Think it over before testing your trivia
This photo, supplied by Heritage Auction Galleries, shows Buddy Holly on the day he married Maria Elena Holly, just months before his tragic death.
Q. Buddy’s given last name is Holley, yet he recorded and performed as Holly? Why?
A. Buddy’s name was misspelled in his first recording contract. Rather than wait for the contract to be retyped and mailed back to him, Buddy decided to drop the e for his stage name.
Q. Is a woman’s voice used on the recording of “That’ll Be the Day”?
A. Yes. The Lubbock duo of Gary and Ramona Tollett were friends and were asked to sing backup, working for free.
Q. What John Wayne film played a major role in the creation of a Buddy Holly song?
A. “The Searchers.” John Wayne’s often repeated phrase in the movie was “That’ll Be the Day.” Buddy saw the movie with Jerry Allison. They thought the phrase would make a good song title.
Q. Where did Buddy Holly meet his wife, Maria?
A. Maria Elena Santiago, who was born in Puerto Rico, was working as a receptionist for Peer-Southern Music in New York City when Holly walked in and asked her out.
Q. Did Buddy and Maria Holly have a child?
A. Maria told The A-J in a 2008 interview that she was two weeks pregnant when Buddy left on the Winter Dance Party tour, and that she miscarried and lost her baby after learning of Buddy’s death in the plane crash. Maria later remarried Joe Diaz, and gave birth to a daughter and two sons.
Q. How many times did the Crickets play at Lawson’s Roller Rink in Lubbock?
A. That was a trick question. The Crickets never played at that site. Those appearances were by Buddy and Bob (Montgomery) and Buddy and Jack (Neal).
Q. Who replaced Buddy Holly on the Winter Dance Party tour?
A. Bobby Vee, then an unknown, was asked to perform in Holly’s place at the very next concert on the tour, in Moorhead, Minn. Then Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton and Fabian were hired to finish out the tour in place of the three headliners who died.
Q. Where was the plane carrying Holly headed before it crashed?
A. The plane was to land in Fargo, N.D. The next concert was in nearby Moorhead, Minn.
Q. The song “Peggy Sue” originally was called “Cindy Lou.” Who was Cindy Lou named after?
A. Buddy’s niece was named Cindy, and Lou was the middle name of Cindy’s mother (Buddy’s sister, Patricia Louise)
Q. Where and when were Buddy Holly and Maria Elena Santiago married?
A. The couple was married on Aug. 15, 1958, at the home of Buddy’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. L.O. Holley.
Q. In what countries did Buddy Holly & The Crickets perform?
A. United States, Canada, England, Wales and Australia.
Q. Who was the American recording artist who referenced Holly’s death in a song, and what was the name of the song?
A. Don McLean’s “American Pie.”
Q. How many brothers and sisters did Buddy Holly have, and what were their names?
A. Two brothers and one sister, all older: Larry, Travis and Patricia.
