Ritchie Valens
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
| Ritchie Valens | |
|---|---|
 Ritchie Valens |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ricardo Esteban Valenzuela Reyes |
| Born | May 13, 1941 |
| Origin | 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 |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1957–1959 |
| Labels | Del-Fi Records |
| Website | ritchievalens.com |
Ritchie Valens (born Ricardo Esteban Valenzuela Reyes; May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959) was a Mexican-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. During this time, however, he scored several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song that Valens transformed with a rock rhythm and beat that became a hit in 1958,[1][2] 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 was killed 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. Valens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
|
|
398
