A plane crash in Iowa kills three of rock music's biggest stars, Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. Tamla Records, which eventually becomes Motown, is founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy. Congress investigates payola in the music industry and DJ Alan Freed is vilified. Instrumental hits make an impact on the charts. Teen idols grab the spotlight. As the fifties come to a close Rock and Roll accounts for 43 percent of all records sold.
