What Happened to Richie Valens' Family?Donna, First Love, True Love is on the Family Tree at Geni.com.
Richard Steven Valenzuela, also known as "Ritchie Valens", was an American singer, composer, and guitarist.A pioneer of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed in a plane crash eight months into his recording career.[4]
Valens had a number of hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he adapted from a Mexican folk song.Valens was a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement after transforming the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat.He had an American number two hit.
On February 3, 1959 Valens died in a plane crash in Iowa that also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.Valens was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Richard Steven Valenzuela was born in Pacoima, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.His parents were from Mexico.He was the second of five siblings with older brother Bob.
There was a time when Valenzuela heard traditional Mexican mariachi music, as well as flamenco guitar, R&B, and jump blues.By the age of five, Valenzuela wants to make his own music.He learned to play the drums after being encouraged by his father to take up trumpet and guitar.Valenzuela mastered the traditional right-handed version of the guitar because he was so eager to learn it.
At junior high school, Valenzuela would bring his guitar to school and play music for his friends on the bleachers.He was invited to join a local band called The Silhouettes when he was 16 years old.When the main vocalist left the group, Valenzuela assumed the position.He made his debut with The Silhouettes.
Valenzuela attended two high schools: Pacoima Junior High and San Fernando High.[8]
Valenzuela was an accomplished singer and guitarist.He added new riffs to popular songs while he was playing.
The owner and president of a small record label in Hollywood received a tip about a young performer from Pacoima by the name of Richard Valenzuela.The performer was known as "the Little Richard of San Fernando".Valenzuela played a Saturday-morning matinée at a movie theater in San Fernando, which was Swayed by the Little Richard comparison.He invited the youth to try out at his home in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, where he had a small recording studio in his basement.His recording equipment included a two-track Ampex 601-2 portable and a pair of Neumann U-47 microphones.
Valenzuela was signed to Del-Fi on May 27, 1958.At this point, the musician took the name "Ritchie" because he wanted it to be different.He suggested shortening his name to "Valens" from Valenzuela to widen his appeal.Valens was going to enter the studio with a full band.The musicians were René Hall, Carol Kaye, and Earl Palmer."Come On, Let's Go" and "Framed" were the first songs recorded at Gold Star Studios.The record was pressed and released within a few days."Donna" and "La Bamba" were on Valens's next record, a double A-side, the final record to be released in his lifetime.It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America.[2]
Valens dropped out of high school because of the demands of his career.There were appearances at venues across the United States.Valens had a fear of flying after a freak accident at his junior high school where two airplanes collided over the playground, killing or injuring several of his friends.[13]
Holly, Richardson, and Valens flew out of the Mason City airport in a small plane after their performance in Clear Lake, Iowa.Valens was on the plane because he won a coin toss.Waylon gave up his seat on the plane to J.P. Richardson, who was ill with the flu.The three-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza crashed a few minutes after taking off from Fargo, North Dakota, on February 3, 1959 for reasons still unknown.All three passengers and the pilot were killed in the crash.Valens had massive and unsurvivable head injuries along with blunt-force trauma to the chest.Valens was the youngest person to die in the crash.
February 3, 1971 is known as "The Day the Music Died" due to the tragedy that inspired singer Don McLean to write his 1971 hit "American Pie".San Fernando Mission Cemetery is located in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California.
Many musicians of Mexican heritage were inspired by Valens.At a time when few Latinos were in American rock and pop music, he influenced the likes of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Carlos Santana.He is the first Latino to cross over into mainstream rock.
"La Bamba" was his most influential recording because of its successful blend of traditional Latin American music with rock.Valens was the first to use this formula and later it was adopted by Selena, Caifanes, Café Tacuba, and many others in the Latin alternative scene.The Valenzuela family spoke English at home and he knew very little Spanish.Valens recorded "La Bamba" in Spanish.The Valens version of "La Bamba" was selected for preservation by the U.S. Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant".[14][15]
"Come On, Let's Go" was recorded by the Los Lobos, the Ramones, and the Paley Brothers.Johnny Rebb and his Rebels recorded a song in Australia."Donna" has been recorded by many artists, including MxPx, Marty Wilde, and the Youngbloods.
Valens' guitar playing is an early influence on Robert Quine's style.Jimi Hendrix, Chan Romero, Carlos Santana, Chris Montez, and Keith O'Conner Murphy were all inspired by Valens.
Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the 1950s era, erected a monument depicting a guitar and a set of records with the names of three performers killed in the accident.It is located on private farmland about one-quarter mile west of the intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue.There is a monument to the three musicians that was installed in Green Bay, Wisconsin.July 17, 2003 is when the memorial was unveiled.[19]
The park was renamed in memory of Valens.To honor Valens, a city council member proposed to change the name to honor him.[20]
Tommy's Heads Up Saloon was started in Dallas in 1979.The coin toss between Valens and him was named after the club.[21]