Vintage glossy 8 x 10 Mercury Records full-length photo of the Bopper holding his guitar, signed and inscribed in blue ballpoint 'To George, Thanks for the fine Irish hospitality. You were wonderful. The Big Bopper, Jan. 23, 1959.' A close-up of this image of the Bopper was used on the official Winter Dance Party posters. Some scattered creases and foxing to top border, a few other scattered surface creases, none affecting overall appearance, and some scattered mild spotting to finish, otherwise fine condition. The Winter Dance Party was a meant to be a quick tour of the Midwest featuring Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J P (The Big Bopper) Richardson. Just eleven dates later, in the early hours of February 3, a plane containing the three stars crashed in Iowa, killing everyone aboard.
The original recipient of this photo was George Devine, whose Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee was where the doomed "Winter Dance Party Tour" started on January 23, 1959—the very day that Richardson signed this image. During that opening night performance, the Big Bopper gave nearly 6,000 Milwaukee fans a lively performance they would never forgot. Sporting a leopard skin coat and white shoes, the chubby singer’s voice was said to match his bulk. As one reviewer wrote the following day in a local newspaper, ‘If you haven’t heard them, you haven’t lived, man.’ RRAuction COA.
