Buddy Holly Makes His Widow's Heart Go Boom 50 Years Later
- Posted on Feb 2nd 2009 7:00PM by Melinda Newman
- Comments (184)
The third of February marks the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- an occasion immortalized in Don McLean's 'American Pie' as "the day the music died." However, for Holly's widow, Maria Elena, he has never been far from her side. She has spent the past half century keeping his music and legacy alive.Best known for hits including 'That'll Be the Day,' 'Peggy Sue,' 'Maybe Baby' and 'Rave On,' Holly is one of rock 'n' roll's true pioneers, creating a larger, lasting body of work in two years than most artists build during a lifetime. Holly's music, alone and with the Crickets, is plumbed in two new compilations: the 60-cut 'Memorial Collection' and the 59-selection 'Down the Line: The Rarities,' both of which contain previously unreleased material.
To commemorate the tragic anniversary, Maria Holly will be in Clear Lake, Iowa, at the Surf Ballroom & Museum, the site of Holly's last show, for a Feb. 2 concert organized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She talked with Spinner about her brief yet magical time with Holly, new directions he was exploring musically and culturally, and her enduring love for him in the years after his death.
You met Buddy when he came into Peer-Southern Music, the music publishing company in New York where you worked. Were you a fan?
I'd never seen a picture of him or even knew who he was in person, because when I met him he'd just come from a tour in the U.K. I knew of him because I used to mail the 45s to the disc jockeys, I knew the name and songs.
Did you think he was cute?
I thought he was sexy-looking. It was like, "Boom!" It was strange to me, since I'd never been on a date. And he felt the same way. It was, like they say, love at first sight. I didn't hear the bells, but I felt the boom, boom. I felt it in my heart.
Two months after meeting, you and Buddy married. You lived in New York's Greenwich Village surrounded by various folk and jazz clubs. How did that influence his music?
We were both night people. He'd get up in the middle of the night and start writing. He was a little restless; we'd roll up our pajamas and put our coats on. He enjoyed listening to the poetry. Sometimes people would play the guitar in some of the coffee houses. It was something to put his mind at ease because he was so involved in writing. He loved anything to do with poetry and music.
Did you ever play any music for him from artists that you liked?
Yes I did. As a matter of fact, he was planning with my aunt, who was one of the execs at Southern Music, to do an album [in Spanish]. [At the time of his death, he] was in the process of my aunt trying to get songs that he would be able to do. At the same time, I was trying to teach him how to pronounce the words correctly and with a person from Texas, that's not so easy [laughs]. But, you know what -- he was really learning.
'Rarities' includes undubbed versions of what are known as the 'Apartment Tapes.' They showcase Buddy's voice in its unadorned purity.
He had that little [Ampex tape recorder] there with that mic and it was just very raw. He would erase and come back while he was composing. He would come first sometimes with the music, and then he'd write lyrics, or vice versa. A lot of people ask, "What comes first?" and I say I saw it both ways.
The Apartment Tapes also include a snippet of a conversation you and Buddy had in your apartment in 1958. What runs through your head when you hear that?
Oh, dear, that was the most difficult one when I was listening. I had to stop and I went back and pictured myself in the apartment. I started visualizing where he was sitting. Where I was. The whole apartment. It was pretty hard for me to listen to this, but I wanted to hear. [In the conversation] I was trying to get him to take a break because he was constantly writing ... I did a lot of different things to bring him out of what he was doing and sometimes even to get him to eat something. He forgot about everything else when he was writing.
He was exploring different musical paths when he died at 22. What direction do you think he was going in?
He wasn't afraid to try things, so that was a plus for him. I think he would have gone into different ways. As a matter of fact, he also was very much interested in music like Mahalia Jackson and Ray Charles, gospel. We even went to California, looking for [Charles], but unfortunately he was on tour. [Buddy] wanted to do a duet with him and also with Mahalia. He said, "I'll get him sometime or another."
People talk about Buddy's voice, his songwriting and his glasses. What else do you wish people know about him?
Buddy was very, very generous. Even though he was the one closing the shows, he was not hesitating to sit for others. With the Everly Brothers, he sat down and played the drums because the drummer didn't show up. It never fazed him if he had to sit in for someone or do something for the others. He was sure of himself. He never contemplated the status; [it was] "If you need me, I'm here." I admire him for that. And love him more and more every day.
You've said you couldn't listen to his music for years after he died. What was it like the first time you finally heard it again?
I still have problems. I can hear it when I go on appearances when they have a special tribute because I see the fans being so energized, but here in the house, it's sometimes very difficult. I just can not handle it. So even after this day, after 50 years, it's something...People say time cures all and I say it does not, it does not cure that and especially the way I loved him. He was here one moment and he's gone the next day.
What do you remember about that last trip? You didn't go because you were pregnant.

I remember distinctly that I already had my suitcases done and I had them at the door and he said, "No, honey, I don't want you to go. Take care of my baby and I'll be back in two weeks. So don't worry, I' ll call you every night." [Maria Elena miscarried after Buddy's death. She later had three children with her second husband.] I still blame myself. If I had insisted on going and said, "No, I'm going," I'm sure ... OK, I was a little pushy when I needed to be, so, actually, this is the only regret that I have about what happened to him. I still remember constantly and I say, I wonder, if I had [gone], if he would still be [here] because I would not have let him get on that small plane. I didn't know he did that, absolutely not ... I still sometimes get upset.
Photos: Buddy and Maria Elena Holly on their wedding day in 1958, top left. Maria Elena Holly, above right.
Buy Buddy Holly 'Memorial Collection' [Amazon]
Buy Buddy Holly 'Down the Line: The Rarities' [Amazon]
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Reader Comments(1 of 10)
martingoldenmanat 2-03-2009
Wow! she kewl
Jordanat 2-02-2010
I'm sorry for her loss. The world lost some of the freatest talents that day. I would have loved to hear the music Buddy Holly would have created had he lived. Maria is such a brave, beautiful woman and I wish her the best.
alongcimat 2-03-2009
Having spoken to most of the former members of The Crickets over the years, I have had the opportunity to ask many questions. While some inquiries were easily answered, some simply had no response.
I will never forget looking deep into the eyes of Waylon Jennings and asking him to autograph my copy of “The Buddy Holly Story.” He paused for a second, took a deep breath - as if for a brief moment he was saying a silent prayer of appreciation - then signed it. He then looked right at me and said , “thanks Mark.” As if I was doing him a favor. We all know he had given up his seat that night on the plane. As he walked away I couldn’t stop thinking, “what if?”
bormanathomeat 2-03-2009
MY SISTER'S FATHER-IN-LAW WAS ASKED, BY THE COUNTY SHERIF, TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE CRASH SCENE. THE SINGERS WERE NOT T-H-A-T BIG AT THE TIME SO HE TREATED IT LIKE ANOTHER PHOTO ASSIGNMENT. HE NEVER REALLY TALKED ABOUT IT. SOMEONE ASKED HIM FOR THE NEGATIVES...AND HE GAVE THEM AWAY!!
hairdeckerat 2-03-2009
Hi "Bormanathome" from your favorite neice in DM:)
lightninbob1at 2-03-2009
I have been to the Surf Ballroom and the crash site. It is a trip worth taking. Thanks for the music Buddy.
bormanathomeat 2-03-2009
I FORGOT TO SAY, THE ACTUAL AIRPLANE WRECKAGE IS STILL STORED SOME WHERE IN NORTH IOWA
Bopperat 2-03-2010
The wreckage is not stored anywhere. Jerry Dwyer buried it in a remote spot only known to him many years ago. The only known pieces from the plane in existence belong to Radio Oldies DJ "Wild" Wayne from Connecticut.
n7817xat 2-03-2009
What type of Aircraft were they in?
fjgrailroadat 2-03-2009
Beechcraft Bonanza
banjojacat 2-03-2009
Dion won a place on the plane and but for his Fathers advise that $36 bucks was too much money, Take the bus kid. He then gave his seat to Richie Vallen who had a bad cold. Now you know the rest of the story. The night Rock and Roll died. American Pie. My friend Maury Dean A professor of media at Suffolk Community College who authored the rock and Roll Bible called Gold Rush, has just finish a new book all about the relationship between Buddy Holly and Deon
Manuchie of the Bronx. Deon lives here in Boca Ratan still making music and just came out with an alban celebrating his Heros Buddy and Richie.
mfo316at 2-03-2009
WRONG!!! Waylon Jennings gave his seat to Richie Valens, and Tommy Alsup lost a coin toss to JP Richardson. Waylon would go on to regret his last words to Buddy after Buddy told him he hoped he (Waylon) froze to death on the bus, to which Waylon replied "Well I hope your plane crashes."
bystephaniat 2-04-2009
Dion DiMucci is the name of Dion.
nbebberat 2-03-2009
So what is Buddy Holly's childs' name? I had forgotten she was pregnant at the time of his death.
sale144at 2-03-2009
I believe she miscarried soon after. Shame
foxymom816at 2-03-2009
The answer to your question the baby was never born she missed carried 2 months after Buddy Holly was killed. Hope I helped.
Hello, You Bastaat 2-03-2009
She miscarried their baby after Buddy died.
Dee Whitsonat 2-03-2009
Maria lost the baby.
BeckySowinat 2-03-2009
I started listening to Buddy Holly in the very late '70s when a local club we frequented had a "Grease Night" and played all '50s music. My friend and I became instant Holly fans, and nobody else knew what we were talking about, since we were teenagers of the late '60's and early '70s. His music, like that of Glenn Miller, is timeless. I still love hearing his music on CDs and plan to put some on my IPod. It is definitley so upbeat that it's great music to work out to. I am also a huge fan of the late Waylon Jennings. We can never question "why," but Mr. Jennings obviously had his place in music history, also.
shmealzat 2-03-2009
I REMEMBER WHEN IT HAPPENED.RICHIE VALENS WAS ALSO A MUSICAL PRODIGY AT AGE 17.BUDDY HOLLY WAS A MUSICAL GENIUS, AND WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME AS IS SHOWN WITH SOME OF THE GREAT SONGS HE WROTE.EG. TRUE LOVE WEIGHS WHAT A GREAT SONG.HE WAS TRULY A PIONEER.I WOULD KILL TO HAVE HIS TALENT.THAT WAS TRULY THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED.......