Friday, February 21, 2020

THE FRIDAY FLASH


THE FUTURE OF OUR MUSIC:
>>>The people have spoken (kk)
Awesome responses!!   Thank you for what you do!
Donna

Kent,
As long as the people who visit your blog, the artists like Tommy James, Ides of March and all of the other artists go on the Oldies Cruises and continue to share their talents on the radio and pack in the venues all over the world, "Our" music will never die.
The Top 3333 Countdown woke many people up and exposed the music to a new generation of listeners who are searching for better than what they are hearing today.
Keep bridging that gap.  The music isn't dead by a long shot!
Nikki

We went (with a group of Forgotten Hits Readers) to see The Four C Notes Wednesday Night at The City Winery … in fact, John Michael Coppola (“Frankie”) even gave us a nice shout out from the stage (which I guess means I’ve got to give them a great review, right?!?!)
But the truth is, they make it SO easy to do so … because this is consistently one of the best tribute shows you can see … two solid hours of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons biggest hits, along with a nice sprinkling of forgotten gems as well, all executed to perfection by this top notch act.  (kk)

Up-coming shows:

Which immediately brings to mind the success of a show like “Jersey Boys” … the stage show was a SMASH success, with touring companies appearing all over the country, playing to RAVE reviews everywhere it went.  (JMC was OUR Frankie Valli for the 2 ½ year run here in Chicago ... and let me tell you, he blows the Clint Eastwood movie version away!!!)
But my point here once again is that if you expose new generations to this great music, they will fall in love with it just like we did.  Audiences of ALL ages made “Jersey Boys” a sell out it played … and kids from 6 to 60 are still singing all these great hits and loving the experience.  (Now I realize that The Four Seasons didn’t have as many chart hits as say Nicki Minaj or Jay-Z … but somehow I think they probably made a stronger and more long-lasting impression overall … until, of course, the Nicki Minaj tribute musical opens up 25 years from now and proves me wrong.)
It's shows like this … and “Mamma Mia” … and the Carole King tribute musical “Beautiful” that help to keep this music alive and expose it to a new audience.
And that’s all we ask … give this music a chance and it’ll win over new fans and followers every time.  (Maybe it’ll even help to get that Drake or Lil Wayne song stuck in your head out of there!)  kk

Thanks again for the tickets. My wife and I had a great time. The concert and the seats were excellent ... we were very close to the front. Hopefully I can win tickets again!
Dave Roth
We had excellent seats as well … I could literally rest my elbow on the stage!  (lol)  Thanks again to Dan Conroe and The City Winery for their on-going support of Forgotten Hits … AND the acts that mean so much to our readers.  (kk)

Hi Kent,
Sorry I've been radio silent for so long.  The vagaries and vicissitudes of life have had a way of getting in the way.
The timing of your rant on Billboard's whacked way of tabulating chart statistics coincided with my closing in on securing a copy of every book Joel Whitburn has issued over the past 50 years.  And I'm expecting a shipment of a few of the new ones any day now.  As I was flipping through a recent copy of his flagship "Pop Singles" title, I was thinking, "How on earth can you compare a downloaded song from today with a single that sold a million copies, yet sailed up and down the chart in a dozen weeks in 1966?"  I remember pondering something similar 25 years ago when Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men were at Number One for 16 weeks with "One Fine Day."  C'mon!
Different standards of reckoning produce vastly different results.  This must put a chill in Joel Whitburn's spine.  How does he continue to produce era-spanning books that have legitimate relative statistics?  I just don't think that there's any valid way of putting those "apples & oranges" in the same basket anymore. 
One of your readers mentioned the stature of Paul Whiteman in his era.  Hey, I don't know if any artist other than, perhaps, Elvis or the Beatles who rivalled the overwhelming success and ubiquity of Bing Crosby in his prime years.  But that's why Joel has "Pop Memories" and "Pop Hits" titles that conclude in 1940 and 1954.  Maybe "Pop Singles" needs to be limited to 1955-2000 and then frozen in amber.
I'd keep buying new editions of "Joel Whitburn's "Pop Downloads & Airplay" just to feign some sense of contemporary currency.  But the books he issues that parse out chart statistics prior to the Millennium are the ones I'd continue to enjoy.
I live smack dab in between Baltimore and D.C.-- two major cities with no oldies radio stations at all.  Consequently, heritage Top 40 acts that are still touring skip this corridor altogether, and there's no venue here like your Arcada Theater.  Why would an entrepreneur take a shot at that segment of business without the promotional clout of a local station?
There's no question that we're aging out.  And for the most part, we're taking our pop culture and music with us.  It's been ever thus.  It's certainly true, though, that when a classic record is featured in a film or a TV commercial that younger ears respond the way we did, but those outlets are anomalies.
Oh my!  What will become of my record collection when I kick the bucket?
Hope this finds you well and not too disgruntled, Kent!
Regards,
Scott Paton

ENTER NOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!:
Here is a list of our current Forgotten Hits give-away opportunities …

Please enter soon if you are interested in any of these special promotions as we will begin picking winners for some of these prizes as early as this weekend!

A pair of tickets to see THE IDES OF MARCH –
Live at The City Winery – Wednesday, March 4th
(Winners will be picked this weekend!)

A pair of tickets to see AL JARDINE, founding member of The Beach Boys –
Live at The City Winery – Tuesday, March 31st

A copy of Mark Bego’s brand new book Elton John:  Rocket Man, a best-selling biography

And this just in …

A copy of the CD “Thank You, Mister Rogers,” featuring several of Mr. Rogers’ original tunes as interpreted and recorded by artists like Kellie Pickler Micky Dolenz (lead singer of The Monkees), Vanessa Williams, Rita Wilson (her husband, Tom Hanks, portrays Fred Rogers in the hit movie “A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood”), Lee Greenwood, Jim Brickman, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. (original members of The Fifth Dimension), The Cowsills, Tom Bergeron, Jon Secada and others.


THIS AND THAT: 
Good morning, Kent:
Enjoying the daily Forgotten Hits feed, as always.  You put a lot more time and energy into it than people realize.  I want to tell you how much I appreciate your dedication to the blog. 
I speak for the entire Me Team when I say, “Thank you for the mention in the ‘Thursday This and That.’”   We had a lot of fun doing the prep for the Two-Hit Wonders portion of our upcoming feature, Twin-Spins.  It’s a much more select list, as you might imagine, than that of One-Hit Wonders.  We came up with 48 of them, far fewer than our single-hit artists.  That means we’re able to drop one in every hour of the weekend, starting Friday night in the 7:00 hour, with very few repeats.  And it’s hard to find a more eclectic list — from Jethro Tull and Neil Young to the Left Banke and Vanity Fare to Beverly Bremers (!) and Will to Power.  Two-hit artists actually make up a fun list. 
Also, as for live streams, four of our affiliates are offering one:
WJMK Flint, MI
WXZO Burlington, VT
KXXP Portland, OR
WMYX HD-2 Milwaukee, WI
Thanks again for the mention … and your ongoing support.
Rick

Hi Kent,
Clicked on to this Prince 2002 video and thought you, Sam Boyd, Burton Cummings, and Randy Bachman would get a kick out of the guitar riff at the open of the show.
Peace,
Tim Kiley   

Kent,
You stated in Thursday's FH that Freddy Cannon is 83 years old (young).
Kent, I find that hard to believe. There is no way in the world he is that old.
Also, on television yesterday I saw a commercial (for the first time) headlining Heinz 57 Ketchup. In the background were the 4 Tops singing REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE. Now this commercial may be weeks of being shown on television but yesterday was the first time that I had seen it.
Larry
According to Joel Whitburn’s book, “Boom Boom” will turn 84 on December 4th of this year … which puts him at 83 for his September 13th concert.  You would NEVER believe it to see him up there rockin’.

"It Wasn't Me" (perfect title for a guy that got into the trouble he did!) was the opening track on Chuck’s "Fresh Berry's" album in 1965, after which Chuck parted with Chess to join Mercury. (The brothers still had unreleased songs that wouldn't be heard till after Leonard Chess' death)
--Bob Frable
Chuck Berry was better at ripping himself off than just about anybody!  (lol)  Of course when John Fogerty did it, he got sued!  (How do you plagiarize yourself exactly?!?!)  kk

kk:
The Killer Is Back.  He wants to be in the "COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME."
FB

From left, Marlon Jackson, Joel Brandes (Universal Attractions Agency), 
Tito Jackson, Randy Alexander (cruise publicist / Randex Communications), 
Jackie Jackson, and Alan Rubens (StarVista LIVE Executive Producer and 
Senior Vice President), gather backstage prior to one of The Jacksons’ two performances on the sold-out Ultimate Disco Cruise. Credit: StarVista LIVE / Randex Communications.

THE JACKSONS MEET THE TALENT EXECS ON THE ULTIMATE DISCO CRUISE
Legendary show biz “First Family” The Jacksons, making a rare music-themed cruise appearance, met up backstage last week at the sold-out Ultimate Disco Cruise with the talent executives responsible for booking the group’s pair of performances on the just-completed voyage: Alan Rubens, StarVista LIVE Executive Producer and Senior Vice President, and Joel Brandes, The Jacksons’ agent at Universal Attractions Agency. StarVista LIVE is the leader in nostalgia-based music cruise experiences.

The Ultimate Disco Cruise was the second consecutive StarVista LIVE music cruise on which the Jacksons performed in 2020. In January, Brandes and Rubens also brought the world-famous brothers to the sold-out Soul Train Cruise to perform before another pair of elated audiences, many of whom have since purchased cabins to return to each cruise in 2021. The 2021 Soul Train Cruise, scheduled to set sail in January, is already sold out.

The 2020 Ultimate Disco Cruise exploded with a “boatload” of superstars in its unstoppable talent lineup in which The Jacksons were just joined by KC and The Sunshine Band, Commodores, Shalamar Reloaded featuring Jody Watley, The Blue Notes, Heatwave, The Trammps featuring Earl Young, The Miracles, , Sister Sledge,; The Miracles, Al McKay Allstars performing the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, First Ladies of Disco featuring Martha Wash, Linda Clifford and Norma Jean Wright, George McCrae, Maxine Nightingale, France Jolie, Anita Ward, and much more. The incredible array of live concerts by the pioneers who made dance music a lasting part of all of our lives “rocked the boat” for five incredible nights, bringing the cultural phenomenon of the 1970s from the dance floor to the high seas on the Celebrity Infinity luxury ship as it wound through the Caribbean, with stops in Key West and Nassau, Bahamas.

For further information on the 2021 Ultimate Disco Cruise, please call 844.296.3472 or visit www.UltimateDiscoCruise.com.

Kent
This morning I'm doing an interview with Marquis Who's Who publication for my "Lifetime Achievement Award In Entertainment"! My new album is being submitted to Warner Rhino today also ...
A big Day … and I'm still Rockin.
Best,
Merrell Fankhauser

Another plea for LJ Coon’s request to reopen the investigation into the plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper has been published by The Pilot Tribune …

Keeping You In The Loop !!
An FBI Investigation has been requested.
LJ

'Plea for Iowa Official's help, to clear name of Buddy Holly Pilot'
By DANA LARSEN
Pilot-Tribune Editor

As the 61st anniversary of “The Day the Music Died” passes, a retired flight expert is taking his crusade to Iowa to clear Pilot Roger Peterson from Alta who piloted that Beechcraft Bonanza in the flight that claimed the life of rock ’n’ roll pioneer's Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper J P Richardson.
L J Coon, who identifies himself as a pilot, aircraft dispatcher and former test proctor for the Federal Aviation Administration, believes the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) got it wrong when it ruled shortly after the 1959 crash that an "Unwise decision" to fly in bad weather by pilot Roger Peterson caused the 4-place aircraft he was in charge of February 3, 1959 to initiate a 'forced landing'. 
After more than five years of struggling to convince the National Transportation Safety Board to open their version of investigation, and to change the cause of the crash from “Pilot error” to “Undetermined” or inconclusive clearing the Pilot Peterson's name. Frustrated, L J Coon is now asking Iowa authorities to get involved.
He has taken his plea to an Assistant Iowa Attorney General, The Iowa County Attorneys Association, The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department. He has asked for assistance from two state political representatives for the Clear Lake / Mason City area where the crash occurred, as well as The Regional Omaha FBI office that covers the Iowa area.
Most of those offices have not responded. 
The Cerro Gordo County Attorney indicated that their office and local law enforcement have failed to find any files from 1959 that would indicate that the FBI or any Federal agency ever conducted an Investigation into the crash.
Mr. Coon,
I appreciate your concerns over the aviation incident that took place in 1959.  
However, we have not found any Investigative file's which would suggest that an Investigation actually took place in 1959.  
I have discussed this with law enforcement and they concur (the lack of Investigative file's).    
I was unable to locate any information on whether The FBI or any other Federal agency actually investigated this matter. 

L J Coon said, that a retired National Transportation Safety Board Investigator told him that the board “will not tolerate having their errors questioned.”
In 2015, the NTSB declined Coon’s appeal to reopen the investigation, saying his NTSB Petition for Reconsideration questioning many points of the original findings failed to present any new facts.
Coon said the board simply brushed him off.
The Dwyer's were Not Allowed to speak during The 1959 hearings
The Dwyer's have concealed information that will prove what Really happened in This Accident 
(The Dwyer's)
"This is gonna stir things up, and some folks are not gonna like what I have to say. 
But you have to remember: I was the only one there and I kept some of the wreckage. 
There’s a reason I still have it.  It backs up what really caused this crash."

Buddy Holly, and fellow rockers Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson were killed when their VFR chartered plane crashed on a rural frozen farm field soon after departure.
The (CAB) Civil Aeronautics Board from 1959 blamed the Pilot, saying Peterson had made a bad decision to take off into poor winter weather, and was not properly familiar with flying by instruments only.
L J Coon challenged The CAB's findings, stressing that 5-adult witnesses to the aircrafts departure reported that there was no “Hollywood Snowstorm,” and that snow did not start in the area until the following morning. 
Visibility at Departure (0058Z) was reported as 6-miles visibility, or VFR. The “ceiling” was 3,000 feet VFR, on departure the plane leveled off at 800 feet, which would have been about twice 
the height of the Statue of Liberty for readers reference. The rest of the reported ceiling height of 3,000 feet was above the aircraft with 6-miles visibility out in front.

The (CAB) found The N3794N Magneto Switch in the Off position. Pilot Peterson would have reached over with his right hand, switched The Magneto from On to Off cutting power in the aircraft 
(a standard procedure to prepare for a Forced Landing) an emergency landing, L J Coon concluded. 
( Not ...a 3,000 foot per minute free fall from 800 feet, as The CAB offered in their 1959 report )
The Magneto Power Switch would have been turned 3-keyed notched position from ON to OFF.
(The Coroner would indicate that Pilot (Roger Peterson's) right thumb was freshly amputated at the first interphalangeal joint (Distal Thumb Tip) and the right index finger tip area with a curved dorsal laceration). 
Turning The Magneto Power Switch to OFF, is indicative of preparation for a 'Forced Landing'.

L J Coon studied weight distribution in the four-seat Bonanza, The Fueling situation or lack there of, Possible Carburetor Icing February 3,1959 at 0058Z, Possible corrosion of The aircrafts Tail Tip area as depicted in Historic photos, and other factors that he felt could have contributed to the crash.
Beech Aircraft’s Bonanza-35 V-Tail marketing campaign highlighted The “Survivability” features of the aircraft. However, in the mind of the consumer, advertising The "Survivability" admitted that aircraft crashes were possible. 
This marketing approach was a huge failure, since the General Aviation community was not ready to hear about anything suggesting the possibility that an airplane might crash.
(Beech Aircraft Corporation)
'Safety studies of the Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect passengers during a forced landing'.) *

For several years now, L J Coon has dissected the Historic photos of the crash scene, insider information on the plane model, weather reports from the time of the tragedy, and scraps of information from witnesses - which he hopes is enough to prove that The Dwyer Flying Service Pilot was not at fault. 
In fact, Pilot Roger Peterson should be remembered for "The heroic effort" he made to try to save his passengers, L J Coon suggests.
Owners of the plane ( Barbara and Jerry Dwyer ) were not allowed to speak at the hearings into the crash in 1959, even though they claimed to have concealed evidence from the wreckage that shows 
“what really happened,” L J Coon says. “This crucial evidence was never revealed.”
The Dwyer's were Not Allowed to speak during The 1959 hearings
The Dwyer's have concealed information that will prove what Really happened in This Accident 
(The Dwyer's)
"This is gonna stir things up, and some folks are not gonna like what I have to say. 
But you have to remember: I was the only one there and I kept some of the wreckage. 
There’s a reason I still have it.  It backs up what really caused this crash."

After souvenir-hunters had damaged buildings trying to get to the remains of the plane, the owner had wreckage taken away to an unknown location, according to L J Coon, and as Owner Jerry Dwyer has stated since 1959 
I was the only one there and I kept some of the wreckage. 
There’s a reason I still have it.  It backs up what really caused this crash."

With hits like “That'll Be the Day,” “Peggy Sue” and “Rave On” 22-year-old Holly was a breakout star in the early days of pop music. Valens, just 17, was best known for "La Bamba," and Richardson, 28, for "Chantilly Lace." Don McLean immortalized the tragedy as “the day the music died,” in his 1971 hit "American Pie."
Holly, fed up with freezing bus rides between his gigs spread across the midwest, had chartered the plane after playing a "Winter Dance Party" concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
After more than 60 years, The NTSB is far from eager to revisit as well as open their Investigation that would likely spur sensational headlines and controversy.
"You have gotten our attention," agency officials told L J Coon in 2015, but The NTSB Investigation seems no closer to happening today than it was then.
The agency receives about eight or nine petitions every year to change its findings or reopen an aviation accident, according to the Wall Street Journal, but according to L J Coon, a retired executive of that agency told him it has only changed a "probable cause" decision once in The NTSB's history - and that was after being "embarrassed into such action by its own staff." 
A new movie on the latter stages of Holly’s life, called “Clear Lake,” was reported to be in production in the summer of 2018, but there has been no recent word of its release. Coon hints that his research could be the basis for a book or documentary.
The now-deceased owner of the plane and charter service had always maintained that Pilot Roger Peterson was much more experienced and proficient as a pilot than he was given credit for, having flown cross-country. 
"They said he was not familiar with this airplane, which is a crock. If you drove your car out to California and to New York and Florida a few times, you would probably be familiar with how the lights worked and a few other things,” the owner said.
L J Coon mentions that mechanical failure, not pilot error, caused the crash, and that Peterson had properly attempted to make a Forced Emergency Landing on a frozen field, as evidenced by the testimony of a woman who observed the plane descending while she was hanging curtains in a window at her home. She confirmed seeing the landing light turned back on, which indicates that Peterson had remained in control. The slightly dipped nose of the plane that the woman described was correct for initiating a Forced Landing, with Peterson apparently hoping he could settle the plane on its belly on the clear cut frozen farm field having the where withal to turn The Magneto Power Switch 3-keyed notches to the Off position. (The aircraft slid on the cleared frozen farm field backwards for 588 feet, normal landing distance for this aircraft is 580 feet)
The (CAB) Civil Aeronautics Board report from 1959 indicated that the aircraft's navigation equipment had been properly set for the course from the Mason City airport to Fargo, N.D. 
where the performers were to have their next concert.
Northwest Heading,
The Landing gear retracted, 
The Landing Light turned back on, 
The CAB report indicated that the VSI was found at 3,000 per minute (However,  N3794N VSI only went to 2,000 feet per minute ), 
The Right Wing ejected half way into the 588 feet slide backward / tail first, 
The Magneto Power Switch turned 3-keyed notched to The OFF position, 
The Fuel available or danger was never mentioned, 
There was No Snow falling until after 9:30 a.m. via the Coroners report )
The 1959 CAB report stated that All of the aircraft's Seat Belting had failed (However, Pilot Peterson remained in the aircraft)
(Beech Aircraft Corporation)
'Safety studies of the Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect passengers during a forced landing'.) *

Despite manufacturer claims that the Beech featured "a strong crash-resistant cabin compartment that would protect passengers during a forced landing," the plane failed to live up to its survivability claims, L J Coon said. The cabin ripped open, and all the passengers were ejected well before the plane slid to a stop against a field barbed wire fence. Only pilot Peterson's body remained inside, still at the controls.
L J Coon theorizes that Pilot Roger Peterson may have been saddled with an improperly loaded plane. While the Beech was a sturdy four-seater, it had strict limits for cargo weight capacity. 
The Pilot and Holly in the front seating weighed (via The Coroners report) 185 and 165 pounds.
Valens and Richardson the rear seated passengers weight 225 pounds and 250 pounds, along with a full load of the performers' luggage and the weight of Fuel, may have been well over The Manufactures recommended Useful Load for the aircraft.
The aircraft Taxied,
Departed, 
Leveled off at 800 feet, 
Flew for 4.9 miles or 3.5 minutes, 
The Landing light turned back on, 
The landing gear up, 
The Magneto Power switch turned to the Off position, 
All, in a Slow Normal Descent prior to touching the frozen farm field,
'The right wing tip first with The nose lowered slightly'

L J Coon also wonders if someone had off loaded enough Fuel to get to the plane's useful load weight limit within limits. He said there was no report of fire at the crash site or fuel spilled as one would expect with a plane carrying at least enough fuel for a 90-minute flight ( Having 39 gallon total capacity ). 
Reporters at the scene never mentioned a smell of aviation fuel. 
The CAB's 1959 report mentioned settings on the other gauges in the plane, but conspicuously failed to note reading on the fuel gauge, whether there was fuel found in the wing tanks or engine, and whether fueling caps had been closed after fueling, L J Coon offered.
(Beech Aircraft Corporation)
'Safety studies of the Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect passengers during a forced landing'.) *


The 1959 (CAB) report had questioned whether Pilot Peterson understood the Sperry altitude gyro instrument that was ( right there in front of Pilot Peterson) since the day he started flying this aircraft since purchased by The Dwyer Flying Service July 1958. 
L J Coon also mentioned that Historic photos show that The "V tail" area where the tail section joins to the tail fuselage is the only area that depicted a Corrosive area of damage.  
He isn't buying the story that Peterson was disoriented and lost control due to inexperience.

The Dwyer Flying Service that employed Pilot Roger Peterson was certified by The FAA in February 1959 to conduct chartered flights in VFR conditions only (both Day and Night)
Following this aviation accident ...The FAA did not de-certify The Dwyer Flying Service, and their Insurance company did not cancel them.
(This conclusion would indicate that the Dwyer Flying Service chartered Flight on February 3, 1959 was in compliance with FAA VFR Flight Rules)
"Roger would have flown out and about this airport at night, under multiple conditions," Coon told the Pilot-Tribune. "He had to be very familiar with all directions of this airport in and out."
There were other Aircraft out flying that evening February 3, 1959 ....and reported conditions were considered normal with no issues.

L J Coon theorizes that if Buddy Holly, in the right front passenger seat, had twisted to his left to face the rear passengers, his foot / feet could have pressed the passenger side rudder pedals, sending the plane veering sideways and forcing pilot Peterson to struggle to correct the aircraft while already dealing with a heavy workload in The 4.9 miles / 3.5 minute flight from 800 feet above ground.
The passenger side rudder pedals where made available by the manufacturer though sometimes removed to avoid just such an accident, he indicates.
Some other reports theorize that Holly and Richardson had attempted to switch seats while the plane was in the air, based on the pattern of ejection of the victims, but that was never proven or disproven.
Rumors abound to this day - one claiming that aviation enthusiast Holly had pressured the young pilot to let him try the controls, another that there was some kind of struggle on board and a pistol belonging to Holly and found in the snow at the scene had been fired. There is no evidence of either being true.
Coon plans to continue his crusade to right what he sees as an injustice against the Alta native, but does admit that even a new investigation isn't assured of changing the ruling marring Peterson's legacy.

"At this time I am not sure that any of the current findings and reported information over the years will clear pilot Roger Peterson," he says. "Even so, inviting a larger picture of all the contributing factors to be examined, could clear up some of the questions."
The music stars will be forever remembered. The pilot, who also lost his life, was all but forgotten.
"He was a young man who built his life around flying," the Civil Aeronautics Board reflected in its report following the crash. He had begun flying at age 16, had his license just after graduating high school, and by 21, had over 700 hours of flight experience, and a year as a charter flight pilot and flight instructor under his belt.
The eldest of four children, Peterson grew up in Alta and had married his high school sweetheart, Deanne Lenz, the September before. They had just established a home in Clear Lake, not far from the Mason City airport. The career he was passionate about seemed assured.
For the rest of their lives, Roger Peterson's parents, Arthur and Pearl, who continued to live in Alta, hoped that their son would be remembered in the same breath with the more famous personalities lost in the crash. They received letters of condolence from the families of Holly and Valens. While long lines of adoring fans attended Holly's memorial, a quiet Iowa funeral was held for the pilot, and a small marker in a Storm Lake cemetery denotes his grave site, etched with a tiny plane. A memorial tree to Peterson was planted at the crash site. 
One online memorial site to Peterson has hundreds of comments from people all over the world.
On what would have been his 71st birthday, one visitor wrote, "May you always be soaring above the clouds!"
"You are most likely the one person's name that day that no one remembers, but you did your best," another wrote.

Beech Aircraft’s Bonanza-35 V-Tail marketing campaign highlighted The “Survivability” features of the aircraft. 
However, in the mind of the consumer, advertising The "Survivability" admitted that aircraft crashes were possible. 
This marketing approach was a huge failure, since the General Aviation community was not ready to hear about anything suggesting the possibility that an airplane might crash.
(Beech Aircraft Corporation)
'Safety studies of the Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect passengers during a forced landing'.) *

In Closing:
I believe that The 1959 (CAB) Civil Aeronautics Board Accident report / Probable Cause findings of The Mason City Iowa Aviation Accident Tuesday 0058Z February-3-1959'
Should Be 'Found Inconclusive', while an actual Thorough Investigation of The February-15-1959 (CAB) Civil Aeronautics Board  'Probable Cause'  findings, is conducted.

Kindest Regards,
L J Coon