snow storm and crashed into Albert Juhl’s corn field several miles after takeoff at 1:05 a.m. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson and the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson. This event would become known as "The Day the Music Died".
Richardson, 28 when he died, left behind his wife, Adrianne, and 4-year-old daughter Debra Joy; a son, Jay Perry Richardson, was born in April of 1959. At the time of his death, Richardson had been building a recording studio in his home in Beaumont, Texas, and was also planning to invest in the ownership of a radio station. In addition, he had written 20 new songs with plans to record by himself and with other artists. Richardson was a well-loved figure who was known to care deeply about his family.
Son Jay P. Richardson took up a musical career inspired by his late father and is known professionally as "The Big Bopper, Jr." He has performed at venues around the world. Notably, he has toured on the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly impersonator John Mueller on some of the very same stages as his father.
In film, The Big Bopper has been portrayed by Gailard Sartain in The Buddy Holly Story and Stephen Lee in La Bamba.
Monument at Crash Site, September 16, 2003. In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the ’50s era, erected a stainless steel monument depicting a steel guitar and a set of three records bearing the names of each of the three performers. It is located on private farmland, about one quarter mile west of the intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue, approximately eight miles north of Clear Lake, this is where the plane crash was situated. He also created a similar stainless steel monument to the three musicians near the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That memorial was unveiled on July 17, 2003.
J.P. Richardson's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
The Big Bopper is fondly remembered not only for his distinctive singing and songwriting, but also as a humorist who combined the best elements of country, R&B and rock'n'roll.
Chantilli Lace
The Big Bopper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, this is the Big Bopper speakin'
Ha ha ha ha ha
Oh, you sweet thing
Do I what? Will I what?
Oh baby, you know what I like
Chantilly lace and a pretty face
A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk
Make the world go 'round
Ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl
To make me act so funny, make me spend my money
Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose
Like a girl, oh baby, that's a-what I like
What's that, baby?
But, but, but, oh, honey
But, oh baby, you know what I like
Chantilly lace and a pretty face
And a ponytail hangin' down
A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, Lord
Make the world go 'round, 'round, 'round
Ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl
To make me act so funny, make me spend my money
Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose
Like a girl, oh baby, that's a-what I like
What's that honey?
Pick you up at eight and don't be late
But baby, I ain't got no money, honey
Ha ha ha ha ha
Oh, alright, honey, you know what I like
Chantilly lace and a pretty face
Ponytail a-hangin' down
A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, Lord
Make the world go 'round
Ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl
To make me act so funny, make me spend my money
Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose
Like a girl, oh baby, that's a-what I like
The Big Bopper's song “Chantilly Lace” is a simple, catchy rock 'n' roll tune that is very fun to dance to. The song speaks about the Big Bopper's love for a beautiful girl who wears Chantilly lace, possesses a beautiful ponytail, a wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk. He enjoys spending money on her and having a good time in her company. The lyrics make it clear that he has a great affection for beautiful women who can make him feel loose and euphoric.
The lyrics in "Chantilly Lace" represent a bygone era in American music history, where music was less complex, and the focus was on catchy melodies, relatable lyrics, and a fun beat to dance to. The song was a hit among teenagers and young adults who were looking for ways to express their love and joy for life. The lively beat combined with the playful lyrics was enough to bring happiness and joy to people of all ages.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, baby
Greeting someone
Yeah, this is the Big Bopper speakin'
Introducing oneself
Ha ha ha ha ha
Laughing
Oh, you sweet thing
Calling someone cute
Do I what? Will I what?
Asking for clarification
Oh baby, you know what I like
Expressing one's preferences
Chantilly lace and a pretty face
Describing one's ideal woman
And a ponytail hangin' down
Noting the woman's hairstyle
A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk
Noting the woman's mannerisms
Make the world go 'round
Implying the attraction and power of such traits
Ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl
Stating the uniqueness of this specific preference
To make me act so funny, make me spend my money
Noting the effect such women have on the artist
Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose
Describing the feeling of being with such a woman
Like a girl, oh baby, that's a-what I like
Reiterating the preference for a specific type of woman
What's that, baby?
Asking someone to repeat themselves
But, but, but, oh, honey
Responding with hesitation
But, oh baby, you know what I like
Reiterating one's preference despite the hesitancy
Pick you up at eight and don't be late
Making plans for a date
But baby, I ain't got no money, honey
Expressing financial difficulties
Oh, alright, honey, you know what I like
Agreeing to the date despite the financial difficulties
Writer(s): J. P. Richardson
Contributed by Max A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gaz Royales Rhodes
Still appreciate the tremendous talent of this guy. Legendary performer and never forgotten in the hearts of Rock n Roll fans ❤️
Cozy G.
This was one of the songs my grandpa loved to sing. Now that he’s passed every time I hear it, it makes me think of him! What a great song!
Jonas Kessler
This was my late father’s favorite song too. I can still hear him singing along “ohhh baby you KNOWWWW what I like!”
Greg Boardman Band
Great song. Hope you can enjoy one of my songs. I'm a one man band on youtube.
andy s
Same whenever I hear some of the older songs. Music can transcend time.
RockSolidKevo
Lost my grandpa and hero in December he was friends with "jp" in the army and has an ashtray jp made while they served. My grandpa was the smartest kindest person, like alot of the silent generation he helped make this country what it is today, in all the positive ways. I'm sorry for your loss, it's a pain most of us can share and it's probably the hardest thing I'll ever go through.
charlotte
The same with me and my Dad, he would answer the phone to my mum with “helooo baby!”
Dan Trigona
Rest in Peace, Big Bopper. Your music is still appreciated nearly 60 years after your passing.
Noah Howland
Crazy how long ago it was
Kay Muldoon
Today as I type this it’s February 3, 2023, the 64th anniversary of his, Buddy’s and Ritchie’s passing. I’ve been playing their music today. May they Rest in Peace. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻