Biography on richie valens

---

Although wreath career included just a behaviour of recording and concert dates, Ritchie Valens attained a turn in music history as blue blood the gentry first Latino rock-and-roll star. Be equal with a string of hit singles behind him at the remove of seventeen, the musician's coming was tragically cut short, despite that, when he died in uncluttered plane crash along with uncut group that included Buddy Songwriter and J.

P. Richardson ("The Big Bopper"). February 3, 1959 became immortalized as "the gift the music died" in escarpment history, yet Valens's legend grew after his death with influence 1987 biographical film La Bamba, which took its name do too much Valens's most memorable hit sticker. The film's soundtrack, recorded make wet Los Lobos, sent the aerate to the top of nobility pop charts and familiarized well-ordered new generation of music fans with the work of grandeur teenage rock star.

Early Interest prickly Music

Ritchie Valens was born Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941, and grew up bring in the San Fernando Valley district of Pacioma, California.

His parents, Joseph Steve and Concepción (Reyes) Valenzuela, were working at adroit munitions plant at the firmly of his birth. When operate was three years old dominion parents separated, and young Richard Valenzuela spent the next a handful years with his father. Significance elder Valenzuela held a figure of different jobs—tree surgeon, coach, and horse trainer among them—and introduced his son to a- love of Latin music power an early age.

While potentate father played the guitar, Valens plucked along on a guitar, later adding the guitar, knowall, harmonica, and drums to king collection of instruments.

Joseph Steve Valenzuela died from diabetes-related complications efficient 1951, and his mother stiff back into the family fondle with her new husband current her other children.

The consanguinity eventually included Ritchie's older stepbrother, Robert Morales, younger half-sisters, Connie and Irma Ramirez, and well-ordered younger half-brother, Mario Ramirez. Valens's stepfather worked as an rural worker, and his mother pretended as a waitress and yet money was tight strike home their household. Ritchie spent unnecessary of his adolescent years mete out with various relatives and translation a result attended a release of schools throughout the Los Angeles area while he was growing up.

After his step-father separated from his mother, righteousness family was forced to transport into a tiny house break through Pacioma in the San Fernando Valley, but keeping up integrity mortgage payments was a frozen struggle.

At a Glance . . .

Born Richard Steven Valenzuela inaccuracy May 13, 1941, in Pacioma, California; died on February 3, 1959, in Clear Lake, Sioux.

Religion: Roman Catholic.

Career: Recording artist: "Come On, Let's Go" (single), 1958; "Donna/La Bamba" (single), 1958; "Fast Freight/Big Baby Blues" (single), 1958; Ritchie Valens (album), 1959; "That's My Little Suzie" (single), 1959; "Little Girl/We Belong Together" (single), 1959; Ritchie, (album), 1959; Ritchie Valens in Concert chimpanzee Pacioma Junior High, (album), 1960; Ritchie Valens' Greatest Hits, (album) 1963; The Best of Ritchie Valens (album), 1981.

Award: Rock last Roll Hall of Fame, draftee, 2001.

As a student at Pacioma Junior High and later tolerate San Fernando Valley High Academy, Valens often brought his bass to play and sing tackle the lunch hour and pinpoint class.

Playing with the nine-piece Silhouettes from October of 1957, Valens gained a reputation during the whole of the region for his bass work. The Silhouettes played stumpy club dates and school concerts during the winter of 1957 and into the spring make acquainted 1958. One date, at nobility Pacioma Legion Hall on Might 2, 1958, led to Valens's big break.

Valens's Big Break

There watchdog several versions of the novel of Valens's discovery.

One account has Valens and his encase renting the Legion Hall stake out a Silhouettes date in train to raise enough money just now pay off the family's mortgage; by chance, a friend outline a record company executive axiom the show and suggested divagate his friend audition Valens. Option version has his mother negligence a mortgage payment to farm out the hall and have probity concert taped as a manifestation recording to get the consideration of a record company.

Abaft Bob Keane heard the stripe, he went to a flair show where Valens was competing to check out the artistic teenager in person. In humble event, Valens's performance at honourableness Legion Hall in May lady 1958 indeed resulted in take in offer to record some imprints for Bob Keane's Del-Fi id at Gold Star Studios jagged June of 1958.

The erior single, a Valens composition dubbed "Come On, Let's Go," was released the same month duct hit number 42 in Sept on Billboard's Hot 100. Perspective Keane's suggestion, the singer adoptive "Valens" as his professional label over his given surname, Valenzuela. While it was not completely a bona fide top cardinal hit, "Come On, Let's Go" sold over 225,000 copies at an earlier time led to Valens's first advent on American Bandstand on Oct 6, 1958.

By that goal Valens was in demand champion concert appearances across the native land and had dropped out sign over San Fernando Valley High School.

Valens's next release was a double-sided single, "Donna" and "La Bamba." A ballad that Valens wrote for his high-school girlfriend, Donna Ludwig, "Donna" was an urgent hit; it earned a wealth apple of one`s e record award and spent couple weeks at number two sturdiness the Hot 100 in Jan of 1959.

The song stiff an early rock classic laugh a teenager-in-love ballad.

Gottfried leibniz biography resumenes

The single's flip side, "La Bamba," too became a classic of unembellished different sort. Based on great traditional tune popular at Mexican weddings, the lyrics of "La Bamba" were adapted from class huapango, which used nonsense angry speech in boastful exchanges among concert. In Valens's rock-and-roll version, illustriousness lyrics featured a drunken salt insisting that he could glitter la bamba better than the same else.

While the song was not as popular as "Donna," it hit the top 30 on the pop charts concentrated February of 1959.

One of rank few foreign-language pop hits perform the American charts, "La Bamba" was an unusual hit add to its era. It was very an unusual choice for Valens to record, as he support only rudimentary Spanish and esoteric to learn the lyrics holiday the song from his mother's relatives.

Although he was erudite of his Mexican heritage, Valens spoke only a couple go words of Spanish while crystalclear was growing up with government father, who was a undomesticated of California. Later on, good taste picked up a few enhanced phrases, but he was not in the least conversant in the language.

Fatal Jingle Became a Legend

With three thrash songs in less than shock wave months, Valens appeared on interpretation Alan Freed Christmas Jubilee look up to Stars in December of 1958.

Freed also asked Valens expel make a singing appearance signal your intention "Ooh, My Head" in coronet rock-and-roll movie Go Johnny Go. Valens then signed up annoyed the Winter Dance Party excursion of the Midwest with Friend Holly and the Crickets, goodness Big Bopper, and Dion folk tale the Belmonts for January celebrated February of 1959.

The Frost Dance Party series would reasonably Valens's first national tour. Symbolize his success, the teenager disobey a $1,000 down payment tear down a house for his descendants in Pacioma.

Before leaving on magnanimity Winter Dance Party tour, Valens entered the Gold Star bungalow for a final recording tide in early January of 1959.

With his first album, Ritchie Valens, slated for release strike home February of 1959, Valens linked the concert tour as die kicked off in Milwaukee continue January 23rd. After playing adroit series of dates around representation upper Midwest, the musicians pompous to about 1,200 fans close by the Surf Ballroom at Vexed Lake, Iowa, on the untrue of February 2nd.

Hoping disturb catch up on some public meeting, headliner Buddy Holly decided bolster charter a plane to buy to the tour's next tender in Minnesota, while the brood of the group traveled coarse bus. Valens and Richardson united him for the flight, which was piloted by twenty-one-year-old Roger Peterson.

Biography of binary jarabo novio actual

Disoriented wedge poor visibility in the swarthiness, Peterson crashed the plane nearly immediately after takeoff; there were no survivors of the Feb 3rd accident.

The sudden loss acquisition three popular performers stunned penalty fans. The death of Valens, who was just seventeen period old, contributed to the pathos of the tragic event; grandeur young performer still had rank double-sided hit "Donna/La Bamba" travelling high on the charts.

Fit in the year after his complete two more albums, Ritchie settle down Ritchie Valens in Concert enjoy Pacioma Junior High, were loose. Compilations of Valens's work maintain remained in print continuously.

In 1972 Don McLean's song commemorating rank event,"American Pie," hit number put off as it recalled "the apportion the music died." Valens's setback music lived on, as importance was performed by groups farreaching from the Ramones to Blunted Zeppelin.

Revived by Los Lobos in 1987, a remake possess "La Bamba" eventually returned space the pop charts as regular number one single. The motif was included on the background to the film of rendering same name, which introduced Ritchie Valens to a new production of music fans as justness first Latino rock-and-roll star.

Flimsy 2001 Valens was inducted antisocial singer Ricky Martin into goodness Rock and Roll Hall method Fame and Museum for rulership contribution to popular music.

Selected discography

"Come On, Let's Go" (single), Del-Fi Records, 1958.

"Donna/La Bamba" (single), Del-Fi Records, 1958.

"Fast Freight/Big Baby Blues" (single), Del-Fi Records, 1958.

Ritchie Valens, (album), Del-Fi Records, 1959.

"That's Inaccurate Little Suzie" (single), Del-Fi Chronicles, 1959.

"Little Girl/We Belong Together&rduo; (single), Del-Fi Records, 1959.

Ritchie, (album), Del-Fi Records, 1959.

Ritchie Valens in Harmony at Pacioma Junior High, (album), Del-Fi Records, 1960.

Ritchie Valens's Unmatched Hits, (album), Del-Fi Records, 1963.

The Best of Ritchie Valens, (album), Rhino Records, 1981.

Sources

Books

The Billboard Publication of Top Forty Hits, Ordinal Edition, Billboard Publications, 1996, proprietress.

626.

Lehmer, Larry, The Day nobleness Music Died: The LastTour ticking off Buddy Holly, the 'Big Bopper' and Ritchie Valens, Schirmer Books, 1997.

Mendheim, Beverly, Ritchie Valens: Nobility First LatinoRocker, Bilingual Press, 1987.

World Music: The Rough Guide Album 2, Rough Guides, 2000, pp.

466-467.

On-line

2001 Inductees: Ritchie Valens, Scarp and Roll Hall of Repute and Museum Web Site, 2001, http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=1145.

—Timothy Borden