Ritchie Valens

Ritchie Valens
Valens in 1958
Born
Richard Steven Valenzuela

(1941-05-13)May 13, 1941
DiedFebruary 3, 1959(1959-02-03) (aged 17)
Cause of deathBlunt trauma as a result of a plane accident
Resting placeSan Fernando Mission Cemetery
Other namesRitchie Valens[1][2]
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Years active1957–1959
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Websitewww.ritchievalens.com Edit this at Wikidata
Signature

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.

  1. ^ "Arvee Allens – Big Baby Blues / Fast Freight". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  2. ^ "Del-Fi Album Discography". Bsnpubs.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "Ritchie Valens | Biography, Songs, Plane Crash, Donna, La Bamba, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. December 27, 2023.
  4. ^ "Ritchie Valens - the Pioneer of Rock and Roll". EF News International. December 16, 2011. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012.
  5. ^ Letivan, Corey (July 5, 2005). "Latino rockers no longer lost in translation". Daily Breeze. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  6. ^ "Temas | Rock en Venezuela" (in Spanish). Mipunto.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2013.