According to the 1971 Don McLean song, "American Pie," the day the music died was the day in 1959 when a plane went down in an Iowa cornfield, cutting short the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson Jr.). The pilot was also killed.
That ill-fated trio is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to promising musical performers who left this world way too early.
But did the music really die?
Swamp Fox Players production board chairperson Joe Ford doesn't think so. In fact, he has written and directed a new show called "Living on the Legacy," which runs from Jan. 9-19 at the Strand Theater in Georgetown.
"My whole thought is that the music didn't die. It lived on in their legacy," Ford said. "We showcase the fact that we're still singing their songs, we still listen to them and their music still makes us smile - as Don McLean said in the song."
When the Swamp Fox Players were in need of a new show, Ford said he had bookends - a show opener and closer.
"Once we got the ending and the start of the show, we auditioned and were able to do the songs that we needed to fill in the segues to put the full story together," he said.
The bookends in question are Billie Holiday, who passed in 1959, and Eva Cassidy, who died of melanoma 1996. Ford said Cassidy covered some of Holiday's songs, proving that the music lives on and influences other artists.
Expect to hear music from Holiday, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and many more.
But there is a caveat.
"There are too many songs to cover and that becomes the sad part," Ford said. "We're doing a show about artists who died too young. Ritchie Valens was 17. Buddy Holly was 22 - and then you have 'The 27 Club' (Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and more). You have Jim Croce and Bobby Darin. We can't cover them all. We just get a flavor of it."
With "Living on the Legacy" Ford and the Swamp Fox Players remind us that we all have the music in us.
"With all due respect to Mr. McLean, the music didn't die. We believe that it lives on," he said.
For tickets ($26) and more information, visit www.swampfoxplayers.com.
GET A HANDLE ON YOUR DIGITAL IMAGES
If one of your New Year's resolutions is to get organized, you might want to consider your digital life as well. Chances are good that you've got digital photos strewn among devices and multiple apps.
Bring everything together in Lightroom, a photo editing and organization app from Adobe that will help you on your path. Get the basics in the Lightroom Workshop at Brookgreen Gardens on Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Not only will you learn how to organize your images, but you also pick up pointers on photo editing using provided raw images in Lightroom (LR) version 8.0.
The workshop is free with gardens admission. For more information, visit www.grookgreen.org.
LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST IN PAWLEYS
Rub elbows with your State Delegation members at a legislative breakfast and moderated Q&A hosted by the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce at Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club on Jan. 10 at 8 a.m.
Take advantage of the opportunity to hear from representatives in the S.C. General Assembly, including Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, Sen. Ronnie Sabb, Rep. Carl Anderson and Rep. Lee Hewitt. Sponsored by the Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS, expect to discuss community issues and preview what's in the works for the upcoming legislative session.
The event is $40 for chamber members and $50 for non-members. Call (843)546-8436 or visit www.visitgeorge.com/events to make your reservation.
STEEP YOURSELF IN LOWCOUNTRY HISTORY
In 1905, Wall Street financier Bernard Baruch purchased Hobcaw Barony in Georgetown County for use as a sportsman's retreat. The family, including daughter Belle W. Baruch, began spending November through April there - and the guest roster included luminaries like Winston Churchill, Irving Berlin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and many more.
Today, Hobcaw Barony is a privately-owned research reserve boasting 16,000 acres and a rich diversity of every common ecosystem found on the South Carolina coast.
The Explore Hobcaw Barony Tour is an expended three-hour opportunity to see more of the property than is offered on the daily Discover Hobcaw tour - with stops at the North Inlet salt marsh, the grounds of Bellefield Plantation and more. The tour is $40 per person and runs on Saturdays at 11 a.m., including Jan. 11. For more information, visit www.hobcawbarony.org.