Ritchie Valens
Known for ActingBorn 1941-05-13 — died 1959-02-03Los Angeles, California, USA
Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed in a plane crash eight months into his recording career.
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 2 hit with "Donna".
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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. In 2001, Valens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Known for
The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's "American Pie"
2022 · as Self (archive footage)
Go, Johnny, Go!
1959 · as Himself
Behind The Music: The Day The Music Died
1999 · as Self (archive footage)
The True Buddy Holly Story
2012 · as Self (archive footage)
Rock 'n' Roll and the 1950's Vol. 2
2003 · as Self (archive footage)