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Maria, very open and gracious in her interview, talked about the continued audience and fan base for Buddy’s music and her growing acceptance of a special personal role with Buddy Holly fans. Married only six months when Buddy died, Maria described the personal shell into which she retreated fully emerging only after her second marriage and the birth of her children. Their lives and her family helped provide another needed foundation for Maria. As time passed and the Holly legend only grew, Maria realized there was a public place for her in guarding that trust and interacting with each new generation of Buddy’s fans.
And what highlights each generation brought. There was the movie (to which she admitted she was at first opposed) and the eventual real satisfaction with the movie’s treatment of Buddy and the excellent portrayal performance turned in by Gary Busey. Busey, who performed his own vocals, was nominated for an Academy Award for "The Buddy Holly Story." There was "American Pie"and getting to know Don McLean (". . . a very spiritual person," said Maria). And now a completely new generation of performers and fans influenced by Buddy’s career. Maria is also very committed to the International Rockabilly Hall of Fame project in Jackson, TN. She personally visited with Carl Perkins during Carl’s final performance in Lubbock, Texas and expressed her personal feelings about Carl’s qualities as a performer and human being. Supportive of Henry Harrison’s efforts, Maria said this museum could and should grow to take its own special place as a tribute to the unique contribution of rockabilly music to pop culture. The presence of Maria Holly certainly adds greatly to the potential of this museum and hall of fame and is a special endorsement of the legitimacy of Jackson, Tennessee as a location for this effort. |
