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.
Let's twist again
The Big Bopper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you're looking good
I'm gonna sing my song and you won't take long
We gotta do the twist and it goes like this
Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again like we did last year
Do you remember when things were really hummin'
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
Oh baby make me know you love me so then
Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again like we did last year
Do you remember when things were really hummin'
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
Yeah round 'n around 'n up 'n down we go again
Oh baby make me know you love me so then
Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
The Big Bopper's "Let's Twist Again" is a song that invites everyone to have fun and enjoy the moment. The song starts with an invitation to clap your hands and a compliment that says “Now you’re looking good”. The singer then promises that he will entertain you with his song, promising that it won’t take long. Then he launches into the main chorus, which is a call to do the twist dance, and describes how it goes.
The chorus "Come on let's twist again like we did last summer, Yea, let's twist again like we did last year" is a reference to the twist dance craze of the early 1960s that had been sparked by Chubby Checker's hit "The Twist." The song is an invitation to relive the energy of that time and have fun again with the people you shared those moments with. The lyric "Do you remember when things were really hummin'" memorializes a time of innocence, free from the concerns of the day. The song provides a time capsule of the carefree fun people had in a bygone era.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on everybody clap your hands
Encouraging everyone to participate and show enthusiasm by applauding
Now you're looking good
Giving a compliment on the appearance of the audience
I'm gonna sing my song and you won't take long
Promising a catchy tune that won't take much time to learn
We gotta do the twist and it goes like this
Introducing the dance move that everyone needs to follow
Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Encouraging people to relive the fun they had twisting last summer
Yea, let's twist again like we did last year
Suggesting that the same joy and good times can be experienced again
Do you remember when things were really hummin'
Prompting people to recall the excitement and energy of the past
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
Confirming that the atmosphere is right for twisting and it's time to start again
Yeah round 'n around 'n up 'n down we go again
Describing the circular and energetic movement of the dance
Oh baby make me know you love me so then
Asking for physical affection and affirmation from a partner
Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Reiterating the desire to recapture the joy of the past
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
Reconfirming that the time and place are right for twisting again
Writer(s): Kal Mann, Dave Appell
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@M.p24
Who listening to this in 2024?
@leonciquirozvelazquez8904
Me
@neidabeatrizanezbello284
Yo
@poliamengual652
It's me 🇦🇷😅
@OmarRodriguez-kf3bh
Me
@PEPEDEBARRO
Quite a few people, I think
@ranjitbains2217
I used to dance to this song in the 1960’s in England when I was in my twenties.
Now I’m in my 80’s
Watching this video ,makes me feel young all over again.THANKS
@LeolukG
i really wish i could say that i used to dance this song in my twenties at the 60s you are a lucky person
@chun-techou4776
Hi Sir/Madam. I'm in my 40s now and I still like classic songs better than the nowadays songs!
@ranjitbains2217
@@chun-techou4776
Carry on dancing.It’s good for your mind body and soul 🙏👏❤️🌹