The Surf's up

They'll file into the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, tonight for the latest edition of the Winter Dance Party. Those who are coming for their first visit, and perhaps even returnees, will stop to read the plaque which reads:

"There are few buildings in existence today that represent a complete shift in our musical history. As the last concert venue for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, the Surf is the bedrock of where the sound and attitude of rock and roll changed forever."

The Surf, we all know, was Buddy Holly's last gig. We just passed the anniversary -- February 3 -- of Holly's death in 1959, "the day the music died." Those who tour the field north of Clear Lake where the plane carrying Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson crashed will not have a hard time finding the landmark today. The property's owner, Jeff Nicholas, had a steel statue of black rimmed glasses erected near the entrance. (Well, you'll either know you're there, or you'll think you just came upon the gravesite of the late baseball announcer Harry Carey.)

Tonight's headliner is Bill Medley, who appears with Fabian, Lesley Gore, the Crickets and the Orions. Thursday's guests included Freddy Cannon, the Drifters and Dickey Lee. Last night's sock hop featured the Original Whitesidewalls.

All sorts of anniversaries converge at this time and this place. The deaths of the three immortalized rock 'n' rollers, of course. Don McLean's song "American Pie" was No. 1 on this date in 1973 -- 14 years after the plane crash. Medley and his sidekick Bobby Hatfield scored their first No. 1 hit, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" on this date in 1965. And this just happens to be Fabian's 67th birthday. Lots of stuff swirling around.

Have you been to the Surf? Not me. I'm wondering if might have been cool to visit there this weekend. Cool, or maybe just too eerie and weird. I guess you won't ever know, as they say, unless you try it. Maybe we could get a group rate one of these years. Count me in.

Medley had a big enough voice and name to have a solo career after the Righteous Brothers, but we cant' assume it has been easy. Since Hatfield died in 2003 Medley has produced a couple of albums -- you have to love the title of his 2007 CD/DVD release "Damn Near Righteous" -- and he's out there touring (Tampa Bay alert: He's scheduled to appear at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City in March.)

Did you know that "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is the most played song in radio history? Don't you suppose it would be worth the price of admission just to hear Medley's classic baritone opening "You never close your eyes any more ..." But now what happens with the chorus?

Damn near righteous. So many things in life are, you know?