Born Ricardo Esteban Valenzuela Ryers in Pacoima, San Fernando Valley on May 13th 1941 Valens was raised in poverty. His parents separated when he was a child and he lived with his father Joseph until his death in 1951.
He was a guitarist and a rock and roll pioneer and was the forefather of the Chicano Rock Movement. With so many hit records to his name it is hard to believe his career spanned just eight months before he died at the age of 17 in the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson on February 3rd 1959 "The Day Music Died." (See also "The Iconic Buddy Holly" and "The Big Bopper Died After His First Hit" from Suite101.com)
Valens will always be remembered for "La Bamba" which was sung entirely in Spanish. Ironically Valens only spoke English at home and had to learn the language phonetically in order to record the song. Originally a Mexican folk song Valens transformed it by adding a rock and roll rhythm and beat and it was a big hit in 1958 making the teenager a pioneer of the Spanish speaking rock and roll movement.
Brought up to the sound of Mexican Mariachi Music and Flamenco guitar Valens decided at the age of five years-old he was going to make his career in music. His father encouraged him and taught him to play guitar and trumpet and Valens taught himself to play the drums.
He attended Pacioma Junior High School and when he was 16 he was invited to join a local band called "The Silhouettes" as guitarist. When the lead vocalist left the group Valens took over combining vocals with playing the guitar.
The Start of His Professional Career
In 1958 Bob Keane, owner of Del-Fi Records was told about the young musician from Pacioma and went to see him play. Impressed by the teenager's performance he invited Valens to audition at his home in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles where he had a small recording studio in the basement. At the first audition he decided to take on Valens and the contract was signed on May 27 1958.
In the Autumn that year Valens quit High School to concentrate on his career and Keane booked appearances at venues across the United States of America and performances on television shows. Valens had a fear of flying dating back to when there was a freak accident when he was at High School. Two planes collided above the playground killing or injuring several of his friends. Valens was away from school that day attending his grandfather's funeral.
He managed to overcome his fear to fly to Philadelphia to appear on Dick Clark's US Bandstand then he travelled to Hawaii to perform alongside Buddy Holly and Paul Anka. He was a last minute addition to the bill of the legendary Disc Jockey Alan Freed's "Christmas Jubilee" in New York City. Sharing the bill were artists who had influenced his music, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, Duanne Eddy, Eddie Cochran and Jacky Wilson.
Valens' First and Only Love.
Valens met Donna Ludwig in 1957 at a garage party and they were together for two-and-a-half years before he died. He wrote the hit song "Donna" for her which was released in 1958.
Donna was only 16 when Valens died and she went on to marry and have two children. Mrs Fox is now manager of a mortgage business in Sacramento, California but she she is still recognised as "Ritchie's Donna" and has a personalised number plate ODONNA.
The Final Tour
In early 1959 he was invited to join Holly, The Big Bopper and Dion and the Belmonts on the multi rock and roll tour across the Midwest entitled "The Winter Dance Party." Conditions on the tour buses were abysmal, the weather was bitterly cold and several of the performers including Valens and The Big Bopper caught colds. Holly's drummer Carl Bunch was taken to hospital suffering from severely frostbitten feet.
Ritchie closed the first act but when Bunch was hospitalised one the the Belmonts, Dion's backing band, took over as Holly's drummer. When the Belmonts were performing either Valens or Holly would be in the drummer's seat.
When Holly decided to charter a plane to take them to the next venue, Fargo North Dakota, Valens joined The Big Bopper in the Beechcraft Bonanza four-seater aircraft. The plane took off in a blinding snowstorm and crashed shortly after take-off killing the three passengers and the pilot. A 17 Valens was the youngest to die in the crash.
He left behind a legacy of Latin Rock and was an inspiration to many musicians of Latino heritage. He is buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles and his mother Connie, who died in 1987 is interred beside him.
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