| Revision as of 18:39, 26 April 2014 editSlightsmile (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers21,111 editsm Reverted edits by 217.44.119.1 (talk) to last version by 198.228.217.151← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:04, 28 April 2014 edit undo209.2.61.8 (talk)No edit summaryTag: blankingNext edit → | ||
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| |website = {{url|http://www.ritchievalens.com}} | |website = {{url|http://www.ritchievalens.com}} | ||
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| ''Ritchie Valens is a horribble artist and died the death of a taco! Make sure to brush your teeth as well. | |||
| '''Richard Steven Valenzuela''' (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known as '''Ritchie Valens''', was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ] pioneer and a forefather of the ] movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ritchie Valens - the Pioneer of Rock and Roll|url=http://www.efi-news.com/2011/12/ritchie-valens-pioneer-of-rock-and-roll.html|publisher=EF News International|accessdate=16 December 2011}}</ref> During this time, he had several hits, most notably "]", which was originally a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958,<ref>{{dead link|date=September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mipunto.com/temas/2do_trimestre02/rock.html |title=TEMAS | Rock en Venezuela |publisher=Mipunto.Com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-12}}</ref> making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. | |||
| On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as "]", Valens died in a small-plane crash in ], a tragedy that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians ] and J. P. "]" Richardson, as well as pilot ]. Valens was inducted into the ] in 2001. | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| Ritchie Valens was born in ], a neighborhood in the ] region of ], on May 13, 1941.<ref>Beverly Mendheim (1987) ''Ritchie Valens: the first Latino rocker'' p.156.</ref> His parents were Joseph Steven Valenzuela and Concepcion Reyes. Brought up hearing traditional Mexican ] music, ] guitar, ] and ], he expressed an interest in making music of his own by the age of 5. He was encouraged by his father to take up guitar at the age of 9 and trumpet, and he later taught himself the drums. One day, a neighbor came across Ritchie trying to play a guitar that had only two strings. He re-strung the instrument and taught Ritchie the fingerings of some chords. While Ritchie was left-handed, he was so eager to learn the guitar that he mastered the traditionally right-handed version of the instrument. Ritchie's life took a sharp turn when he was 10, his father passed away in a tragic accident. | |||
| <ref>http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Ritchie_Valens.html</ref> Valens attended ] (now Pacoima Middle School).<ref>"." Pacoima Middle School. Retrieved on April 9, 2012.</ref> By the time he was attending junior high school, he brought the instrument to school and would sing and play songs to his friends on the ].<ref>http://www.history-of-rock.com/ritchie_valens.htm</ref> | |||
| When he was 16 years old, he was invited to join a local band named 'The Silhouettes' as a guitarist. Later, the main vocalist left the group and Ritchie assumed this position as well. In addition to the performances with The Silhouettes, he would play solo at parties and other social events. | |||
| ==Career== | |||
| A self-taught musician, Valens was an accomplished singer and guitarist. At his appearances, he often improvised new lyrics and added new riffs to popular songs while he was playing. This is an aspect of his music that is not heard in his commercial studio recordings. | |||
| ], the owner and president of small record label ] in Hollywood, was given a tip in May 1958 by San Fernando High student Doug Macchia about a young performer from ] by the name of Richard Valenzuela. Kids knew the performer as "The Little Richard of the Valley". Keane, swayed by the Little Richard connection, went to see Valenzuela play a Saturday morning matinée at a movie theater in ]. Impressed by the performance, he invited Ritchie to audition at his home in the ] area of ], where he had a small recording studio in his basement. An early stereo recorder (a two-track ] 601-2 portable) and a pair of ] U-47 condenser microphones comprised the recording equipment. | |||
| After this first audition, Keane signed Ritchie to Del-Fi on May 27, 1958. At this point he took the name Ritchie because, as Keane said, "There were a bunch of 'Richies' around at that time, and I wanted it to be different." Similarly, it was Keane who decided to shorten his surname to Valens from Valenzuela in order to broaden his appeal. | |||
| Several songs, that would later be re-recorded at ] in Hollywood, were first demoed in Keane's studio. The demos primarily consisted of Ritchie singing and playing guitar, but some of them also featured drums. These original demos can be heard on the Del-Fi album ''Ritchie Valens — The Lost Tapes''. As well as the aforementioned demos, two of the tracks laid down in Keane's studio were taken to Gold Star Studios and had additional instruments dubbed over to create full-band recordings. "]" was one track (although there are two other preliminary versions of the song, both available on ''The Lost Tapes''), and the other was an instrumental entitled "Ritchie's Blues." | |||
| After several songwriting and demo recording sessions with Keane in his basement studio, Keane decided that Ritchie was ready to enter the studio with a full band backing him. Amongst the musicians were ], ], and ]. The first songs recorded at Gold Star Studios, at a single studio session one afternoon in July 1958, were "Come On, Let's Go," an original (credited to Valens/Kuhn, Keane's real name), and "Framed," a ] tune. Pressed and released within days of the recording session, the record was a success. Valens' next record, a double A-side, which was the final record to be released in his lifetime, had the song "Donna" (written about a real girlfriend) coupled with "]." | |||
| At this point, in the autumn of 1958, Valens quit high school to concentrate on his career. Keane booked appearances at venues all across the United States and performances on television programs. Valens, however, had a ] brought on by a ] when, on January 31, 1957, two airplanes collided over the playground, killing or injuring several of his friends.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://angiejim.homestead.com/crash.html |title=The Pacoima Plane Crash |publisher=Angiejim.homestead.com |date=1957-01-31 |accessdate=2013-09-12}}</ref> Valens was not at school that day as he was attending his grandfather's funeral. He eventually overcame his fear enough to travel by airplane. One of his first stops was ] to appear on ]'s '']'' television show on October 6, where he sang "Come On, Let's Go." In November Ritchie traveled to Hawaii and performed alongside ] and ]. Valens found himself a last-minute addition on the bill of legendary disc jockey ]'s Christmas Jubilee in New York City, singing with some of those who had greatly influenced his music, including ], ], ], ], ] and ]. December 27 saw a return to ''American Bandstand,'' this time for a performance of "Donna." | |||
| Upon his return to Los Angeles, Valens filmed an appearance in Alan Freed's movie ''Go Johnny Go!'' In the film he appears in a diner miming his song "Ooh! My Head" using a ] 6120 guitar, the same model ] owned. In between the live appearances Ritchie returned to Gold Star Studios several times, recording the tracks that would comprise his two albums. | |||
| In early 1959, Valens was traveling the ] on a multi-act rock-and-roll tour dubbed "The Winter Dance Party." Accompanying him were ], ], ] and ]. All performers were augmented by Holly's new backup band including ] on guitar, ] on bass and ] on drums. | |||
| Conditions for the performers on the tour buses were ] and bitterly cold. Midwest weather took its toll on the party. Carl Bunch had to be hospitalized with severely frostbitten feet and several others, including Valens and the Big Bopper, caught colds. The show was split into two acts with Ritchie closing the first act. After Bunch was hospitalized, Carlo Mastrangelo of the Belmonts took over the drumming duties since he had some drum experience. When Dion and the Belmonts were performing, the drum seat was taken by either Valens or Buddy Holly. There is a surviving color photograph of Ritchie at the drum kit. | |||
| ==Death== | |||
| {{Main|The Day the Music Died}} | |||
| After the February 2, 1959 performance in ], Holly, Richardson and Valens flew out of the Mason City airport in a small plane that Holly had chartered. Valens was on the plane because he won a coin toss. The plane, a three-passenger ], departed for ] and crashed shortly after takeoff in a snow storm. The crash killed all three passengers and pilot ]. At 17, Valens was the youngest to die on the flight. Prior to the flight, ] was originally going to fly, and Ritchie was going to ride the bus. In between sets, Ritchie had asked Tommy several times to switch with him to fly. They flipped a coin and Ritchie won. The event, along with ]'s death, inspired singer ]'s popular ] ] "]," and immortalized February 3 as "The Day the Music Died." His remains were buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Mission Hills, California. | |||
| On January 31, 1957, a fighter jet collided with a DC-7 airliner over a junior high school in Pacoima, Ritchie Valens's home town. A recording was made that includes the moment of impact at the school. | |||
| ==Legacy== | |||
| Valens was a pioneer of ] and ] and was an inspiration to many musicians of Latino heritage. He influenced the likes of ], ] and ] at a time when there were very few Latinos in American rock and pop music. He is considered the first Latino to successfully cross over into mainstream rock. | |||
| "La Bamba" would prove to be his most influential recording, not only by becoming a pop chart hit sung entirely in Spanish, but also because of its successful blending of traditional Latin American music with rock. Valens was the first to capitalize on this formula which would later be adopted by such varied artists as ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and many others in the Latin Alternative scene. Ironically, the Valenzuela family spoke only English at home and Ritchie knew very little Spanish. Ritchie ] in order to record "La Bamba" in Spanish. | |||
| "Come On, Let's Go" has been covered by ], ] and "the Paley Brothers" (the Ramones on guitar, bass and drums and The Paley Brothers on vocals), ], ], ] and ] and in Australia by ] on Leedon/Canetoad Records. "Donna" has been covered by artists as diverse as ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| ] has cited Valens' guitar playing as an early influence on his style. Valens also inspired ], ], ], ], Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys. | |||
| Valens' nephew, ], has toured worldwide playing his uncle's songs, including a new version of the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly impersonator John Mueller. This tour has taken place at many of the original 1959 venues in the Midwest. | |||
| Valens has a star on the ] at 6733 ] in ]. He was inducted into the ] in 2001 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the ]. Valens' mother Connie, who died in 1987, is buried alongside him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&GRid=1363&PIgrid=1363&PIcrid=109027&PIpi=154461& |title=Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials |publisher=Find A Grave |date= |accessdate=2013-09-12}}</ref> | |||
| Valens has been the subject of several ] films, including the ] film '']''. Primarily set in 1957-1959, it depicted Valens from age 16 to 17. It introduced ] as Valens and co-starred ] as his older half-brother, Bob Morales. Los Lobos performed most of the music in the film. Valens was portrayed by Gilbert Melgar in the final scene of '']'' and also in the film ] (2010). Valens was portrayed by ] in the 2011 film ''].'' | |||
| The novelization of the film '']'' (1978) by Ron De Christiforo is set around the time of Valens' death. In one of the earlier chapters, the gang sit around in the character of Sonny's basement, upset at the death of some of their favorite stars in the plane crash. | |||
| ==Tributes== | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the 1950s era, erected a stainless-steel ] depicting a steel ] and a set of three records bearing the names of each of the three performers. It is located on private farmland, about one quarter mile west of the intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue, approximately eight miles north of Clear Lake. He also created a similar stainless steel monument to the three musicians near the Riverside Ballroom in ]. That memorial was unveiled on July 17, 2003.<ref>{{dead link|date=September 2013}}</ref> | |||
| A park in ] was renamed in Ritchie Valens' honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laparks.org/dos/parks/facility/ritchieValensPk.htm |title=Ritchie Valens Park |publisher=Laparks.org |date= |accessdate=2013-09-12}}</ref> | |||
| "]" from ]'s ''Physical Graffiti'' album was inspired by Valens' song "Oooh, My Head." It did not credit Ritchie Valens or ]. Eventually, a lawsuit was filed by Bob Keane and half of the award went to Valens' mother, although she was not part of the suit.<ref>Lehmer, Larry. ''The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens'' (2004): 166.</ref> | |||
| {{-}} | |||
| ==Discography== | |||
| ===Original albums=== | |||
| * '']'' (March 1959) -- Del-Fi DFLP-1201 (US #23) | |||
| * '']'' (December 1959) -- Del-Fi DFLP-1206 | |||
| * '']'' (1961) -- Del-Fi DFLP-1214 | |||
| ::Side 1 features the concert with opening narrative by Bob Keane, side 2 features five unfinished tracks as described by Keane. "Come On, Let's Go" on side 1 is a demo version with the concert noise dubbed in. | |||
| ===Compilation albums=== | |||
| * '']'' (December 1962) -- Del-Fi DLFP-1225 | |||
| ** Originally released with black cover, reissued in February 1963 with different cover (in white) and retitled ''His Greatest Hits'' | |||
| * '']'' (1964) -- Del-Fi DFLP-1247 | |||
| * '']'' (1981) --Rhino RNBC-2798 | |||
| ** Box set replicating the three original albums plus booklet | |||
| * '']'' (1987) -- Rhino 70178 (US #100) | |||
| * ''La Bamba '87'' (1987) -- Del-Fi DF-1287 | |||
| ** 12" EP featuring four different mixes of ''La Bamba'' | |||
| * ''The Ritchie Valens Story'' (1993) -- Rhino/Del-Fi 71414 | |||
| ** Featuring hits, outtakes, rare photos, and a 20 minute narrative of Ritchie by manager Bob Keane | |||
| * ''Rockin' All Night - The Very Best of Ritchie Valens'' (1995) -- Del-Fi DFCD-9001 | |||
| * ''Come On, Let's Go!'' (1998) -- Del-Fi DFBX-2359 | |||
| ** Deluxe 3-CD, 62-track set featuring all tracks from the three original albums plus rare demos and outtakes. 62-page booklet features biography and rare photos. Package also comes with poster, picture cards, and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame campaign cards | |||
| ===Singles=== | |||
| * "Come On, Let's Go" (US #42)/"Framed" — Del-Fi 4106 (1958) | |||
| * "]" (US #2)/"]" (US #22) -- Del-Fi 4110 (1958) | |||
| * "Fast Freight"/"Big Baby Blues" — Del-Fi 4111 (1959) | |||
| ::Original pressings shown as "Arvee Allens", later pressings shown as "Ritchie Valens" | |||
| * "That's My Little Suzie" (US #55)/"In A Turkish Town" — Del-Fi 4114 (1959) | |||
| * "Little Girl" (US #92)/"We Belong Together" — Del-Fi 4117 (1959) | |||
| * "Stay Beside Me"/"Big Baby Blues" — Del-Fi 4128 (1959) | |||
| * "The Paddiwack Song"/"Cry, Cry, Cry" — Del-Fi 4133 (1960) | |||
| ::The above three singles were issued on gold Valens Memorial Series labels. Del-Fi 4117 was also issued with picture sleeve. | |||
| * "La Bamba '87"/"La Bamba" (original version) -- Del-Fi 1287 (1987) | |||
| * "Come On, Let's Go"/"La Bamba" — Del-Fi 51341 (1998) | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{Portal|Los Angeles|Biography|Latino and Hispanic American|Music}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commonscat}} | |||
| * {{IMDb title|id=0093378|title=La Bamba}} | |||
| * | |||
| * {{rockhall|ritchie-valens}} | |||
| * | |||
| * http://www.history-of-rock.com/ritchie_valens.htm | |||
| * http://www.tsimon.com/valens.htm | |||
| * | |||
| {{Chicano and Mexican-American topics}} | |||
| {{Authority control|VIAF=59271109}} | |||
| {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | |||
| | NAME = Valens, Ritchie | |||
| | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | |||
| | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American singer | |||
| | DATE OF BIRTH = May 13, 1941 | |||
| | PLACE OF BIRTH = | |||
| | DATE OF DEATH = February 3, 1959 | |||
| | PLACE OF DEATH = Grant Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Valens, Ritchie}} | |||
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Revision as of 20:04, 28 April 2014
Not to be confused with Ricky Valance.| Ritchie Valens | |
|---|---|
| Ritchie ValensRitchie Valens | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Steven Valenzuela |
| Born | (1941-05-13)May 13, 1941 Pacoima, California, United States |
| Died | February 3, 1959(1959-02-03) (aged 17) Grant Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States |
| Genres | rock and roll, chicano rock |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter and guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1957–1959 |
| Labels | Del-Fi Records |
| Website | www |
Ritchie Valens is a horribble artist and died the death of a taco! Make sure to brush your teeth as well.