Biography of richie valens

American rock musician (1941–1959)

For the Welsh singer, see Ricky Valance.

Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959),^[3] better known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.

A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens died in a plane crash just eight months after his breakthrough.^[4]

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,^[5][6] making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He also had an American number-two hit with "Donna".

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, a