J. P. discovered a Texas nightclub singer by the name of Johnny Preston, and “Running Bear” sent Preston into the Top Ten of the Billboard pop chart, marking his only major hit. Richardson and George Jones even supplied the background vocals on Preston’s record. Sonny James covered “Running Bear” in 1970, notching his 12th number one country hit in the process Richardson and Jones co-wrote one of George’s early Top Ten records, “Treasure Of Love” also in 1958.
Jones asked his old friend about recording “White Lightning,” to which J. P. replied, “I was saving it for you.” After a long road trip, George returned to Nashville eager to record “White Lightning,” and he approached Don Pierce about booking time at Owen Bradley’s Quonset Hut studio to cut the song. Then tragedy struck.
With the success of “Chantilly Lace,” The Big Bopper joined fellow rock performers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Dion and the Belmonts for a “Winter Dance Party” tour starting on January 23, 1959.
On the eleventh night of the tour (February 2nd), the musicians played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Holly, tired of riding on a bus from show to show, had chartered a plane to their next performance the following evening in Moorhead, Minnesota. Originally, the plane’s passengers were to be Holly and his bandmates Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup. In a coin toss, Valens won Allsup’s seat on the plane, and Jennings gave up his seat to Richardson, who was suffering from the flu and didn’t want to ride the cold, uncomfortable bus to Moorhead.
