Oh Donna | The Donna Fox and Ritchie Valens Connection
“I had a girl, Donna was her name”
If I had a dollar for every guy who sang that to me thinking they were the first guy ever to do so, I’d be set on Starbuck’s lattes for a year. Ok, a week. Alright, I could get one tall latte (have you seen how expensive these things have gotten?)
What I didn’t know until a few months ago, was the close connection I had to the hit Ritchie Valens song.
Ritchie Valens of course wrote the song “Donna” for his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig. The song hit the billboard top 10 just eight months before Valens died far too young in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. Don McLean called this “The Day The Music Died” since Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper were also on board that plane.
So, where’s the connection to me and the song? Let’s move further in the lyrics…
“I had a girl
Donna was her name
Since she left me
I’ve never been the same
‘Cause I love my girl
Donna, where can you be”
Where can you be indeed, Donna Ludwig?
Well, turns out Donna Ludwig got married (those of you who immediately got the connection with Buddy Holly and Peggy Sue got married get extra pop culture points).
Thing is, she married someone by the last name of Fox, becoming, of course, Donna Fox!
This explains why when you do a Google Search, even though I dominate the search engine results for searches for Donna Fox, you’ll often get a related or suggested search from Google for “Donna Ludwig”
See the woman cut off on the lower left hand side of the search? Well, that’s none of than Donna Ludwig Fox, the inspiration for Ritchie’s Song.
So where is she now? She’s a well respected member of her Sacramento, California community, a grandmother, and branch manager of her real estate office.
Apparently she still makes appearances for Valens-related charity events.
Here’s a YouTube interview of her from what seems like some time ago
Donna Ludwig Fox
She looks like a lovely woman, and I hope to meet her someday.
After all, she’s a Foxy Donna Fox like me!
Click here to see where Oh Donna (Ludwig) Fox is now…
September 21st, 2008 at 4:52 pm
What a fun & interesting post! (It’s not a bad way to get noticed either!) Of course you are too young and beautiful to be confused with the other Donna!
[Reply]
DonnaFox Reply:
September 21st, 2008 at 4:58 pm
@Nancy Sutherland -
Thanks for the compliment. I’ll accept young, but Donna Ludwig is pretty darn beautiful. I should look so good at her age, which I estimate to be 30 years over mine!
[Reply]
September 21st, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Donna getting 2 knoow u dare I say as a friend I can really see why u identify with the song AND enjoyed researching. It was enjoyable 2 read and I will always think of u when I hear that song now!
Blessings!
[Reply]
DonnaFox Reply:
September 21st, 2008 at 5:50 pm
@Stephanie Bell the Spirit Coach -
Yay! Then my quest for global domination, one raving fan at a time, is working!
[Reply]
September 21st, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Donna,
Your post ROCKS! Amazing of the coincidence that Donna Ludwig married a Fox. What would be even more cool if somehow you were related through her marrying a family member, then that would just be plain freaky!
Due to my bro-in-law marrying a Lisa, I kept my maiden name so I am not confused with my “sister-in-law.” Oy! Not sure if this is on the same level but somehow my mind relates that it is…
“oh Donna, oooooh Donna”
@PearlyWrites
[Reply]
DonnaFox Reply:
September 21st, 2008 at 5:49 pm
@Lisa Weinberger -
Which brings me to a relatively little known fact… Fox is a married name for me!
I was born Donna Cuneo. I married Brian Fox in 1993. Sometime in 1997 we decided that we made a better brother and sister than husband and wife, and eventually divorced in 2001. I kept the name though, ‘cuz it’s cool
[Reply]
September 21st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
OMG! One of my very favourite songs and I loved the movie with Lou Diamond Philips. I AM almost old enough to have gone to school with Donna and Ritchie and that type of music will forever inform all I do. Thanks, Donna, for the trip down Memory Lane.
[Reply]
DonnaFox Reply:
September 21st, 2008 at 5:47 pm
@Barb/ostara -
Even though I’m not old enough to remember that music, I’ve definitely be influenced by it. I was blessed with parents who instilled in me a love of all music eras and genres.
Sadly, I’ve never seen La Bamba, but I did just add it to my Netflix queue!
[Reply]
December 8th, 2008 at 4:40 am
Cool! I just have to add my two cents. I was born Donna Richie in 1958. My email name is phoxey1! Too crazy!
[Reply]
DonnaFox Reply:
December 18th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
That’s a riot! It’s a small world, and I guess not enough original names to go around!
[Reply]