Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela; May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959) was a Mexican American singer, songwriter and guitarist.A rock
and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens’ recording career lasted only eight months. During this time, however,
he scored several hits, most notably “La Bamba”, which was originally a Mexican folk song that Valens transformed with a rock rhythm and beat
that became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.
