Ritchie Valens
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]
For the Welsh singer, see Ricky Valance.
Ritchie Valens
February 3, 1959 (aged 17)
Blunt trauma as a result of a plane accident
- Musician
- songwriter
1957–1959
- Guitar
- vocals
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.
Early life[edit]
Valens was born as Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941, in Pacoima,[3] a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. The son of Joseph Steven Valenzuela (1896–1952) and Concepción "Concha" Reyes (1915–1987), he had two half-brothers, Robert "Bob" Morales (1937–2018) and Mario Ramirez, and two younger sisters, Connie and Irma.
Valenzuela was brought up hearing traditional Mexican mariachi music, as well as flamenco guitar,[7] R&B, and jump blues. He expressed an interest in making music of his own by the age of five. Valenzuela was encouraged by his father to take up guitar and trumpet, and later taught himself the drums. Though Valenzuela was left-handed, he was so eager to learn the guitar that he mastered the traditional right-handed version of the instrument.
Valenzuela was a 15-year-old student at Pacoima Junior High School at the time of the 1957 Pacoima mid-air collision. He was not at school that day since he was attending his grandfather's funeral.[8][9] Recurring nightmares of the disaster led to Valens's fear of flying.[10]
By the time Valenzuela was attending Pacoima Junior High School (now Pacoima Middle School), he would bring his guitar to school and sing and play songs to his friends on the bleachers.[11]
When Valenzuela was 16 years old, he was invited to join a local band, The Silhouettes (not to be confused with the group of the same name famous for its hit song "Get a Job"). Valenzuela began as a guitarist, and when the main vocalist left the group, he assumed the position. On June 19, 1957, Valenzuela made his performing debut with The Silhouettes.
Valenzuela also attended San Fernando High School.[12]
Personal life[edit]
Valens was in a relationship with Donna Ludwig, his high school sweetheart, from 1957 until his death. Ludwig's parents disapproved of her dating a Hispanic man. Valens's song "Donna" was written for her. Their relationship became strained due to Valens' increasing popularity and touring. After his death, Elvis Presley had one of his bodyguards arrange a date with Ludwig so that he could know all about Valens.[18] In 1987, she attended the premiere of La Bamba, a biopic featuring the life and career of Valens.
Legacy[edit]
Valens was a pioneer of Chicano rock and Latin rock, inspiring many musicians of Mexican heritage. He influenced the likes of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Carlos Santana, as Valens had become nationally successful at a time when very few Latinos were in American rock and pop music. He is considered the first Latino to successfully cross over into mainstream rock.
"La Bamba" proved to be his most influential recording, not only by becoming a pop chart hit sung entirely in Spanish, but also because of its successful blending of traditional Latin American music with rock. Valens was the first to capitalize on this formula, which was later adopted by such varied artists as Carlos Santana, Selena, Caifanes, Café Tacuba, Circo, El Gran Silencio, Aterciopelados, Gustavo Santaolalla, and many others in the Latin alternative scene. The Valenzuela family spoke only English at home, and he knew very little Spanish. Valens learned the lyrics phonetically to record "La Bamba" in Spanish. In 2019, the Valens version of "La Bamba" was selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant".[27][28]
Valens was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1988 for La Bamba.
In 2015, Billboard magazine listed Valens on its list of the 30 most influential Latino artists in history, citing "the influence of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer lives on in today's Latin alternative artists" and also citing "the pioneering Latino artists's enduring crossover hit "La Bamba" proved early on that Mexican-rooted music and Spanish lyrics appealed to the mainstream".
"Come On, Let's Go" has been recorded by Los Lobos, the Ramones and the Paley Brothers (the Ramones on guitar, bass, and drums and the Paley Brothers on vocals), Tommy Steele, the Huntingtons, Girl in a Coma, and the McCoys. Johnny Rebb and his Rebels recorded the song for Leedon/Canetoad Records in Australia. "Donna" has been recorded by artists as diverse as MxPx, Marty Wilde, the Youngbloods, Clem Snide, Cappadonna, and Misfits.
Robert Quine has cited Valens's guitar playing as an early influence on his style. Valens also inspired Jimi Hendrix, Chan Romero, Carlos Santana, The Beatles, Chris Montez, Keith O'Conner Murphy, The Beach Boys and Led Zeppelin, among others.
Valens's mother, Concha, who died in 1987, is buried alongside him.[29]