- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRichard Steven Valenzuela
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- Ritchie, the 'California Kid' was from a family of poverty stricken fruit pickers and was the first rock star to originate from the West Coast and one of the innovators of 'Latino rock. In an eight month career he scored three hits with 'Come On Let's Go', 'Donna' and 'La Bamba' before being killed in an air crash on February 3rd 1959 which also took the lives of Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper.. He was just 17. Associate producer Daniel Valdez spent 2 1/2 years searching for Ritchie's family then discovered them living just 15 minutes from where he lived. He then spent months learning all about Ritchie before writing a script which he gave to the family for their approval and with it filming went ahead. The part of Ritchie went to the then 25 year old unknown Lou Diamond Phillips who put on 15lbs to get a chubbier face and learned how to sing and play the guitar after he'd past the audition. During the filming Lou married his own 'Donna' Julie Cyphers who was a production assistant on 'La Bamba'.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5
- He was attending Pacoima Junior High School in Pacoima, California, on January 31, 1957, when a mid-air collision occurred between an Air Force fighter plane and a civilian passenger plane high above the school. Debris from the crash fell on the school, killing three students--one of whom was Valens' best friend. He developed an intense fear of flying after that, and would fly only when absolutely necessary. Ironically, he died in an airplane crash two years after the incident.
- The date of his death (February 3, 1959) was forever immortalized as "The Day the Music Died" in the song "American Pie" by Don McLean.
- Despite having his most popular hit with "La Bamba", an adaptation of a Mexican folk song with a rock rhythm and beat, Valens did not speak Spanish.
- Early in his career, Bruce Johnston, later of The Beach Boys, was a fellow band member. The Beach Boys have credited Ritchie as one of their influences.
- At the time of his untimely death, he had a two-sided hit, "Donna" (US #2) / "La Bamba" (US #22)--the only time a singing star, in the rock era, had a top 10 hit at the exact time of his/her death.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content