Tommy Allsup Talks about Coin Flip

Guitarist Tommy Allsup discusses disputed versions of a story about a coin flip that happened at the 1959 Winter Dance Partty at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Dion has different version about who flipped a coin with Ritchie Valens who eventually took a fateful flight that killed him, Buddy Holly, J.P.Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• clear
• lake
• winter
• dance
• party
• surf
• ballroom
• Tommy
• Allsup
• dion
• Ritchie
• Valens

[DRUMTOY2000]

"Honey, did the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame call me? I don't give a damn, ya know" ?!?!? HA HA HA...CLASSIC!!! RIGHT ON, TOMMY!!!!

[MrUrbango]

Tommy Alsup challenged Dion to a polygraph test. Dion declined. It's obvious who is full of shit. Dion is a washed up has been who was so desperate for attention he resorted to sleazy shit like that to try to get it. "I was a headliner " LMFAO

[CaptainDesiderio]

I love Dion's music, but the man is clearly a scumbag.

[richardhaskinskicksa]

Plus... There's some reporter who reported on the coin toss the next day after the crash, but the reporter left the Surf Ballroom way before the artists left and says there's no way Tommy flipped with Ritchie right before they left for the plane because the reporter was long gone and if they did how would the reporter have known about it? He says they flipped, but it was much earlier in the evening.

[richardhaskinskicksa]

I believe Tommy, but it doesn't help that sometimes it's his coin, sometimes it's Richie, sometimes he says he tells Ritchie to call it, some times he calls it....

[rockabillyotis]

Dion is an unethical smarmy fart with no cred. Tommy is a class act, real rock n roll pioneer who has no ego and isn't trying to rewrite history. Hmmmm... who shall I believe?

[MsManupara]

He come to France april 2012

[ApocalypsePlough]

Another reason the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. Run by Rolling Stone Magazine's Jann Wenner and his cronies, who induct people and have exhibits and make claims and announcements, not because they're the right people or for the good of the Hall of Fame and music in general, but because of politics and whomever Wenner happens to like and be friends with at the time.

Dion is full of shit. That makes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame full of shit. Tommy Allsup's story is the correct one.

[vVASuP]

Let me start off by saying Dion is full of shit. Reading the comments, I'm glad to see that most people are on top of this fact through their own research. One source that conflicts with this video is why Buddy had Tommy's wallet (explained at 0:48). According to buddyhollyonline, Tommy had a registered letter from his mother waiting in Fargo & he asked if Buddy would pick it up for him using his identification, so he gave him his wallet. Goes to show this reliable source isn't accurate.

[fiddlerpin]

Dion was good in the 50's and 60's but have you heard him lately? He screws around with all of his classic songs and ruins them.

[charlyW34]

The fact that Dion still does gigs and can still get it done makes it all the more curious as to why he needs to insert himself into this story. He must feel that the fateful coin toss, which he had nothing to do with, is more important than all his musical achievements. A very sad situation. Among those who have researched everything that has ever been reported about that night, better than 95% believe Tommy Allsup and reject the Dion version. Was Waylon also a liar? I doubt it very much.

[montanamissy]

@atanboy This is the story the Valenzuela family believes, and so it really doesn't matter what you believe.