Vee was a literal replacement for Holly in February 1959. He and his brother, Bill, were set to attend a concert in Moorehead, Minnesota, by the Winter Dance Party package show when Bobby heard the news that its stars, his idol Holly,
Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, had died
in a plane crash. The brothers and their group rushed to offer their [...] stopping only to buy angora sweaters for their stage outfits. They duly performed as the Shadows, appearing immediately after a spoken tribute to Buddy from his bass player, the future country music star Waylon Jennings.