Buddy Holly’s Wife Confesses The REAL REASON She Didn’t Go To The Funeral

up to this date I kind of blame myself that I should have gone insist of [Music] going Buddy Holly introduced rock and roll to many during his prolific yet tragically short-lived career combining elements of rhythm and blues rockabilly and Country Music the Teen Idol of the 50s would cement himself as a founding member of The Rock roll genre before his tragic death in 1959 however even more bespectacled than his career is the tale of his Elusive and enigmatic Widow Maria Elena Santiago who was famously absent from the singer's funeral today we'll explore the history of Buddy and Maria Elena's relationship and the devastating reason she did not attend the ceremony on this day in 1959 three young stars died in a plane crash in Iowa when America's Cameron Kramer has more on the tragedy that's called The Day the Music Died Buddy Holly's life and career before we dive into the sad reality of why Buddy's Widow was absent from his funeral we first must take a closer look at who the man Buddy Holly was and the contributing factors that led to his strange relationship with Maria Elena Charles Harden Holly better known as Buddy Holly was born in Leck Texas on September 7th 1936 born into a musical family during the height of the Great Depression buddy learned to play violin piano and guitar and to sing alongside his family members heavily influenced by gospel rhythm and blues and country music buddy connected with his musical side from an early age in 1949 buddy met Bob Montgomery at Hutcherson Jor High School sharing a passion for music United the two forming the duo buddy and Bob according to Legend the change in spelling from Holly to Holly resulted from a common typo on Buddy's first contract rather than jump through the necessary Hoops to change the spelling buddy decided to roll with it and thus Buddy Holly was born buddy and Bob originally played bluegrass music at school talent shows and local clubs singing harmonized duets with Bob but he was first recognized when the duo opened for Bill Haley and his comets at a local show Eddie Crandle took a particular interest in buddy and the rising star was offered a solo contract with Deca records while excited to embark on a new chapter of his career doing so without a creative partner would prove to be a learning curve eventually buddy collaborated with Norman Petty on a demo of that'll be the day which was sent to Brunswick records and released as a single from Buddy's new band The Crickets Petty was well connected in the music industry and believed in Buddy's talents in an unusual move Coral records a subsidiary of deca signed Buddy Holly in the Crickets therefore buddy was attached to two record deals at the same time but this reinforced the label's confidence in his stardom in September 1957 that'll be the day top the UK and US singles charts buddy was praised for his Innovative sound and marriage of different unexpected instruments as a lead guitarist buddy influenced many on songs such as Not Fade Away and Peggy Sue traditional boy loves girl songs dominated then and Buddy could hold his own amongst his contemporaries but what set him apart was his ability to infuse the easy listening styles of pre-existing Melodies with sophisticated lyrics and complicated harmonies Holly's famous singing style is derived from a vocal hiccup technique setting his music even further apart the beginning of rayon showcases the technique and its impact on the song Buddy's unification of the racial divide that plagued rock music was even more impressive than his Innovative musical distinctions one famous instance occurred in 1957 at the Apollo Theater where Buddy Holly and the Crickets became the first White band to perform after being accidentally booked at the venue famous for popularizing the sounds of Sammy Davis Jr and Dina Washington the Apollo's booking agent meant to reserve a black R&B band called The Crickets however despite the historical implications of his presence and the crowd's disappointment and confusion buddy infamously won over the nearly all black crowd the day marked a historic moment in the long turbulent History of Rock and Roll Buddy's career had officially launched he was on a rooll especially after releasing more critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in 1958 Buddy Holly and the Crickets embarked on a month-long tour of the UK notably two future Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney would attend one of the shows even citing The Crickets as the inspiration for their future band name the Beatles would later produce a cover version of Words of Love The Rolling Stones would produce a cover of not fade away and the band The Hollies was conceived in homage in addition to his musical influence Buddy's personal style was a common point of Interest buddy presented himself as a polished more controlled version of Elvis Presley while offering more Youth and Innovation than that of country singers at the time his influence on youth culture would Peak during the new wave movement in Stars such as Elvis Costello Marshall krenshaw and the turtles after several appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and establishing himself as a frequent name on the charts buddy secretly married Maria Elena Santiago in 19 58 the couple's decision to keep their marriage Under Wraps was one of the many atypical aspects of their relationship it is heavily implied that Norman Petty orchestrated the plan to maintain Buddy's heartthrob status in other words Petty didn't want to take Buddy off the market by exposing that he was taken so it's very possible that their prolonged secrecy was the Catalyst for future despair by 1959 buddy split from The Crickets and set out on a solo tour accompanied by performers like Richie valin and JP the Big Bopper Richardson Jr they embarked on the Winter Dance Party tour drawing thousands of fans including Bobby Zimmerman who would later become Bob Dylan the Winter Dance Tour would serve as Buddy's final entry to the historical record of rock and roll the real Buddy Holly it's impossible to recount the life of Buddy Holly without noting some of his greatest moments as a rocker and as the 22y old kid who stole the hearts of an entire Generation by the time he was 17 buddy was already appearing on the radio charts with songs from Buddy and Bob on February 13th 1955 buddy and Bob opened for Elvis Presley at the fair Park Coliseum in Leck buddy even borrowed Elvis's Martin guitar for the performance before going on to open for the King two more times in 1957 and 1958 Buddy Holly and the Crickets were on on a high working day and night to create music and craft performances they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show twice during those years and they managed to irritate Sullivan during the latter performance Sullivan had discouraged the musicians from performing the song oh boy in fear of riling up the crowd and encouraging rowdiness the musicians played the song anyway and it was a success but the next time Sullivan's team invited them on the show buddy told them to forget it Buddy Holly and the Crickets had reached a level of Fame that surpassed the necessity of performing on a popular variety show although buddy and the Crickets only achieved one number one hit with that'll be the day 1957 the musicians appeal was undeniable Paul McCartney John Lennon and George Harrison would attend buddy show in the UK which marked the early days of The Beatles they were huge fans of Buddy Holly so when trying to come up with a name for their band they looked to the Crickets and ran with the insect theme after several variations and brainstorming sessions they went with the puny spelling of he Beatles as a direct homage to the Crickets while Mariah Elena controls the majority of business dealings concerning Buddy's music she does not own the songs those rights are held by Paul McCartney with whom Maria Elena is now on a firstname basis after the tragic end to Buddy's story now let us dive even deeper into the story of Maria Elena in order to uncover the mysterious and devastating reason she was absent from Buddy Holly's funeral origins of Maria Elena and Buddy Holly's non-traditional relationship Maria Elena Santiago was born in San Juan Puerto Rico in 1932 at 26 while working as a receptionist at Pier Southern music's New York offices a then 22-year-old Buddy Holly would enter her life for the first time having just returned from a month-long tour in England that cemented buddy as a rock and roll music fixture buddy Mania was in full swing however Maria Elena maintains that she did not know of Buddy's Celebrity Status at the time of their first meeting according to Maria Elena it was love at first sight buddy commented on her Puerto Rican accent to which she responded by pointing out his Texas twang she initially declined when he asked Maria Elena on a lunch date for the office had a policy against employees dating clients but in what seems to be a recurring theme in Buddy's life his spontaneity overcame the situation and the pair found themselves at lunch once seated buddy allegedly got up from the table returning a few moments later with a red rose for Maria Elena she recalls thinking about her aunt's sentiment toward musicians they're all crazy however Maria Elena leaned into the absurdity obviously taken by Buddy's inescapable charm and Charisma only 5 hours later buddy asked Maria Elena for her hand in marriage At first she thought he was joking they had after all only known each other for 5 hours she joked well do you want to get married now or do you want to get married later maybe after dinner buddy simply replied no I'm serious about it do you want to get married 2 months later Maria Elena Santiago became Maria Elena Holly in a private wedding ceremony in Buddy's hometown of Leck however the news of their marriage would not be shared with the world until the unfortunate conclusion of their love story buddy and Maria Elena Holly moved into a townhouse in New York's Greenwich Village a bustling neighborhood overflowing with Creative Energy and aspiring artists after only meeting him earlier that summer Maria Elena was fully immersed in the Whirlwind of Buddy's life according to Maria Elena the newness of her circumstances came as a challenge Buddy's Drive never idled and he was entirely consumed with future endeavors and career moves he wanted to open offices in New York and a recording studio a Publishing Company even at that time he was thinking about developing other artists budy schedule was packed at the time he was already producing for artists such as Lou jordano and and whan Jennings but he wasn't satisfied he considered scoring movies and acquiring properties even hinting to Maria Elena that he wanted to try acting at this point in his career Maria Elena described him as a laid-back individual but he was incredibly driven when it came to Music Winter Dance Party tour in January of 1959 Buddy Holly embarked on the Winter Dance Party tour accompanied by musical performers including Jennings Tommy alup Carl Bunch Richie veins JP the Big Bopper Richardson Dion and the Belmonts and Frankie sardo the tour would entail 24 days of junting through the Midwest and would go on to be the most infamous Rock And Roll tour in history the tour was an organizational disaster the dates were scheduled hundreds of miles apart from each other unceremoniously mapping the troop of musicians through the harshest winter the region had seen in decades to make matters worse the musicians were forced to commute via bus the bus was unheated and cramped and by February 1st Carl Bunch who had served as Holly's drummer departed with frostbitten feet perhaps due to bunch's departure or in tandem with the freezing conditions a rebellious air overcame the tour they were set to play two shows that day at Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa and by the time they arrived they were in dastardly moods buddy told alup and Jennings that after the show he would Charter a plane to fly them from Mason City Iowa to Fargo North Dakota which would arrive ahead of the remaining bandmates buddy intended to use this extra time to do some laundry Arrangements were made with the dwire Flying Service a charter company in Mason City to fly to an airport in Fargo the closest Runway to Morehead where Buddy's next show was scheduled Roger Peterson a local 21-year-old pilot was assigned to fly the aircraft the weather was notably inclement and brief advisories had been posted but it was believed that any instrument trained pilot could easily handle the conditions however Peterson wasn't licensed for instrument flying and had recently failed a portion of his assessment after the show in Clear Lake ended buddy called Maria Elena then then surf ballrooms manager Carol Anderson drove Holly vein and Richardson to the Mason City Municipal Airport light snow fell then the sky was obscured and the wind speeds were between 20 and 30 mph Buddy's tragic death the passengers on board were initially set to be buddy Jennings and alsup however Jennings gave his seat to the Big Bopper who was tired of maneuvering his large frame around the cramped buses alsup and vein flipped a coin and the winner was rewarded a plane seat alsup lost so wallins got to fly on February 3rd 1959 Buddy Holly the Big Bopper and Richie veils boarded the three-seater beachcraft 35 Bonanza plane and took off by this point dwire had returned to the airport and observed a shaky takeoff several minutes later dwire radioed Peterson to ask if everything was all right but there was no response when he called the Fargo airport to inquire about the plane's Landing he was informed that no aircraft had arrived worried dwire took off in another plane to follow the planned route of the missing craft it wasn't until after Sunrise that to his horror he discovered the scattered remains of all four passengers following a catastrophic plane crash Deputy Bill McGill arrived at the crash scene a cornfield only 6 miles from the Mason City municipal airport it was determined that the aircraft impacted the terrain at speeds estimated to be around 170 milph the plane's right wing first made contact with the ground sending the Machinery cartwheeling across the field buddy and vein were found near the wreckage while Richardson's body surfaced in the field of a neighboring farmer Peterson's body was entangled in the wreckage disturbingly Carol Anderson the the venue manager who had driven the party to Mason City Municipal Airport was responsible for identifying the victims Ralph Smiley the County coroner confirmed that all four victims died instantly due to head trauma for the three musicians and brain damage for the pilot furthermore an official investigation was launched by the Civil Aeronautics board the pilot had worked with dwire for one year but he had over four years of flying experience in total he had even accumulated 128 of his 711 total flying hours while flying bonanzas while Peterson had logged 52 hours of instrument flying training he had only passed the written portion of his examination because Peterson was not qualified in instrument flying and was instead only permitted to fly in conditions with clear visibility it was determined by the Civil Aeronautics board that the accident occurred due to the Pilot's unwise decision decision to embark on a flight additional complications arose from the weather briefing provided to Peterson which was described as being incredibly inadequate The Briefing failed to mention the low visibility levels and the necessity of a skilled pilot Maria Elena Santiago's absence at the funeral at the time of Buddy's death the couple had only been married for 6 months although the public was unaware additionally Maria Elena was pregnant with their first child she famously learned about the tragedy at the same time as the rest of the world on the news Lou jordano one of Buddy's prodigies for whom he worked as a producer called Maria Elena first thing in the morning she was still in bed confused at Jordano's instructions not to turn on the news of course she did the opposite and found that Buddy's death was splattered all over the news Maria Elena went into shock and suffered a miscarriage less than a week later due to complications on February 7th 1959 Buddy Holly's funeral was held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Leck among the attendees was Bob Montgomery who served as Paul Bearer infamously Maria Elena Holly did not attend Buddy's funeral leading many to speculate about her character and motives many accused Maria Elena of having Sinister intentions or a lack of affection for buddy but neither can is true so why didn't Maria Elena attend Buddy Holly's funeral following Buddy's death and his widow's absence Maria Elena remained silent and kept to herself for several years but not before leaving the world with her take on the tragedy in a way I blame myself I was not feeling well when he left I was two weeks pregnant and I wanted buddy to stay with me but he had scheduled that tour it was the only time I wasn't with him and I blame myself because I know that if only I had gone along buddy never would have gotten into that airplane in addition to her total devastation Maria Elena's doctor advised the Widow not to attend the funeral service for fear of further risk to her health in recent years she has added that she could not bring herself to see his body in the casket Maria Elena was in an incredibly emotional state and she wanted to remember buddy for who he was when he was alive it would be four years before Mar Elena remarried to Joe Diaz a fellow Puerto Rican with whom she would have three children but ultimately divorced in 2010 in interviews with Maria Elena she admits that following his death she could not listen to his music she blamed the music for his death and it took some serious convincing from Diaz to reconnect her with Buddy's Legacy she began pouring herself into the preservation of Buddy's craft for the next 22 years she would devote herself to campaigning against exploitative record labels she has a non-nonsense attitude that while effective with industry Executives alienated the public specifically it appeared Maria Elena rubbed many residents of Leck the wrong way in an interview she stated that she is often called the Spanish Yoko Ono and is commonly accused of profiting from her late husband's name the fact of racial differences introduced itself to the couple early on buddy was from LC Texas which he once described to Maria Elena as a little backward Maria Elena a Puerto Rican who appears and presents as a Spanish woman most likely suffered alienation from the LC Community due to the possible racial stereotyping and prejudices that were rampant at the time in the Years following Buddy's death Maria Elena would compare Leach to Memphis criticizing how Leck failed to memorialize Buddy Holly in The Honorable suit of Memphis for Elvis Presley however in 1999 Leck began to come around erecting a permanent Buddy Holly exhibit in what is now known as the Buddy Holly Center but that would be the extent to which the city would cooperate with Maria Elena who continues to mourn her late husband and play his records unaccompanied to this day Maria Elena has not visited Buddy Holly's grave site The Day the Music Died the deaths of Buddy Holly Richie vein and JP the Big Bopper Richardson Jr would Mark a historic day in rock and roll and Inspire Don mlan to name the incident the day the music died in his 1971 song American Pie the tragic and sudden loss of the musicians and their pilot became a formative event in the legacy of rock music primarily attributed to McLean's hit song the phrase The Day the Music Died recalls the abrupt closure of the early era of rock music for which many fans and average Americans feel nostalgic Richie vein was only 17 when the plane went down and his life ended vein is credited with popularizing Cho rock music and subsequent Mexican-American culture of the late 50s his most significant hit labomba 1958 was an adapted version of a Mexican folk song his influence stretched Beyond ethnic and cultural boundaries aligning with Buddy's unifying Powers as a musician the Big Bopper born JP Richardson Jr was 28 years old at the time of his death he served in the US Army in 1955 and left behind two children the radio DJ produced commercial rockabilly hits such as big boer's wedding and shantilly Lace his years ahead of Buddy and vilin spawned a confidently flirtatious tone in his lyrics as a musician the Big Bopper was Innovative and refreshing it wasn't until over a decade had passed since the tragedy when mlan released American Pie the song would be described as a symbol of a unanimous loss of Innocence the song references Bob Dylan Elvis and The Beatles Sergeant Pepper combining the names of Buddy's contemporaries and those whose careers wouldn't exist without him at the song's end mlan encourages The Listener to recall everything that happened before aiding in the lyrics overall nostalgic heart-wrenchingly catchy under tones the song frequently alludes to 1950s America often remembered as a simpler time or less polarizing era however as history informs the 1950s were anything but wholesome beyond the mainstream buddy spoke for the emerging wave of progressive-minded Americans as witnessed during his performance at the Apollo in 1957 Buddy's ability to UniFi diverse populations teased an exciting career for the budding Idol and his platform's political and social ramifications particularly due to the emergence of rock music the 50s pitted teenagers against parents the government and the mass media rock music introduced a sharp turn from the filler bbop of the 40s and prior unabashedly celebrating themes of love sex and rebellion and most pivotally began to redact some of the preconceptions towards African-Americans unifying the nation's black and white teenagers while alienating these listeners from the masses Buddy Holly was Don McLean's Idol he stated I would Daydream to his music and later mourn his death my love of Buddy Holly was there from the beginning and it never wavered Don mlan was only 13 years old when he discovered that Buddy Holly had died in the first verse of American Pie mlan recalls being a tween in the age of Buddy Holly how buddy inspired him and signaled a new wave of music and and how his heart was broken the day he died he continues lamenting that buddy inspired his own dreams of becoming a musician and he considers whether or not he cried upon realizing that Maria Elena Buddy's wife of 5 months would be widowed of course the public knows now that Maria Elena learned of Buddy's death in the same way that mlan had and the news of the tragedy was directly responsible for her miscarriage this unfortunate series of events led to the enaction of a policy wherein spouses of deceased individuals must be informed of their Partners passing before any media attempts to share the story in a 2009 interview Maria Elena spoke publicly about the song and its message while she admitted to liking the song she disagrees with its Central concept buddy may not be here but the music has not died said Maria Elena it is still alive and well the song's chorus waves goodbye to the American dream suggesting that the death of its themes and imagery The Day the Music Died American apple pie and a Chevrolet is encapsulated in the plane crash on that February day in 1959 the catastrophic event took more than the lives of Holly vein Richardson and Peterson The Day the Music Died effectively sealed off what would have become a shining glittering sprawling career for each boy's life that was taken strike striking the American public with remorse contemplation and Remembrance the Legacy as of 2024 it has been 65 years since Buddy Holly's death there is an official Day the Music Died shrine at the surf ballroom where buddy vein and Richardson played their last show before their death even though the venue was the site of Buddy's last performance and thus carries an air of mourning his memory lives on there where Surf Ballroom continues to uphold his legacy the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland Ohio designated the surfa rock and roll landmark and the 1950s interior aesthetic has been meticulously preserved while the surf has become an attractive pilgrimage site for fans of Buddy Holly many musicians have also visited the landmark for example a handwritten stanza of McLean's American Pie proudly gleams on the wall of the dressing room the museum is adjacent to the ballroom and provides historical documents and information on the victims and the events that transpired on February 3rd memorabilia includes vein's handwritten lyrics to labomba Richardson's briefcase and most chillingly the phone booth in which Buddy Holly and Richie veins made their last calls after the concert however the memorial at the crash site was only erected in 1988 by an independent fan Ken pette created a Monument out of stainless steel depicting a guitar and three records in 2009 he created a memorial for the pilot other than that the crash site is almost entirely unchanged it's a lonely spot in the middle of a sprawling Iowa field an access point from the nearest Farm Road is staked with an oversized pair of Buddy's trademark spectacles from there it's a long walk to the sight of the tragedy though a beaten weathered path implies that many fans frequently visit to pay their respects common tokens left at the site include spectacles plastic flowers spare change Marty scraw beads and a rusty Iowa license plate from 1959 if more people knew that Buddy's motivation to Charter a plane was due to his desire for downtime so that he could do some laundry an abundance of socks and underwear might likely be left at the memorial visitor reports note that delicate offerings and rare instances of graffiti are our left indicating that the site is wellmaintained and preserved according to recent news Genesis Publications in collaboration with Maria Elena is currently working on Words of Love a book that aims to document the Legacy and cultural impact of Buddy holl's work Genesis is also working with the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation which strives to realize buddy and Maria Elena's dreams of extending musical education resources and opportunities to new generations of varying incomes and ethnicities Genesis Publications has shared that throughout their research and efforts compiling data for Words of Love many musicians have come forward to extend their gratitude to Buddy and his influence on their careers some of these musicians include Eric Clapton Keith Richards Dave Gro Van Morrison and Dolly Parton with Bruce Springsteen even saying that he plays Buddy's music every night before he goes on to keep himself honest these artists have cited his voice guitar prowess infectious Melodies and ingenious songwriting skills as their main sources of inspiration this confirms that many beloved songs and musicians would simply not exist without Buddy Holly Buddy Holly represented the promising future of the rock and roll genre at just 22 years old buddy's sudden death reinforced the concept of passing time loss of innocence and teenage enthusiasm all of these factors contribute to the cultural significance of his stardom and the unanimous mourning that has transpired since his death thanks for watching while you're still here check out one of the other videos you see on your screen you won't want to miss it

Channel: The Ultimate Expedition

Views: 50,280

Keywords: The Real Reason Why, Buddy Holly, Wife, Didn’t Go To The Funeral, real reason, Buddy, Holly, rock and roll, tragical death, rythm, blues, music, country music, idol, Maria Elena Santiago, absent, ultimate expedition

Id: EJno64aUgBU

Length: 31min 14sec (1874 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 17 2024