J.P. Richardson was born in the small coastal town of Sabine Pass, Texas. He worked as a disc jockey before entering the military, and upon his discharge in 1955, he set his sights on becoming the leading radio personality in Southeast Texas. He joined KTRM in Beaumont, where he once set a world record for continuous broadcasting—staying on the air for more than 122 hours.

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During this period, Richardson created his on-air persona “The Big Bopper” and began writing and recording songs for the Mercury label. His biggest hit, “Chantilly Lace” (1958), reached No. 1 and earned a gold record. He also made an accompanying promotional film, later referring to it as a “music video,” one of the earliest uses of the term. Other charting singles included “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Big Bopper’s Wedding.” Richardson also wrote major hits for fellow Southeast Texas artists, including “White Lightning” for George Jones and “Running Bear” for Johnny Preston. Richardson and George Jones performed the background vocals on Preston’s recording of “Running Bear.”

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In early 1959, Richardson joined Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and others on the Winter Dance Party tour of the upper Midwest. After weeks of traveling on an unheated bus, Holly chartered a small plane to reach the next venue. On the night of February 2, after performing in Clear Lake, Iowa, Waylon Jennings gave his seat to Richardson, who was suffering from the flu. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff in the early hours of February 3, 1959, killing all four onboard.

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The tragedy became known as “The Day the Music Died,” immortalized in Don McLean’s 1971 classic “American Pie.” Of the three musicians lost that day, only Richardson wrote three No. 1 songs. In his lifetime, he wrote thirty-eight songs and recorded twenty-one of them.

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Richardson was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Texas Historical Commission placed a historical marker in his honor the following year. The Big Bopper is also a member of the Museum of the Gulf Coast, Music Hall of Fame.