1. Richard Steven Valenzuela, better known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.
27 Facts About Ritchie Valens
1. 2.
Ritchie Valens had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song.
3.
Ritchie Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Ritchie Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.
4.
Ritchie Valens 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.
5.
Ritchie Valens was born as Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13,1941, in Pacoima, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.
6.
Ritchie Valens expressed an interest in making music of his own by the age of five.
7.
Ritchie Valens was not at school that day since he was attending his grandfather's funeral.
8.
Ritchie Valens's recording equipment comprised an early stereo recorder and a pair of Neumann U-47 condenser microphones.
9.
Ritchie Valens was ready to enter the studio with a full band backing him.
10.
On December 10,1958, after his trip to Honolulu, Ritchie Valens made an appearance back at Pacoima Junior High School.
11.
Keane had managed to book him as a late addition to "Alan Freed's Christmas Jubilee Show" where Ritchie Valens performed with The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, Eddie Cochran and others.
12.
Ritchie Valens played a few more shows in New York, including his only performance at the famous Apollo Theater.
13.
Ritchie Valens was in a relationship with Donna Ludwig, his high school sweetheart, from 1957 until his death.
14.
Ritchie Valens was on the plane since he won a coin toss with Holly's backup guitarist Tommy Allsup.
15.
At 17 years old, Ritchie Valens was the youngest to die in the crash.
16.
Ritchie Valens was buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California.
17.
Ritchie Valens was a pioneer of Chicano rock and Latin rock, inspiring many musicians of Mexican heritage.
18.
Ritchie Valens influenced the likes of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Carlos Santana, as Valens had become nationally successful at a time when very few Latinos were in American rock and pop music.
19.
Ritchie Valens is considered the first Latino to successfully cross over into mainstream rock.
20.
Ritchie Valens was the first to capitalize on this formula, which was later adopted by such varied artists as Carlos Santana, Selena, Caifanes, Cafe Tacuba, Circo, El Gran Silencio, Aterciopelados, Gustavo Santaolalla, and many others in the Latin alternative scene.
21.
Ritchie Valens learned the lyrics phonetically to record "La Bamba" in Spanish.
22.
Ritchie Valens was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1988 for La Bamba.
23.
Robert Quine has cited Ritchie Valens's guitar playing as an early influence on his style.
24.
Ritchie Valens inspired Jimi Hendrix, Chan Romero, Carlos Santana, the Beatles, Chris Montez, Keith O'Conner Murphy, the Beach Boys and Led Zeppelin, among others.
25.
Ritchie Valens created a similar stainless-steel monument to the three musicians that was installed near the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
26.
On May 11,1990, a star bearing Ritchie Valens' name was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
27.
The unveiling ceremony was held at Ritchie Valens Park, located at 10731 Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima.