Ritchie Valens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ritchie Valens
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Valens in 1958
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Richard Steven Valenzuela
May 13, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | February 3, 1959 (aged 17) Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Plane crash |
| Resting place | San Fernando Mission Cemetery |
| Other names | Ritchie Valens |
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| Years active | 1957–1959 |
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Ritchie Valens was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His real name was Richard Steven Valenzuela. He was born on May 13, 1941, and sadly passed away on February 3, 1959.
Ritchie was a very important person in early rock and roll music. He also helped start the Chicano rock style, which mixes rock music with Latin American sounds. His music career lasted only eight months before he died in a plane crash.
Valens had several popular songs. His most famous song was "La Bamba". He took an old Mexican folk song and changed it into a rock and roll hit in 1958. This made him a pioneer in rock en español, which is Spanish-speaking rock and roll. He also had another big hit song called "Donna".
On February 3, 1959, Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash in Iowa. This day is often called "The Day the Music Died". Two other famous musicians, Buddy Holly and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, also died in the same accident. Ritchie was only 17 years old when this happened. In 2001, he was honored by being added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Music Beginnings
Ritchie Valens was born Richard Steven Valenzuela in Pacoima, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. His parents came from Mexico. He grew up listening to different kinds of music, like traditional Mexican mariachi music, flamenco guitar, and R&B.
Ritchie showed interest in music from a very young age, around five years old. His father encouraged him to play the guitar and trumpet. Ritchie also taught himself how to play the drums. Even though he was left-handed, he learned to play the guitar the usual right-handed way.
When Ritchie was 15, he was a student at Pacoima Junior High School. There was a terrible plane crash near his school in 1957. Luckily, Ritchie was not at school that day because he was at his grandfather's funeral. This event caused him to have nightmares and made him afraid of flying.
Ritchie often brought his guitar to school and played songs for his friends. When he was 16, he joined a local band called The Silhouettes. He started as their guitarist. When the main singer left, Ritchie became the new lead singer. He performed with The Silhouettes for the first time on October 19, 1957.
Ritchie's Music Career
Ritchie Valens was a talented musician who taught himself how to play. He was a great singer and guitarist. When he performed, he often made up new lyrics and added new guitar parts to popular songs.
In May 1958, a record label owner named Bob Keane heard about Ritchie. Keane owned a small record company called Del-Fi Records in Hollywood. He was told that Ritchie was like "the Little Richard of San Fernando". Keane went to see Ritchie play and was very impressed. He invited Ritchie to try out at his home studio.
After the audition, Keane signed Ritchie to Del-Fi Records on May 27, 1958. Keane suggested changing his name to "Ritchie" because there were many "Richards" at the time. He also suggested shortening his last name to "Valens" from Valenzuela. This was done to help his music appeal to more people.
Ritchie then went into a recording studio with a full band. His first songs recorded were "Come On, Let's Go" and "Framed". These songs were released quickly and became successful. Ritchie's next record was a double hit: "Donna" and "La Bamba". "Donna" was written about his real girlfriend, Donna Ludwig. This record sold over a million copies and earned a gold disc.
By the fall of 1958, Ritchie's music career became so busy that he had to leave high school. He traveled all over the United States for performances and appeared on television shows.
Ritchie's Personal Life
Ritchie Valens had a girlfriend named Donna Ludwig. She was his high school sweetheart. They were together from 1957 until his death. Donna's parents did not approve of her dating a Hispanic man. Ritchie wrote his famous song "Donna" for her. Their relationship became difficult because Ritchie was becoming very famous and was often away on tour. After Ritchie died, Donna went to his funeral. In 1987, she attended the movie premiere of La Bamba, a film about Ritchie's life.
The Day the Music Died
After a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, 1959, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and J.P. Richardson decided to fly to their next show. Buddy Holly had rented a small plane. Ritchie Valens got on the plane because he won a coin toss with Buddy Holly's guitar player, Tommy Allsup. Buddy Holly's bass player, Waylon Jennings, gave his seat to J.P. Richardson, who was feeling sick with the flu.
Around 12:55 AM on February 3, 1959, the four-passenger plane took off for Fargo, North Dakota. It crashed just a few minutes later. All three musicians and the pilot, Roger Peterson, died instantly. Ritchie Valens was only 17 years old, making him the youngest person to die in the crash.
This sad event inspired singer Don McLean to write his 1971 hit song "American Pie". This song helped make February 3 known as "The Day the Music Died". Ritchie Valens was buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California. His mother, Concha, who passed away in 1987, is buried next to him.
Ritchie's Lasting Impact
Ritchie Valens was a very important figure in Chicano rock and Latin rock music. He inspired many musicians of Mexican heritage. He influenced famous artists like Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Carlos Santana. Ritchie became nationally successful when very few Latino musicians were popular in American rock and pop music. He is seen as the first Latino artist to successfully become popular in mainstream rock music.
His song "La Bamba" was especially influential. It became a pop hit sung entirely in Spanish. It also successfully mixed traditional Latin American music with rock. Ritchie was the first to do this, and many other artists later followed his lead. Interestingly, Ritchie's family spoke only English at home, and he knew very little Spanish. He learned the lyrics to "La Bamba" by listening and repeating them to record the song in Spanish. In 2019, Ritchie's version of "La Bamba" was chosen by the U.S. Library of Congress to be saved in the National Recording Registry. This means it is considered "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."
Many other artists have recorded Ritchie's songs. "Come On, Let's Go" has been recorded by Los Lobos and the Ramones. "Donna" has been recorded by artists like MxPx and the Misfits.
Ritchie Valens' guitar playing also influenced many other guitarists, including Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana.
Ritchie in Movies and TV
- Ritchie Valens was featured in the 1987 movie La Bamba. This film showed his life from age 16 to 17. Lou Diamond Phillips played Ritchie in the movie, and the band Los Lobos performed most of the music.
- He was also shown briefly in the movie The Buddy Holly Story, played by Gilbert Melgar.
- Ritchie appeared in his only film, Go, Johnny, Go! (1959). He sang "Ooh My Head" in a scene after being introduced by Chuck Berry. Ritchie died shortly after filming this.
- He was on the TV show American Bandstand on October 6, 1958, which was hosted by Dick Clark.
Honoring Ritchie Valens
Many tributes have been made to Ritchie Valens. In 1989, a fan named Ken Paquette built a monument in Wisconsin. It shows a guitar and three records with the names of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and The Big Bopper. This monument is located near where the plane crash happened. He also made a similar monument in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Paxton Park in Pacoima was renamed Ritchie Valens Park in the 1990s to honor him. A city council member wanted residents to remember his humble beginnings and be inspired by his achievements.
Musician Tommy Allsup, who won the coin toss with Ritchie, opened a club in Dallas in 1979 called "Tommy's Heads Up Saloon." He named it after the coin toss that happened 20 years earlier.
On May 11, 1990, Ritchie Valens received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 6733 Hollywood Boulevard.
On February 2, 2009, the Surf Ballroom held a 50th-anniversary event to honor the last concert of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. The event lasted a week and included performances that honored the three musicians.
Many murals have been painted in Pacoima to honor Ritchie Valens. In 1985, artist Manuel Velasquez created a large mural at Pacoima Middle School. It shows Ritchie's image, records of his hits, and a newspaper article about the plane crash. Other murals were painted in 2012 by Hector Ponce and Levi Ponce. A monument was also built in 2013 at Ritchie Valens Park.
A part of the Interstate 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley is named the Ritchie Valens Memorial Highway. A celebration was held on August 25, 2018, to honor his legacy and unveil replicas of the freeway sign.
In May 2022, the United States Post Office in Pacoima, California, was named in honor of Ritchie Valens.
Images for kids
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Valens in 1958
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Ritchie Valens' signature
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Grave of Valens and his mother Concepcion at San Fernando Mission Cemetery
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Photo of the wreckage from the airplane crash in Iowa
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Monument in front of Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa
See also
In Spanish: Ritchie Valens para niños
- La Bamba (film)
