Ritchie Valens

American musician

Photo by: Distributed by General Artists Corportation · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born:May 13, 1941

Died:February 3, 1959

Age at death:17

Manner of death:Accidental Death

Cause of death:Aviation Accident

Zodiac Sign:Taurus

Born in:Pacoima, United States

Buried in:United States

Languages:English, Spanish

Singer-songwriter Rock Singer Singer Guitarist Songwriter Composer

Signature

Links

Wikipedia Official Website IMDb

Famous For

Movies & TV

Go, Johnny Go!

Songs & Albums

La BambaDonnaRitchie ValensRitchieRitchie Valens Memorial Album

Awards

Latin Grammy Hall of Fame (2013)Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2001)Grammy Hall of Fame (1999)star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Ritchie Valens

American musician

Biography

Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), 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. 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, 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. His eponymous debut album was released nine days later and his second album Ritchie was released later that year in October. 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.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Ritchie Valens”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

Ritchie Valens in a press photo dated to 1959. No copyright markings on the photo. The signature reads, "To Mr. Georg, Thank you for having me on your show from Ritchie Valens". Mr. Georg was George Levine, and the show was in Milwaukee on January 23, 1959.

Advertisement for Ritchie Valens' single, "Donna", and B-side, "La Bamba". 15 December 1958.

Original tombstone of Ritchie Valens which is located at the home of a fan and collector in Germany

Ritchie Valens photo for the 1959 film “Go Johnny Go

Ritchie Valens Promotional Photo for the 1959 film “Go Johnny Go”

Photo of the aviation accident known as "The Day the Music Died", that occurred on February 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa, where rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson perished. The photo was taken by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in the course of their investigation of the crash. The CAB is the precursor to today's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and was a part of the Department of Transportation.

Monument to en:Buddy Holly, en:Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (“en:The Big Bopper”). Location: Approximately 8 miles north of en:Clear Lake, Iowa Directions: US 18 to North 8th Street north in Clear Lake for 4.7 miles. When the paved road (which has turned into Grouse Avenue) turns left (west), go right (east) on gravel road (310th Street), then immediately left (north) on Gull Avenue. Follow Gull Avenue for 1/2 mile, just past the grain bins to t-intersection of a gravel road from the right and first fence row on left (west). The fence begins at the street sign for "Gull Ave." and "315th St." Walk along the fence row west for just under 1/2 mile. Directions to Crash Site: From U.S. Highway 18, go north on North 8th Street in Clear Lake for 4.7 miles. When the paved road (which has turned into Grouse Avenue) turns to your left (west), take the gravel road (310th Street) to your right (east), then immediately left (north) on Gull Avenue. Follow Gull Avenue to the north for one-half mile, just past the grain bins to the first fence row on your left (west). Walk along the fence row towards the west for just under one-half mile. A small memorial is located at the place the plane came to rest. Four trees were also planted along the fence row in 1999, one for each performer and the pilot.