"Hello Baby!"

J.P. Richardson, Jr., better known as the Big Bopper, lived one mile south of this site in the 1950s in a garage apartment on Arcement Street near the intersection at French Street. In 1952, Richardson married Adrianne Joy Fryou, a native of the Bourg-Montegut community. While working as a disc jockey for KTRM in Beaumont, Texas, he wrote hundreds of songs, including "Chantilly Lace," "The Big Bopper's Wedding," "White Lightin'," a No. 1 country hit recorded by George Jones, and "Running Bear," recorded by Johnny Preston and reaching No. 1 on the pop charts several months after Richardson's death. Richardson was a major influence in the early days of Rock 'N' Roll and was the first star to videotape his performances, a precursor to current-day music videos. He died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, with fellow Rock 'N' Roll legends Buddy Holly and Richie Valens, and his musical legacy and big personality live on.

Montegut, Louisiana · United States