Richard Steven Valenzuela or better known as Ritchie Valens was born on May 13, 1941 in Pacoima, California, United States. Ritchie Valens was a 17-year-old Mexican-American rock 'n' roll artist who invented Latin rock with his unique interpretation of a traditional Mexican folk dance song. Valens learned to play the guitar and joined a local band called "Silhouettes" in 1958. In the "Silhouettes" he became the lead singer, and it was then that he began to gain recognition and attention for his musical talent. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In May 1958, Valens auditioned for Bob Keane, the owner of the Del Fi label, after Keane heard Valens perform at a local movie theater and was soon signed to the label in May 1958. The most popular period for Ritchie Valens was the 8 months before his death in 1959 because that was when he was in the national spotlight and when he transitioned from being Mexican-American at 17 years old. year in Southern California to have some hit songs. During this time, he recorded some sessions at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, California. His debut single was "Come On, Let's Go" which failed to reach the Top 40. His next single was titled "Dona", this song reached number two on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. “Dona was his highest charting single. This song was a slow ballad, written for his high school girlfriend. His other song "La Bamba" eventually reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 years later, but was number 22 on the charts at the time. In this song he combined traditional Hispanic music with rock 'n' roll. In December 1958, Valens made an appearance on American Bandstand and Alan Freed's Christmas Show. Ritchie Valens' musical career was cut short just as he was achieving success, when he died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. On board the plane were Buddy Holly, Jiles Perry Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson. They were all traveling to North Dakota to perform on the Winter Dance Party tour. The small plane crashed in a snowstorm minutes after takeoff in Iowa taking all the lives on board. Ritchie Valens was only 17 years old at the time of the plane crash. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This period of time is known as “The Day the Music Died” when many of the key players were out of the music business. The reason I chose this artist is because when I was younger I watched the movie "Ritchie Valens" which was about his short and influential life. After seeing the movie I was always interested in learning more about Ritchie Valens. I grew up singing “La Bamba,” which is common in Latin families. This song has a well-known melody, which many Americans know even though they may not know the lyrics only in Spanish.