Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959),[3] better known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens died in a plane crash just eight months after his breakthrough.[4]
Valens had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958,[5][6] making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He also had an American number-two hit with "Donna".
On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as "The Day the Music Died", Valens died in a plane crash in Iowa, an accident that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as pilot Roger Peterson. Valens was 17 years old at the time of his death. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, The Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame, The California Hall of Fame, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
^"Arvee Allens – Big Baby Blues / Fast Freight". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
^"Del-Fi Album Discography". Bsnpubs.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
^"Ritchie Valens | Biography, Songs, Plane Crash, Donna, La Bamba, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. December 27, 2023.
^"Ritchie Valens - the Pioneer of Rock and Roll". EF News International. December 16, 2011. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012.
^Letivan, Corey (July 5, 2005). "Latino rockers no longer lost in translation". Daily Breeze. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
^"Temas | Rock en Venezuela" (in Spanish). Mipunto.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
name RitchieValens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens died...
On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, RitchieValens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were all killed in a plane crash...
before midnight), Allsup agreed to flip a coin for the seat with RitchieValens. Valens called heads; when he won, he reportedly said, "That's the first...
1962) is an American actor. His breakthrough came when he starred as RitchieValens in the biographical drama film La Bamba (1987). For Stand and Deliver...
tracks 1,5) Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) – Frank Wilson (1965) Donna – RitchieValens (1958) Expecting to Fly – Buffalo Springfield (1967) Fast Man Raider...
Clear Lake, Iowa, in 1959, along with fellow musicians Buddy Holly and RitchieValens, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Richardson was born on October 24, 1930...
History of RitchieValens, a deluxe box set of Valens' original three Del-Fi albums. Six years later, with the success of the RitchieValens bio movie...
to that of RitchieValens, and the two ended up on the same record label. After Valens died in a plane crash, Romero was introduced to Valens' grieving...
cover and the same photo of Valens from his second album Ritchie. A few months later, the album was retitled RitchieValens, His Greatest Hits and repackaged...
that crashed and killed Holly, J. P. "the Big Bopper" Richardson and RitchieValens. Jennings then returned to Texas, taking several years off from music...
March 1958, Keane discovered RitchieValens performing a Saturday matinee show in a movie theatre in Pacoima and invited Valens to audition in the basement...
film based on the life of RitchieValens "La Bamba" (song), a folk song best known from a 1958 adaptation by RitchieValens La Bamba Mexican Restaurant...
of RitchieValens is a 3-record box set by RitchieValens, featuring his three original Del-Fi albums (RitchieValens, Ritchie, & RitchieValens In Concert...
not credit Valens or Bob Keane, instead crediting Valens' mother. Eventually a lawsuit was filed by Keane, and half of the award went to Valens' mother,...
Purple and Rainbow Ritchie Torres (born 1988), New York politician RitchieValens (1941–1959), American singer, songwriter Ritchie (rapper), a member...
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