February 3, 1959 is often called "The Day the Music Died" but it isn't the only day that can make that unfortunate claim. The phrase is often associated with the deaths of rock and roll pioneers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson, but March 5, 1963 would prove as devastating to country and western music. That day, a green and yellow Piper Comanche single-engine aircraft plowed into the ground near Camden, Tennessee, claiming the lives of "Hawkshaw" Hawkins, "Cowboy" Copas and Patsy Cline.
Todd Hatton speaks with Murray State history professor Ted Franklin Belue about the details of that tragic day.