Today, September 7th, marks what would have been legendary musician Buddy Holly’s 81st birthday. In honor of the day, widow to Holly, Maria Elena Holly and several of her friends were able to have a private tour of the highly anticipated Buddy Holly Hall construction site.
“People remember him and celebrate his life and his music every September 7th but also the rest of the year it’s the same everywhere,” Maria Elena Holly said.
“This Performance Art Center is immensely wonderful. It’s showing us the importance of the arts and Buddy would be very proud this is happening in his name,” Peter Bradley Jr., Board Director for the Buddy Holly Education Foundation, said.
The center is set to have two stages, with the main stage hosting 2,200 seats. They’re also incorporating a ballet studio, several parking lots and a cafe, all in hope to revitalize downtown Lubbock.
“This is going to be the icing on the cake for Lubbock. The arts and the music and arts are going to be celebrated at the Buddy Holly Hall,” Bradley Jr. said.
**Below is a statement from the Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association**
MEDIA ADVISORY
Date: September 6, 2017
Contact: Michelle Stephens, 806.239.5094
Maria Elena Holly, Peter Bradley to Tour Buddy Holly Hall Site
WHAT: To honor what would have been Buddy Holly’s 81st birthday, The Lubbock Entertainment / Performing Arts Association (LEPAA) will hold a private VIP tour of the construction site of The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences. Mrs. Maria Elena Holly, widow of Buddy Holly, and Mr. Peter Bradley, Jr., Board Director of the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, will be honored guests during the tour. Other notable guests who may be in attendance for the tour are: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Duane Eddy; singer songwriter Kimmie Rhodes; renowned photographer Jude Palmer; and David Hirshland, Executive VP, Client Services at BMG Chrysalis US.
Media will have the opportunity for exclusive video footage, photos and interviews with Mrs. Holly, Mr. Bradley and Mr. Tim Collins, LEPAA Board Chairman, during the event. The event is closed to the public.
WHEN: Thursday, September 7, 2016 at 10 a.m. We will begin the tour promptly at 10 a.m. B-roll and interviews should be complete by 10:30 a.m. Park in the Civic Center parking lot. We will meet for the tour at the “Site Tour Check-In” table in front of the construction site.
WHERE: The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences construction site, 1300 Mac Davis Lane.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please follow safety protocol when visiting the Buddy Holly Hall site by wearing pants/jeans and boots/closed toe shoes. A safety vest and hard hat will be provided for all who enter the construction site area.
About Peter Bradley, Jr.
Peter Bradley, Jr., resides in London and serves as a Board Director of The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. The mission of The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation is to honor Buddy’s legacy as well as to make Buddy and Maria Elena Holly’s dream of extending musical education, including songwriting, production, arranging, orchestration, and performance, to new generations regardless of income or ethnicity or learning levels. Bradley’s earliest memories of Buddy go back to coming home from school at an early age of 5 or 6 hearing “Maybe Baby” playing loud out of his Dad’s stereo.
About Maria Elena Holly
Maria Elena Holly, 84, is the widow of legendary musician Buddy Holly. In 2010, she co-founded The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation with Peter Bradley, Sr. In 2014, Maria Elena graciously allowed LEPAA to honor her late husband by naming the new performing arts center “The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences.”
