It seems everyone alive on November 22nd, 1963 can remember exactly where they were when they learned the news of the JFK assassination.
Recording stars Ronnie Spector, Bobby Vee and LaLa Brooks of The Crystals were all in Dallas on that day for a Dick Clark-produced concert that was canceled.
Ronnie Spector talked about learning that President Kennedy had been shot:
"We were in the same town with Dick Clark on the Caravan of Stars. And were at the same hotel, you know, Bobby Vee, Little Eva, a bunch of us. And I remember being upstairs in our rooms. But I heard about it and I turned on the TV, and see all these people crying and stuff, you know?
In 1999, Bobby Vee recalled the mood in his hotel right after the shooting:
"I've still got my hotel receipt from the Sheraton hotel, where we stayed in Dallas. I remember being down in the lobby of the hotel. I remember being down in the lobby of the hotel. They had... they lined the lobby up with televisions just for people to get together and everybody was glued to the TV. I found out years later that Ruby apparently was one of the people that was in the lobby of that hotel."
LaLa Brooks of The Crystals had to unexpectedly leave Dallas after preparing for the concert that never was:
"Our driver was there, and he came, it was at a motel, and he came and he said to us, 'Can't do the show.' We said, 'Why?' And he said, 'Kennedy was shot.' Oh God, I can't even tell you how I felt. We had to go home and I remember in the car, all of us was crying and I remember sitting in the front seat. And he kept on the radio, over and over, because he wanted to hear it, we wanted to hear -- but we wanted not to believe it. It was devastating, I'll never forget the clothes I had on, the hotel room, the car, it was horrible... horrible."