http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080112/ap_ ... holly_book

Holly's widow fighting sale of book
By BETSY BLANEY, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jan 12, 6:20 AM ET

LUBBOCK, Texas - Buddy Holly's widow is trying to keep the woman whose name was made famous by the 1950s hit song "Peggy Sue" from selling a book about her friendship with the rocker.

Maria Elena Holly says Peggy Sue Gerron's "Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?" is unauthorized and will harm her late husband's name, her own reputation and that of her company, Holly Properties.

"It's very interesting that this woman makes up all these stories," Maria Elena Holly said Friday from her home in Dallas. "He never, never considered Peggy Sue a friend."

Gerron, who lives in Lubbock, said she and another woman wrote the 283-page book because 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the release of "Peggy Sue." Buddy Holly also recorded "Peggy Sue Got Married."

Gerron said material for the book came from about 150 diary entries she wrote during the time she knew the singer, she said.

"I wanted to give him his voice. It's my book, my memoirs," she said from Tyler, where her publishing company held a news conference Friday defending Gerron's right to pen her biography. "We were very, very good friends. He was probably one of the best friends I ever had."

Maria Elena Holly said she would sue if excerpts she's read online appear in the book, which is due in bookstores later this month.

"I don't understand why people do that, especially when she knows that people know the truth," she said.

This week, her attorney, Richard Wallace, sent a cease-and-desist letter to TogiEntertainment Inc., an Oklahoma City-based publishing house. Wallace declined to comment Friday.

Buddy Holly died Feb. 3, 1959, in a plane crash that also killed singers Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Holly was 22.

Maria Elena Holly, who married the singer just months before the crash, has for years owned the rights to her late husband's name, image and related trademarks, and other intellectual properties, the letter said.

No one involved in the book's publication sought consent to use Buddy Holly's name or image — "his likeness will be featured prominently" on the book's cover and the subtitle reads, "Memoirs of Buddy Holly's Peggy Sue," according to the letter.

"Confusion and tarnishment of Buddy Holly's name and Ms. Holly's reputation are likely to result from this unauthorized book," the letter states.

It demands the ceasing of promotion and sale of the book, removal of the subtitle and cancellation of all book orders. It also asks for refunds on any deposits for the book and for an accounting of revenues from any sales.

Mark Faulk, chief executive officer of TogiEntertainment, said the threat of a lawsuit won't deter Gerron or his company.

"It's obvious that they do not want the work released," he said. "My feeling is that Maria Elena fears the truth will come out about Buddy Holly. If there is a lawsuit, our belief is that it will be totally frivolous."

Buddy Holly's brother, Larry Holley, said "Peggy Sue" was not the original name in the song. Buddy Holly initially intended to use "Cindy Lou," his niece, Larry Holley said.

Maria Elena Holly said her husband changed the name after Crickets drummer Jerry Allison asked him to because he had a crush on Gerron. Allison and Gerron married in July 1958.

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On the Net:

TogiEntertainment: http://www.togientertainment.com

Interesting. What is it that's going to harm Buddy Holly's reputation in this book?

The funny thing is... Maria Elena didn't even know Buddy during his early years. Who is she to say whether or not Peggy Sue's story is accurate? The two women knew him in different contexts and each of them has a very different perspective of him. (And Maria Elena's attempting to discredit Peggy Sue by saying that Buddy never even considered her a friend comes across as sour grapes to me.)

There have been rumors about Buddy's sexual adventures with both men and women and the fact that he wasn't a particular nice person in many instances. I understand that Maria Elena wants Buddy to be remembered in a certain, idealistic way. I have read a couple of the Buddy bios out there (and will probably read this one also.) Everything I know about him is heresay since I never knew him personally. While I find his life story interesting, I prefer to see that he (like everyone else) was an imperfect human being. It reminds me that any normal, flawed person can still achieve great things. And, no matter what I read about him in a book, I will still continue to buy his music and enjoy it.

The movie, "The Buddy Holly Story," was my introduction to Buddy Holly. I was just listening to Buddy's Greatest Hits CD last night. I didn't know that Buddy's widow and Peggy Sue were still alive. Never heard anything about his sex life and whether or not he was a nice person.

I'm interested in reading Peggy Sue's book.

I think the issue is that the bbok claims Buddy suggested to Peggy Sue that they both get divorced and run off together. He supposedly said this in an elevator in New York, after he was married to Maria Elena (obviously).

Off topic trivia: After they got married, and at the time that the "apartment tapes" that can be heard on a certain Buddy Holly bootleg were recorded, Buddy and his wife lived in Greenwich Village, in the 1950's vintage "Brevoort" apartment building at 11 Fifth Avenue (at 8th St.), just down the block from the surviving Discorama store and Electric Lady Studios.

And veering even more off topic: when I started going to the record stores in the Village (1984), I'd go to It's Only Rock And Roll and later Revolver Records, and just across the street was that storefront with the "Electric Lady" sign and the distinctive frontage compared to its neighboring stores, but it wasn't until many, many years later that I realized this was the Electric Lady Studios of Jimi Hendrix fame.

"Maria Elena" is a really cool song by the Smithereens, about Maria Elena Holly.

I walk past it every morning on the way to the subway, but I've never been inside. the entire studio is on the basement level. Upstairs was for a long time the 8th Street Playhouse movie theater, and then later TLA Video. Now it's vacant (and has been for about a year).