Ritchie Valens Biography

Richard Steven Valenzuela, who later came to be known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American rock and roll prodigy who went on to establish a new genre of music by introducing Mexican tunes into mainstream music. Valens was a prodigiously talented musician who had learnt to play the guitar when he was still a child and in fact showed great interest in creating music when he was only five years old. Valens started off as a musician like most people of his age by joining a band when he was still in school and his rare talent became visible to music producers who were always on the hunt for new talent. Ritchie Valens went on to record his first album when he was only sixteen years old and some of his most famous songs are ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Donna’. Valens might have started off as a guitarist but before long he was able to write and compose his own songs and even as a teenager he was invited to music festivals along with other established musicians. Valens died at a very young age due to an accident and the day of his death has forever been known as ‘The Day the Music Died’.