BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY BACKSTAGE GUIDE 19 Holly had amicably split with the Crickets late in 1958 and was touring that winter with a backing band that included future country star Waylon Jennings. Buddy insisted Maria not go on the “Winter Dance Party” tour because she was pregnant, but he called her each night from the road. "The tour didn't go well," Maria said. "People were getting sick, the bus was breaking down. Buddy took over and said 'This has to be changed.' When they reached the Surf Ballroom it was very cold and there was a lot of snow. He spoke to me but he did not tell me he was taking a small plane." During the interview, she noted some of the infamous details about the ill-fated flight, including the fact that guitarist Tommy Alsup lost a coin-flip to Valens for the final seat on the plane and that Dion was also offered a ride, but didn't like flying and didn't want to spend the $36 cost for the flight. Maria and Dion remain good friends and had been reminiscing while dining together just a few days before this interview. It took her a long time to deal with life after her husband's death. "I just could not accept it," she said. "But eventually the fans were writing and talking and requesting information about Buddy and then I realized I was not being very nice. I knew fans wanted to know more about Buddy, what he had in mind, where he was going with his music and I realized I was the only person left in his life who would know all about that. So that's what helped me, and I decided to continue up to this date." She eventually remarried and has three children, but she divorced her second husband (who has since died) long ago. And as Holly's legacy continues to thrive, Maria continues to be involved with the projects. She's extremely excited by the release of two new albums, the three-disc hits' set called The Buddy Holly Memorial Collection, and the double disc of rarities, Down the Line. "It's pretty hard for me to listen to them sometimes because it's like Buddy being here," she said. "But I was ecstatic hearing these. It's so clear. There have been things out there that bootleggers did a poor job with, but this is worth the wait. The fans are going to be very happy with it." Buddy Holly's list of classic songs is staggering, especially considering that he died so young. Asked to name her favorite, Maria said, "I have to say the one he wrote for me, 'True Love Ways,' but I love them all because no two are alike." Had he lived, Maria is certain that Holly would have had a long musical career. "If you listen to some of his last recordings, like 'Raining in My Heart' and 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore,' Buddy was ahead of his time. At that point a rock star putting strings on a composition was unusual, so Buddy was starting to do things that are happening now. He was actually thinking of doing an album of duets with another well known artist, Ray Charles, and he was thinking of recording with Mahalia Jackson as well." Holly was also contemplating recording some music in Spanish, and, after touring England, came home to tell his wife that there was so much talent brewing in England he had major thoughts about opening a studio there in order to record some of the up-and-coming musicians. "Look what happened next," Maria said. "We had the Beatles (who took their name from Holly's Crickets) and all the great artists coming from London. Those were his priorities. He recorded Waylon Jennings, and he was already starting to get involved with all these other projects. He was unbelievable for a 22-year-old. I always call him 'my old soul.' To me, Buddy was an old soul in a young body. That's how I remember him." And as for "American Pie", the Don McLean hit that told the history of rock and roll but centered on the death of the three greats in the plane crash? She likes the song but still has problems with that one famous line. "Buddy may not be here, but the music has not died," she said. "It is still alive and well." Buddy Holly and Maria Elena Holly on their wedding day in 1958 (edited from MassLive.com)