The Big Bopper

Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr, a.k.a. "The Big Bopper" was born and raised in Texas and achieved rock star status at a young age with hits like "Chantilly Lace" and "White Lighting."  Sadly, he died young along with Ritchie Valens and fellow Texan Buddy Holly on what came to be known as "The Day the Music Died."  There's a Texas Historical Marker commemorating the singer/songwriter in his hometown Beaumont, TX.

 The marker reads:

    "Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson, Jr. was born on October 24, 1930 to Jiles and Elsie Bernice (Stalsby) Richardson in Sabine Pass (26 mi. SE); the family moved to Beaumont when he was six. As a teenager, Richardson began writing songs with country and western influences. Following graduation from Beaumont High School in 1947, he attended Lamar College, where he sang in the choir and played in the band. He also became a disc jockey for radio station KTRM. It was there he developed his "Big Bopper" character and his musical style shifted toward rockabilly, combining country and western with rock and roll. He served two years in the Army but returned to radio work in Beaumont, and as a DJ in 1957 Richardson raised money for charity by spinning records continuously for more than 122 hours. Around the same time, Mercury Records executive Shelby Singleton signed him to a contract, and the Big Bopper went on tour along the east coast. His recording Chantilly Lace was on the top of the charts for six weeks in 1958 and earned him a gold record after being listed among the Top 100 for 25 weeks.

    At the age of 28, married with two children, rock and roll star J.P. Richardson joined a group of young musicians on another national tour. Tragically, on February 3, 1959, their plane crashed in Iowa, killing him and fellow artists Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. Richardson's body was returned here for burial. In addition to the 21 songs he recorded as the Big Bopper, he wrote many more, including Running Bear and White Lightnin', made popular by other singers. J.P. Richardson, Jr. is remembered for his musical talent as well as his larger-than-life persona as the Big Bopper."

The marker is right next to his grave in the Forest Lawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park.  It's a humble head stone that's clearly well-visited by his fans, as you can see coins and other small mementos left in his honor.

It's also worth noting that there was a significant amount of artistic license taken by the animators of The Simpsons when the Big Bopper's grave was portrayed on that show.  Whether or not their version was better or worse is up to you:

Old Hico

The north-central town of Hico might seem like just another small town that's easy to miss as you drive through it on the way you somewhere else.  But every town has a history and, like many others, this one's history is conveniently summarized on a historical marker:

The marker reads:

"This site on Honey Creek marks the beginning in 1896 of the settlement of Hico. Earliest families to locate here J. G. Barbee, James R. and Henry Fuller, Isaac Steen, Isaac and Thomas Malone. In 1860 John R. Alford, a merchant, became the first postmaster. Rocks from ruins of the mill were used in the erection of this memorial."

I like the extra detail of the old mill rocks being used as a part of the monument.  Most of historical marker are just on the standard pole so when there's more effort put into incorporating the history into the aesthetic, it's definitely appreciated.  But there's more to the town than just it's original settlement...

If you are familiar with the legendary outlaw known as "Billy the Kid" then you probably know that historians claim that he spent the majority (but not all) of his adult life in New Mexico and was killed in 1881 by lawman (and former buffalo hunter) Pat Garrett.  However...

If you've seen the movie Young Guns II you would have seen Emilio Estevez all made up as an old man claiming to be an elderly Billy the Kid who was not killed by Garrett but escaped to live out his days in Hico, TX.

What you may not know is that the film's writers did not make this up.  "Brushy" Bill Roberts was an actual person who did live in Hico and did claim to be Billy the Kid.  And the town has fully embraced his tall tale with no less than a statue and museum:

             

Just south of the town in Hamilton, TX you can pay your respects to the late Mr. Roberts, as many seem to do regularly.  His grave is adorned with mementos from fans:

Beer bottles, whiskey bottles, cigarettes, coins, stones and even bullets were left by travelers who may or may not have believed the legend.  And while we may never know the truth the town of Hico definitely believes.