La Bamba Research Paper

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La Bamba Ritchie Valens By: Ryan Francis, Shea Dilloway, Aidan McManus La Bamba is a latine song by the singer and songwriter, Richard Steven Valenzuela, perfetionaly know as Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela. Born on May 13, 1941, in Pacoima, Ritchie Valens made history as rock music's first Latino star. However, his career was cut short by tragedy. Valens died in the year 1959, do to a plane crash while on tour, along with Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson. Growing up in Pacoima, Valens had a love of music early on and learned to play a number of different instruments. But the guitar had become his favorite to play. He found inspiration from various things, ranging from traditional Mexican music to popular R&B musicians, to …show more content…

And before long, he had his first single out on Del-Fi. The song, "Come On, Let's Go," became a minor hit. Keane also encouraged the young singer to shorten his last name to "Valens" to make it more radio friendly. Valens had even greater success with his second single, which featured "La Bamba" and "Donna." "Donna," an ode to his high school girlfriend Donna Ludwig, became a popular ballad, eventually climbing as high as the number two spot on the pop charts. While not as big a hit, "La Bamba" was a revolutionary song that fused elements of a traditional Mexican folk tune with rock and roll. Valens was not a native Spanish speaker and had to be coached on the all-Spanish-language song. Riding the success of his latest single, Valens entertained a national audience on American Bandstand that December. He also appeared on Alan Freed's Christmas Show around that time. In January 1959, Valens went on the road with the Winter Dance Party tour. The tour featured such acts as Buddy Holly, Dion and the Belmonts, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Over three weeks, these performers were set to play 24 concerts in the

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