Ritchie Valens (1941-1959) - Find A Grave Memorial

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Ritchie Valens

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Ritchie Valens Famous memorial Original Name Richard Steven Valenzuela Birth 13 May 1941 Pacoima, Los Angeles County, California, USA Death 3 Feb 1959 (aged 17) Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, USA Burial San Fernando Mission Cemetery Mission Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA Show Map GPS-Latitude: 34.2742779, Longitude: -118.4658634 Plot Section C, Lot 248, Grave 3 Memorial ID 1363 1363 View Source Share Save to Suggest Edits Suggest Toggle Dropdown
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American businessman, entrepreneur, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in the Latin American community north of Los Angeles, California, known as the San Fernando Valley (SFV), his father was a devotee of flamenco music and blues, instilling his love of music in Ritchie. At the age of eleven, he started playing guitar and took it with him everywhere. During lunchtime at school, he would sit on the bleachers and practice or entertain his friends with his music. When he entered high school, he was already an accomplished musician and played often at school assemblies and after-school parties. He was in a variety of bands, and in his junior year, he joined a local California Rock n' Roll band called "The Silhouettes," and they quickly became local stars. At a January 1958 'rent party' held in an American Legion Hall, the band was taped by a part-time talent scout who worked for Bob Keane, the owner of Keen Records. Keane was looking for talent for his new label, Del-Fi Records, and after hearing the tape, Keane decided he wanted to hear more of Ritchie, so he auditioned him in Los Angeles. The audition went very well, and shortly afterward, Ritchie Valens' first single, 'Come On, Let's Go,' was released in the summer of 1958. The single did well, and he released two more singles: 'Donna' for his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig, and 'La Bamba', which was a reworking of a traditional Mexican folk song. Both singles became enormous hits and began moving towards the top ten, and his record sold half a million copies. In late January 1959, Ritchie Valens joined Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson & Dion and the Belmonts for the 'Winter Dance Party,' which was a tour of the upper Midwest. On February 2, 1959, the 'Winter Dance Party' arrived in Clear Lake, Iowa, to play a dance at the Surf Ballroom. Due to a broken heater on the bus that they had been traveling on, Buddy Holly arranged to fly to North Dakota in a leased four seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane for himself and the band members, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup. Richardson and Ritchie Valens talked Jennings and Allsup out of their seats. The plane took off shortly after midnight in a light snow and crashed into a pasture about five miles from the airport. Valens, Holly, Richardson, and the pilot Roger Peterson were all killed instantly. Ritchie Valens was one of Rock n' Roll's first Latin American superstars and has inspired countless musicians around the world. In 1987, a biographical movie of his life and times entitled 'La Bamba' was released; both the film and soundtrack became a worldwide smash hit, with Los Lobos covering his songs on the soundtrack. In 1990, he posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2001, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

American businessman, entrepreneur, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in the Latin American community north of Los Angeles, California, known as the San Fernando Valley (SFV), his father was a devotee of flamenco music and blues, instilling his love of music in Ritchie. At the age of eleven, he started playing guitar and took it with him everywhere. During lunchtime at school, he would sit on the bleachers and practice or entertain his friends with his music. When he entered high school, he was already an accomplished musician and played often at school assemblies and after-school parties. He was in a variety of bands, and in his junior year, he joined a local California Rock n' Roll band called "The Silhouettes," and they quickly became local stars. At a January 1958 'rent party' held in an American Legion Hall, the band was taped by a part-time talent scout who worked for Bob Keane, the owner of Keen Records. Keane was looking for talent for his new label, Del-Fi Records, and after hearing the tape, Keane decided he wanted to hear more of Ritchie, so he auditioned him in Los Angeles. The audition went very well, and shortly afterward, Ritchie Valens' first single, 'Come On, Let's Go,' was released in the summer of 1958. The single did well, and he released two more singles: 'Donna' for his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig, and 'La Bamba', which was a reworking of a traditional Mexican folk song. Both singles became enormous hits and began moving towards the top ten, and his record sold half a million copies. In late January 1959, Ritchie Valens joined Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson & Dion and the Belmonts for the 'Winter Dance Party,' which was a tour of the upper Midwest. On February 2, 1959, the 'Winter Dance Party' arrived in Clear Lake, Iowa, to play a dance at the Surf Ballroom. Due to a broken heater on the bus that they had been traveling on, Buddy Holly arranged to fly to North Dakota in a leased four seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane for himself and the band members, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup. Richardson and Ritchie Valens talked Jennings and Allsup out of their seats. The plane took off shortly after midnight in a light snow and crashed into a pasture about five miles from the airport. Valens, Holly, Richardson, and the pilot Roger Peterson were all killed instantly. Ritchie Valens was one of Rock n' Roll's first Latin American superstars and has inspired countless musicians around the world. In 1987, a biographical movie of his life and times entitled 'La Bamba' was released; both the film and soundtrack became a worldwide smash hit, with Los Lobos covering his songs on the soundtrack. In 1990, he posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2001, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Bio by: Forbin01

Inscription

BELOVED SON & BROTHERRICHARD STEVEN"RITCHIE VALENS"MAY 13, 1941 - FEB. 3, 1959"COME ON LET'S GO"

Family Members

Parents

  • Joseph Steven "Steve" Valenzuela

    1896–1952

  • Concepcion "Concha" Reyes Valenzuela

    1915–1987

Half Siblings

  • Robert Reyes "Bob" Morales

    1937–2018

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  • San Fernando Mission Cemetery
  • Mission Hills
  • Los Angeles County
  • California
  • USA
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  1. Memorials
  2. Region
  3. North America
  4. USA
  5. California
  6. Los Angeles County
  7. Mission Hills
  8. San Fernando Mission Cemetery
  9. Ritchie Valens
  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Added: Apr 25, 1998
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID: 1363
  • Source Hide citation Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1363/ritchie-valens: accessed ), memorial page for Ritchie Valens (13 May 1941–3 Feb 1959), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1363, citing San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Mission Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
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