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.
Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctors
The Big Bopper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got real shook, I heard the strangest sound
I saw the Purple People Eater and to my surprise
The Witch Doctor sittin' by his side
The Witch Doctor had a little guitar in his hand
And they were boppin' and a-rockin' with a two-piece band
Purple was a-blowin' like a People Eater should
There went-a
Ooh-ee
Ooh-ah-ah
Ting-tang
Walla-walla-ding-dang
"Oh, Doc I got troubles" that's a-what he said
"Girls keep a-laughin' 'bout the horn in my head"
The Witch Doctor smiled and I heard him say
"Yeah man, ya ugly but you sure can play"
There in the moonlight it seemed so strange
As they blowed a chorus of "Home On The Range"
They were comin' in strong like a rock 'n' roll stars
Made the sweetest music a-this side of Mars
They went-a
Ooh-ee
Ting-tang
Ooh-ah-ah
Walla-walla-ding-dang
These cats from outer space were givin' their all
And I could tell the way they rocked that they were havin' a ball
They were comin' on strong, I was clappin' my hands
Stopped long enough to say "Crazy, man!"
So at twilight time when the sun go down
Back in the woods on the edge of town
People all a-gather from a-miles around
To hear Doc and ol' Purple play the crazy sounds
They go
Ooh-ee (Oh yeah)
Ooh-ah-ah
Ting-tang
Walla-walla-ding-dang
One more time
And your sick, sick, sick set
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Woo hoo hoo hoo
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
"Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor" is a novelty song by The Big Bopper that was released in 1958. The song describes an encounter between the Purple People Eater, an alien creature who eats purple people, and the Witch Doctor, who is a talented guitarist. The singer stumbles upon the two creatures in the woods, and is amazed by the music they make together with their two-piece band. Even though the Purple People Eater has a horn on his head and is considered ugly, the Witch Doctor praises his musical talent.
The lyrics of the song are playful and humorous, highlighting the absurdity of the situation. The catchy chorus, containing the nonsensical phrase "Walla-walla-ding-dang," is fun to sing along to. The song also features a guitar solo, mimicking the sound of Johnny B. Good. Overall, "Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor" is a lighthearted and entertaining piece of music that captures the spirit of the 1950s novelty songs.
Line by Line Meaning
While walkin' through the woods not far from town
I was taking a stroll towards the woods near my town.
I got real shook, I heard the strangest sound
Suddenly, I became frightened by a really unusual sound I heard.
I saw the Purple People Eater and to my surprise
To my surprise, I witnessed the Purple People Eater.
The Witch Doctor sittin' by his side
The Witch Doctor was sitting right next to the Purple People Eater.
The Witch Doctor had a little guitar in his hand
The Witch Doctor was holding a small guitar.
And they were boppin' and a-rockin' with a two-piece band
The Purple People Eater and the Witch Doctor were dancing and music-making as a duo.
Purple was a-blowin' like a People Eater should
The Purple People Eater's playing sounded how one would expect from it.
Witch Doctor picked like Johnny B. Good
The Witch Doctor was playing the guitar like Johnny B. Good as he strummed the instrument.
There went-a
They started to sing and provided a sound effect to build up anticipation.
Ooh-ee
They delivered a vocal sound used to denote excitement.
Ooh-ah-ah
They shouted another vocal sound out of excitement, a derivative of 'ooh-ee'.
Ting-tang
This line provided a clangy, jingling effect that suggests somebody striking two items together.
Walla-walla-ding-dang
This line was a meaningless mixture of sound for providing excitement.
"Oh, Doc I got troubles" that's a-what he said
The Purple People Eater complained to the Witch Doctor about having troubles.
"Girls keep a-laughin' 'bout the horn in my head"
The girls kept mocking the Purple People Eater because of the horn on its head.
The Witch Doctor smiled and I heard him say
The Witch Doctor had a cheerful expression and said aloud...
"Yeah man, ya ugly but you sure can play"
"You might be ugly, but you sure can play the guitar," said the Witch Doctor to the Purple People Eater.
There in the moonlight it seemed so strange
Under the moonlight, everything seemed mysterious.
As they blowed a chorus of "Home On The Range"
As they sang a chorus from "Home On The Range" in a melodic voice.
They were comin' in strong like a rock 'n' roll stars
They were arriving like rock stars and were gaining huge acclaim.
Made the sweetest music a-this side of Mars
Their music was sweetest, and it was the epitome of music on planet Mars.
These cats from outer space were givin' their all
The Purple People Eater and Witch Doctor were extraterrestrial creatures that put their best to playing music.
And I could tell the way they rocked that they were havin' a ball
I realized how much fun they had while figuratively rocking the music.
They were comin' on strong, I was clappin' my hands
Their song was becoming more and more enjoyable, and I caught myself clapping.
Stopped long enough to say "Crazy, man!"
I stopped and exclaimed, "Wow! That was Insane!"
So at twilight time when the sun go down
During sunset, as the sun was going down...
Back in the woods on the edge of town
They performed in the forest, just outside of town.
People all a-gather from a-miles around
People came from miles to gather and listen to the music.
To hear Doc and ol' Purple play the crazy sounds
People came to listen to the insane sounds that the Witch Doctor and the Purple People Eater created.
They go
The music started up once more, and...
Ooh-ee (Oh yeah)
They broke into an excited, melodious chant along with a catchphrase style utterance.
Ooh-ah-ah
The catchphrase from earlier repeated itself in this line.
Ting-tang
This line is identical to the one from before, with clanging and similar sound effects.
Walla-walla-ding-dang
Once again, this is just throwaway syllables to create excitement, with no real meaning.
One more time
They get ready to perform one last time after finishing their song.
And your sick, sick, sick set
The final performance was getting frenzied and extreme.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Laughs and giggles were heard during the performance.
Woo hoo hoo hoo
The singer's cry after finishing a chorus section of the song when screaming randomly.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Another round of laughs after the singer screams.
Writer(s): J.p. Richardson, Gordon Ritter
Contributed by Addison S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tonycliftontheman
I played the grooves out of this as a kid. Still love it today! Goofy fun!
@aloisemason3972
The Big Bopper was sensational at writing and singing his great Puple Peter Eater music and lyrics..phenomenal..He was a genius at all he wrote and a hit every time..what a fantastic list of words he had and made up as he wrote..what an amazingly man the Big Bopper was and then he was gone..killed on an airplane from leaving another music building as he and others were performing that night..God bless and may you RIP
@dalecidno1295
Is it just me or was the audio engineering on this song incredibly ahead of its time?
@mikepatrick5909
great production...
@stellaomega6680
I'm always surprised by vintage production quality being better than I remember
@wallywingert6122
it's not you. This song IS genius!
@beachbum1523
Jape was known for breaking new ground. He actually did two different radio shows under two different names, with two completely different personalities when he was a DJ at KTRM in Beaumont.
@aldomostert7194
At first I got angry with those "sound effects" But one day I started laughing uncontrollably and enjoyed this song so much.
@BruceWayne-wu7ps
I hope we who still have this Original 45 are Grateful for having Survived to a time of such Easy Access to all of these great oldies, without Destroying that old vinyl!! Thank you to the gods of technology!!
@nitrohuffer1320
my folks bought this 45 the year i was born....1958.
played the crap out of it on a little kid record player from the age of three.
loved this song...along with chantilly lace.
and... i STILL have it.
never throw away cool shit.