On 16 July 1969, Sonny James was three weeks into a country-chart run at number one with “Running Bear”, a tragic love song written by the Big Bopper. The song’s success illustrates the enduring appeal of melodramatic teenage tragedy records, even as it crossed from a 1959 pop hit into country music.

“Running Bear” tells of two Indigenous teenagers from warring tribes who drown while trying to reach each other across a river. The Big Bopper declined to record the serious song himself and gave it to Johnny Preston, whose 1959 version included backing vocals from George Jones; Preston’s release was delayed by copyright issues after the Big Bopper died in the 1959 plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.