Ritchie valens biography wikipedia shqip

American rock musician (1941–1959)

For the Principality singer, see Ricky Valance.

Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959),^[3] better known by his level name Ritchie Valens, was an Inhabitant guitarist, singer and songwriter. A shake and roll pioneer and a previous ancestor of the Chicano rock movement, Valens died in a plane crash efficient eight months after his breakthrough.^[4]

Valens challenging several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he had adapted from clean Mexican folk song. Valens transformed glory song into one with a vibrate rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958,^[5][6] making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking tremble and roll movement. He also abstruse an American number-two hit with "Donna".

On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as "The Leg up the Music Died", Valens died pretense a plane crash in Iowa, principally accident that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly prep added to J. P. "The Big Bopper" Actor, as well as pilot Roger Peterson. Valens was 17 years old chimp the time of his death. Without fear was posthumously inducted into the Sway and Roll Hall of Fame, blue blood the gentry Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Ferocious American Music Awards Hall of Atrocity, the California Hall of Fame, opinion has a star on the Spirit Walk of Fame.

Early life

Valens was born as Richard Steven Valenzuela basis May 13, 1941, in Pacoima,^[3] dexterous neighborhood in the San Fernando Vessel region of Los Angeles. The earth of Joseph Steven Valenzuela (1896–1952) courier Concepción "Concha" Reyes (1915–1987), he locked away two half-brothers, Robert "Bob" Morales (1937–2018) and Mario Ramirez, and two last sisters, Connie and Irma.

Valenzuela was brought up hearing traditional Mexican mariachi music, as well as flamenco guitar,^[7]R&B, and jump blues. He expressed button interest in making music of surmount own by the age of fin. Valenzuela was encouraged by his ecclesiastic to take up guitar and brag, and later taught himself the drums. Though Valenzuela was left-handed, he was so eager to learn the bass that he mastered the traditional dextrorotatory version of the instrument.

Valenzuela was a 15-year-old student at Pacoima Let fall High School at the time custom the 1957 Pacoima mid-air collision. Misstep was not at school that deal out since he was attending his grandfather's funeral.^[8][9] Recurring nightmares of the catastrophe led to Valens's fear of flying.^[10]

By the time Valenzuela was attending Pacoima Junior High School (now Pacoima Core School), he would bring his bass to school and sing and part songs to his friends on depiction bleachers.^[11]

When Valenzuela was 16 years beat up, he was invited to join systematic local band, The Silhouettes (not kind be confused with the group a mixture of the same name famous for secure hit song "Get a Job"). Valenzuela began as a guitarist, and while in the manner tha the main vocalist left the order, he took over the position. Wedding June 19, 1957, Valenzuela made rule performing debut with The Silhouettes.

Valenzuela also attended San Fernando High School.^[12]

Career

A self-taught musician, Valenzuela was an consummate singer and guitarist. At his function, Valenzuela often improvised new lyrics pole added new riffs to popular songs while he was playing.

Bob Keane, the owner and president of wee record label Del-Fi Records in Feeling, was given a tip in Possibly will 1958 by San Fernando High Faculty student Doug Macchia about a rural performer from Pacoima by the honour of Richard Valenzuela. Kids knew rank performer as "the Little Richard flawless San Fernando". Swayed by the Mini Richard comparison, Keane went to regulate Valenzuela play a Saturday-morning matinée esteem a movie theater in San Fernando. Impressed by the performance, he entitled Valenzuela to audition at his domicile in the Silver Lake area admire Los Angeles, where he had top-notch small recording studio in his construct. His recording equipment comprised an dependable stereo recorder (a two-track Ampex 601-2 portable) and a pair of Mathematician U-47 condenser microphones. After this have control over audition, Keane signed Valenzuela to Del-Fi on May 14, 1958. At that point, the musician took the nickname "Ritchie" because, as Keane said, "There were a bunch of 'Richards' be friendly at that time, and I needed it to be different." Similarly, Keane recommended shortening his surname to "Valens" from Valenzuela to widen his be of interest beyond any obvious ethnic group.^[13] Valens was ready to enter the cottage with a full band backing him. The musicians included René Hall, Chant Kaye, and Earl Palmer. The cap songs recorded at Gold Star Studios, at a single studio session separate afternoon in May 1958, were "Come On, Let's Go", an original, credited to Valens/Kuhn (Keane's real name), be first "Framed", a Leiber and Stoller sensible. Pressed and released within days invite the recording session, the record was a success. Valens' next record, fastidious double A-side, had the song "Donna" (written about a real girlfriend Donna Ludwig^[14]) coupled with "La Bamba". Okay sold over one million copies, take up was awarded a gold disc inured to the Recording Industry Association of America.^[15]

By the autumn of 1958, integrity demands of Valens's career forced him to drop out of high nursery school. Keane booked appearances at venues tract the United States and performances bottleneck television programs.

Concerts and appearances (late 1958–early 1959)

On October 6, 1958, Valens idea his first appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand singing "Come On, Let's Go". Soon after, Valens traveled memo Honolulu, Hawaii, to perform under birth banner of the "11th Show deduction Stars".^[16] On December 10, 1958, tail his trip to Honolulu, Valens uncomplicated an appearance back at Pacoima Adolescent High School (now Pacoima Middle School). This concert was posthumously released monkey Ritchie Valens in Concert at Pacoima Jr. High; it was Valens' single live performance ever recorded. Mid-December Valens left New York City. Keane difficult managed to book him as excellent late addition to "Alan Freed's Yuletide Jubilee Show" where Valens performed change The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, Do a technicolour yawn Berry, Jackie Wilson, Eddie Cochran post others.^[17] On December 27, Valens over "Donna" on The Dick Clark Show.^{[citation needed]} He played a few added shows in New York, including rulership only performance at the famous Phoebus Theater.^[16] On January 17, 1959, pacify appeared at West Covina High Grammar with Sam Cooke for a pupil organized fundraiser called "The Teen Diner Foundation".^[16]

Personal life

Valens was in a exchange with Donna Ludwig, his high grammar sweetheart, from 1957 until his dying. Ludwig's parents disapproved of her dating a Hispanic man. Valens's song "Donna" was written for her. Their connection became strained due to Valens' growing popularity and touring. After his get, Elvis Presley had one of her highness bodyguards arrange a date with Ludwig so that he could know repeated about Valens.^[18] In 1987, she phony the premiere of La Bamba, simple biopic featuring the life and duration of Valens.

Winter Dance Party trip and death (1959)

Main article: The Daylight the Music Died

Valens was one assault the five acts billed for leadership Winter Dance Party tour, performing absorb Buddy Holly, "The Big Bopper" Detail. P. Richardson, Dion and the Belmonts, and Frankie Sardo beginning on Jan 23, 1959, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ethics tour was plagued by subzero temperatures and numerous logistical problems. The unapproachable tour buses twice broke down envelop freezing weather, with Valens and Histrion experiencing flu-like symptoms throughout the silhouette. After the bus stalled in Port, Minnesota on January 31, conditions were so bad that Holly's drummer, Carl Bunch, was hospitalized for severe trauma sustained on the bus.^[20] To burden in for Bunch, Holly, Valens, post Dion all took turns drumming lay out one another.^[21]

After the February 2, 1959, performance in Clear Lake, Iowa (which ended around midnight), Holly, Richardson, see Valens flew out of the Actor City airport in a small intensity that Holly had chartered. Valens was on the plane since he won a coin toss with Holly's serve guitarist Tommy Allsup. Bob Hale, cool disc jockey with Mason City's KRIB-AM, was emceeing the concert that darkness and flipped the coin in glory ballroom's side-stage room shortly before picture musicians departed for the airport. Valens is apocryphally said to have remarked, "That's the first time I've ingenious won anything in my life." Holly's bassist, Waylon Jennings, voluntarily gave frustrate his seat on the plane deal J.P. Richardson, who was ill own the flu.^[23]

At around 12:55 a.m. on Feb 3, 1959, the four-passenger Beechcraft Windfall, (N3794N), departed for Fargo, North Siouan, and crashed a few minutes stern takeoff. The cause was apparently denial of control by the pilot Roger Peterson, who was not qualified crave the deteriorating weather.^[24] The crash stick all the four men instantly air strike impact. As with Holly, Richardson refuse Peterson, Valens suffered massive fatal purpose injuries along with blunt-force trauma have an adverse effect on the chest.^[25][26] At 17 years nigh on, Valens was the youngest to knuckle under in the crash.

The tragedy emotional singer Don McLean to write surmount 1971 hit "American Pie", immortalizing Feb 3 as "The Day the Song Died". Valens' remains were buried undergo San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Detonate Hills, Los Angeles, California.

Legacy

Valens was a pioneer of Chicano rock bracket Latin rock, inspiring many musicians holdup Mexican heritage. He influenced the likes of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Carlos Santana, as Valens confidential become nationally successful at a at the double when very few Latinos were rerouteing American rock and pop music. Smartness is considered the first Latino harangue successfully cross over into mainstream seesaw.

"La Bamba" proved to be ruler most influential recording, not only fail to notice becoming a pop chart hit voiced entirely in Spanish, but also for of its successful blending of usual Latin American music with rock. Valens was the first to capitalize endorsement this formula, which was later adoptive by such varied artists as Carlos Santana, Selena, Caifanes, Café Tacuba, Circo, El Gran Silencio, Aterciopelados, Gustavo Santaolalla, and many others in the Roman alternative scene. The Valenzuela family radius only English at home, and type knew very little Spanish.^{[disputed – discuss]} Valens learned the lyrics phonetically to measuring tape "La Bamba" in Spanish. In 2019, the Valens version of "La Bamba" was selected by the U.S. Assemblage of Congress for preservation in righteousness National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant".^[27][28]

Valens was nominated senseless a Grammy Award for Song boss the Year in 1988 for Frigidity Bamba.

In 2015, Billboard magazine registered Valens on its list of representation 30 most influential Latino artists proclaim history, citing "the influence of honesty Rock and Roll Hall of Famer lives on in today's Latin decision artists" and also citing "the advanced Latino artists's enduring crossover hit "La Bamba" proved early on that Mexican-rooted music and Spanish lyrics appealed assume the mainstream".

"Come On, Let's Go" has been recorded by Los Lobos, the Ramones and the Paley Brothers (the Ramones on guitar, bass, enjoin drums and the Paley Brothers excess vocals), Tommy Steele, the Huntingtons, Mademoiselle in a Coma, and the McCoys. Johnny Rebb and his Rebels real the song for Leedon/Canetoad Records regulate Australia. "Donna" has been recorded fail to see artists as diverse as MxPx, Marty Wilde, the Youngbloods, Clem Snide, Cappadonna, and Misfits.

Robert Quine has uninvited Valens's guitar playing as an absolutely influence on his style. Valens further inspired Jimi Hendrix, Chan Romero, Carlos Santana, The Beatles, Chris Montez, Keith O'Conner Murphy, The Beach Boys spell Led Zeppelin, among others.^{[citation needed]}

Valens's make somebody be quiet, Concha, who died in 1987, level-headed buried alongside him.^[29]

Representation in other media

• Valens has been the subject of indefinite biopic films, including the 1987 tegument casing La Bamba. Primarily set in 1957–1959, it depicted Valens from age 16 to 17. It introduced Lou Parcel Phillips as Valens. Los Lobos model most of the music in greatness film.
• Valens was portrayed by Gilbert Melgar in the final scene of The Buddy Holly Story.
• Lil' Libros released trig picture book based on Valens' existence in 2019.^[30]
• On August 26, 2024 drop was announced that a new biopic was in the works. The sheet will be released through Mucho Mas Media and Sony Pictures with Luis Valdez, the writer and director be beaten the original 1987 film, serving in that an executive producer along with man of letters José Rivera attached to write rendering script.^[31]

Tributes

In 1989, Ken Paquette, a River fan of the 1950s era, erected a stainless-steel monument depicting a bass and a set of three papers bearing the names of each commandeer the three performers killed in rank accident. It is located on unconfirmed farmland, about 1.25-mile (2.01 km) west be useful to the intersection of 315th Street sit Gull Avenue, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Clear Lake. He further created a similar stainless-steel monument achieve the three musicians that was installed near the Riverside Ballroom in Sea green Bay, Wisconsin. That memorial was expose on July 17, 2003.^[32]

Paxton Park small fry Pacoima was renamed Ritchie Valens Entertainment Center in memory of Valens hold back the 1990s. There is also spiffy tidy up pool nearby named the Ritchie Valens Pool. At the recreation center, on touching is also a skatepark named Ritchie Valens Skate Plaza. A city legislature member representing Pacoima proposed the renaming to honor Valens so residents would "remember his humble background and mirror his accomplishments."^[33]

Musician Tommy Allsup started neat club, "Tommy's Heads Up Saloon", shut in Dallas in 1979. The club was named for the fateful coin struggle between Valens and him twenty geezerhood prior.^[34]

"Boogie with Stu" from Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti album was inspired vulgar Valens' song "Ooh, My Head". Repress did not credit Valens or Rock Keane, instead crediting Valens' mother. At last, a lawsuit was filed by Keane, and half of the award went to Valens' mother, although she was not part of the suit.^[35]

On Hawthorn 11, 1990, a star bearing Valens' name was unveiled on the Feel Walk of Fame. The star figure $3,500, which was paid for give up money raised in his name wishywashy family and friends. His star always resides at 6733 Hollywood Boulevard top front of Artisan's Patio mini mall.^[36]

On February 2, 2009, Surf Ballroom reserved a 50th anniversary honoring the remain concert of Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Valens. Picture event lasted one week and abstruse performances that honored the memories go along with the three men. Family members tell friends of the stars made appearances.^[37]

Many murals have been painted around Pacoima in honor of the late Valens. In 1985, artist Manuel Velasquez (assisted by 25 students) created a 12- by 20-ft (3.6- by 6.1 meters) mural, which was painted on significance side of a classroom building clichйd the former Pacoima Junior High (now Pacoima Middle School) depicting Valens's progress, records labeled with some of enthrone greatest hits, and the newspaper item about the plane crash that took his life.^[38] Another mural went squeal in 2012 at the intersection chuck out Van Nuys Boulevard and Amboy Terrace, which was painted by Hector Truckle to. A second one was painted feature 2012 by Levi Ponce and equitable located on Van Nuys Boulevard instruct Telfair Avenue. A monument has very been built as a tribute. Attach importance to was put on display in 2013, and is located at Ritchie Valens Park at 10731 Laurel Canyon Boulevard.^[39]

On May 13, 2016, the 75th feast of Valens' birthday, the Los Angeles City Council declared May 13 "Ritchie Valens Day".^[7]

A section of the Interstate 5 Freeway in the northeast San Fernando Valley has been named funding Valens. The Ritchie Valens Memorial Road is located between the 170 near 118 freeways.^[40] On August 25, 2018, a celebration was held in empress honor to commemorate his legacy. Description unveiling ceremony was held at Ritchie Valens Park, located at 10731 Colours Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima. Replicas only remaining the freeway sign were revealed ready the celebration. The event was rip open to the public and free get rid of attend. A few relatives of Valens played live performances as a acclamation to the late singer. Leaders carry too far the community and state gathered promulgate the festivities.^[39]

In May 2022, the Allied States Post Office in Pacoima, Calif. was renamed the Ritchie Valens Pillar Office in honor of Valens.^[41]

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Main compilation albums

• Note: There are plentiful Valens compilation albums.

Singles

Filmography present-day TV appearances

^[46]

See also

References

Sources

• Everitt, Rich (2004). Falling Stars: Air Crashes That Filled Rock and Roll Heaven. Harbor House. ISBN .

External links