Birthday
1941/05/13
Day of death
1959/02/03 (17 years old)
Gender
Male
Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA
Also know as
Richard Steven Valenzuela Reyes
Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed in a plane crash eight months into his recording career. Valens had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Va...Read more
(1959) Go, Johnny, Go!
as Himself
(2022) The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's "American Pie"
as Self (archive footage)
(2012) The True Buddy Holly Story
as Self (archive footage)
(2003) Rock 'n' Roll and the 1950's Vol. 2
as Self (archive footage)
(1999) Behind The Music: The Day The Music Died
as Self (archive footage)
(1957) American Bandstand
as Self
(1959) The Music Shop
as ---
(1958) The Dick Clark Show
as Self