DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — and friend, this one's worth every mile. Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr. They'd come to call him the Big Bopper, but he started out just like anyone else: born on October 24, 1930, to Jiles and Elsie Bernice Richardson, out in Sabine Pass — twenty-six miles southeast of where you're probably standing right now.
The family moved to Beaumont when he was six, and that's where the story really starts to gather steam. As a teenager, Richardson started writing songs with country and western influences. Finished up at Beaumont High School in 1947, then headed over to Lamar College, where he sang in the choir and played in the band.
But it was radio that grabbed him — he became a disc jockey for KTRM right there in Beaumont, and it was at that station where the Big Bopper character was born. His musical style shifted too, moving toward rockabilly, that combustible blend of country and western with rock and roll. He served two years in the Army, but the radio pulled him back.
And when he returned to Beaumont, J.P. Richardson did something that still raises an eyebrow or two: in 1957, as a DJ, he spun records continuously for more than 122 hours to raise money for charity. More than 122 hours.
You let that settle in for a second. Around that same time, Mercury Records executive Shelby Singleton signed him to a contract, and the Big Bopper headed out on tour along the east coast. Then came Chantilly Lace — sitting on top of the charts for six weeks in 1958, listed among the Top 100 for twenty-five weeks, and earning him a gold record.
The Big Bopper wasn't just a character anymore. He was a star. He was twenty-eight years old.
Married. Two children. Rock and roll was opening every door in front of him.
And so J.P. Richardson joined a group of young musicians on another national tour. On February 3, 1959, their plane crashed in Iowa.
He was killed, along with fellow artists Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. Richardson's body was brought back here, to Beaumont, for burial. Now here's the thing about J.P.
Richardson that the marker wants you to know — and it matters. In addition to the twenty-one songs he recorded as the Big Bopper, he wrote many more. Running Bear.
White Lightnin'. Songs that other singers made famous. Songs that outlived him on the radio he loved so well.
He is remembered, the marker says, for his musical talent and for his larger-than-life persona as the Big Bopper. Larger than life. That phrase fits a man who once stayed awake spinning records for over 122 hours, who turned a radio character into a gold record, who wrote songs the world kept singing long after February 3, 1959.
The music didn't stop. It just kept playing without him.
What the marker says
Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson, Jr. was born on October 24, 1930 to Jiles and Elsie Bernice (Stalsby) Richardson in Sabine Pass (26 mi. SE); the family moved to Beaumont when he was six. As a teenager, Richardson began writing songs with country and western influences. Following graduation from Beaumont High School in 1947, he attended Lamar College, where he sang in the choir and played in the band. He also became a disc jockey for radio station KTRM. It was there he developed his "Big Bopper" character and his musical style shifted toward rockabilly, combining country and western with rock and roll. He served two years in the Army but returned to radio work in Beaumont, and as a DJ in 1957 Richardson raised money for charity by spinning records continuously for more than 122 hours. Around the same time, Mercury Records executive Shelby Singleton signed him to a contract, and the Big Bopper went on tour along the east coast. His recording Chantilly Lace was on the top of the charts for six weeks in 1958 and earned him a gold record after being listed among the Top 100 for 25 weeks. At the age of 28, married with two children, rock and roll star J.P. Richardson joined a group of young musicians on another national tour. Tragically, on February 3, 1959, their plane crashed in Iowa, killing him and fellow artists Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. Richardson's body was returned here for burial. In addition to the 21 songs he recorded as the Big Bopper, he wrote many more, including Running Bear and White Lightnin', made popular by other singers. J.P. Richardson, Jr. is remembered for his musical talent as well as his larger-than-life persona as the Big Bopper. (2006)