According to Little Richard, the Apollo theater performance by Buddy Holly and The Crickets in front of an all-black audience is pretty accurate. Holly and his band were booked "sight unseen" because the owner thought they were black. The audience was shocked to see white performers on stage, but they embraced Holly and his band.
Many of the actors did their own singing and played their own instruments live during the filming of the production numbers. This included the film's main players Gary Busey, Don Stroud and Charles Martin Smith.
In an interview for VH1's Behind the Music, "The Day the Music Died", at the premiere screening of the film, Buddy Holly's widow, Maria Elena Holly, ran out of the theater crying when Gary Busey, as Buddy, sang "True Love Ways" during the final concert. "True Love Ways" was Buddy's personal love song for Maria.
Buddy Holly's widow, Maria Elena Holly, controlled his estate as executor and administrator. She, producer Fred Bauer, director Steve Rash, and executive producer Edward H. Cohen agreed that no big-name star could play Buddy because the film's emphasis would shift toward the star. The actor had to be able to perform professionally in the numerous music sequences. Unlike most music-oriented films, all music would be staged, performed, and recorded on the film's soundtrack.