Ritchie Valens

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Not to be confused with Ricky Valance.

Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Background information
Birth name	Richard Steven Valenzuela
Born	May 13, 1941 Pacoima, California, United States
Died	February 3, 1959 (aged 17) Grant Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States
Genres	rock and roll, chicano rock
Occupations	singer, songwriter and guitarist
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1957–1959
Labels	Del-Fi Records
Website	www.ritchievalens.com

'Richard Steven Valenzuela' (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months.^[1] During this time, he had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958,^[2]^[3] making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.
On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as "The Day the Music Died", Valens died in a small-plane crash in Iowa, a tragedy 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 inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.