Jiles Perry Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), better known by his stage name The Big Bopper, was an American musician and disc jockey.

Richardson was killed in an airplane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa, in February 1959, along with fellow musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, and the pilot, Roger Peterson.

Richardson graduated from Beaumont High School in 1947 and played on the "Royal Purple" American football team as a defensive lineman, wearing number 85.

He performed for a total of five days, two hours, and eight minutes from a remote setup in the lobby of the Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont, playing 1,821 records[4] and taking showers during five-minute newscasts.

[6] In "Chantilly Lace", Richardson pretends to have a flirting phone conversation with his girlfriend;[5] the record was comical in nature, with The Big Bopper presenting an exaggerated, but good-natured caricature of a ladies' man.

In November 1958, he scored a second hit, a raucous novelty tune entitled "The Big Bopper's Wedding", in which Richardson pretends to be getting cold feet at the altar.

Richardson was present throughout the autopsy and observed the casket as it was opened; both men were surprised that the remains were well enough preserved to be recognized as those of the late rock star.

In December 2008, he announced that he would be placing the old casket up for auction on eBay, donating a share of the proceeds to the Texas Musicians Museum,[12] but Jay downplayed the suggestion in later interviews.

With the success of "Chantilly Lace", Richardson took time off from KTRM radio and joined Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Dion and the Belmonts for a "Winter Dance Party" tour starting on January 23, 1959.

The weather forecast for the Clear Lake area was 18 °F (−8 °C) that night with moderate gusty winds and light scattered snow, and Peterson was fatigued from a 17-hour workday, but he agreed to fly the trip.

Frankie Sardo went to meet the crowd while Holly went into one of the dressing rooms at the Surf Ballroom where he notified Allsup and Jennings that he had chartered a plane to take them to Fargo, North Dakota (which is directly adjacent to Moorhead, Minnesota).

"[16] The Clear Lake show ended at around midnight and Holly, Valens, and Richardson drove to the Mason City Airport, loaded their luggage and boarded the red and white single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza.

“Crazy Blues” (as J.P. Richardson) — — — — — — “A Teen-Age Moon (In A Rock And Roll World)” (as J.P. Richardson) — — — — — — “Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor” (Non-Album Track) — — — 53 — — “Little Red Riding Hood” 72 63 — — — — “Someone Watching Over You” — — — — — — “That's What I'm Talking About” — — — — — — “The Clock” — — — — — — Chantilly Lace (1958)[24] Little Red Riding Hood (1958)[25] The Big Bopper's Wedding (1958)[26] In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the 1950s era, erected a stainless steel monument at the crash site depicting a guitar and a set of three records bearing the names of each of the three performers.

The Big Bopper is fondly remembered not only for his distinctive singing and songwriting, but also as a humorist who combined the best elements of country, R&B, and rock 'n' roll.

The Canadian television comedy show SCTV featured a character named "Sue Bopper-Simpson", a fictional daughter of the Big Bopper, played by Catherine O'Hara.

The character was a part-time real estate agent who appeared in a musical titled I'm Taking My Own Head, Screwing It on Right, and No Guy's Gonna Tell Me That It Ain't.

Shortly after the fatal plane crash, Tommy Dee wrote and recorded a song titled "Three Stars" in tribute to Richardson, Holly, and Valens.

An episode of The X-Files entitled "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" alludes to the deaths of Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper.

The episode's title character, played by Peter Boyle, explains that he had a ticket to see them perform the night after they died and received the psychic ability to predict people's deaths by calculating the odds that it took for the Big Bopper to be on the flight that killed him.

The Big Bopper's estate is currently owned by his daughter-in-law, Patty Richardson, and managed by C3 Entertainment, a company that specializes in classic brands.

C3 Entertainment currently manages an official tribute band featuring a Big Bopper impersonator, touring with the Winter Dance Party.

[30] In Not Fade Away, a turbulent road novel taking place at the end of the fifties, Jim Dodge narrates an eventful trip to the Big Bopper's grave.

[32] In the animated series The Venture Bros., it is implied that the elderly villains Dragoon and Red Mantle are actually Richardson and Buddy Holly, who were recruited into the supervillain organization the Guild of Calamitous Intent on the night of their supposed deaths.