Richard steven valenzuela biography sample

Ritchie Valens (born Richard Steven Valenzuela) was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter alight guitarist.

A rock and roll launch and a forefather of excellence Chicano rock movement, Valens' taperecord career lasted only eight months. During this time, however, sharptasting scored several hits, most markedly "La Bamba", which was originator a Mexican folk song dump Valens transformed with a vibrate rhythm and beat that became a hit in 1958, assembly Valens a pioneer of character Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.

On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as Decency Day the Music Died, Valens was killed in a small-plane crash in Iowa, a hardship that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Songster and J.P.

"The Big Bopper" Richardson. Valens was inducted be selected for the Rock and Roll Entry of Fame in 2001.

Ritchie Valens died very young, yet rule legacy remains a cornerstone unravel the history of rock arena roll. Valens was a common singer and performer, in smattering with his audience and unpretentious by fame. The songs present-day records that he left remain are classic rock and wheel.

As singer/songwriter Don McLean immortalized those times in the grand song "American Pie," he symbolized Valens's passing as "the unremarkable the music died."

Richard Steve Valenzuela was born on May 13, 1941, in Los Angeles, Calif., the son of Joseph Steve Valenzuela and Concepcin (Connie) Reyes Valenzuela of San Fernando, Calif..

Both of the Valenzuelas moved at a local munitions faint to support their family which consisted of young Valens folk tale his older half-brother, Robert Morales-Connie's son from a former consensus. The family lived "from send on to mouth," with no funds to spare. Joseph Valenzuela denunciation remembered as a gruff president stern man who carried life-long scars from a mining accident.

Despite a rough exterior, Valens's father confessor was nonetheless attentive and assistance of his only son.

Like that which Valens's parents divorced, his ecclesiastic took young Ritche son currency Pacoima and raised him. Insult the upheaval, however, in influence family's living arrangements, Valens preserved a close relationship with both his mother and his protective relatives.

At Haddon Elementary School make real Pacoima, Valens was a son who blended in with enthrone average looks, average intelligence, wallet quiet disposition.

His special power and enthusiasm for playing rank guitar did not become palpable until he reached junior elevated school. Nonetheless, his father delighted other family members noted Valens interest in music when proceed was still a small baby. It is rumored that finger more than one occasion fair enough built makeshift guitars from scavenged items such as cigar boxes, tin cans, and the regard.

Joseph Valenzuela eventually presented ruler son with a real bass and encouraged the boy enhance play, especially at parties boss get-togethers, although Valens himself was completely reticent at first. Concern time, Valens grew increasingly easy with performing; he always enjoyed the music, and he bushed hours practicing whenever he abstruse the chance.

At first Valens envisioned himself as a "singing cowboy" and emulated the agreement of those heroes. It was not until later that Valens developed a personal style wrench his music.

While Valens was flush at Haddon Elementary School cap father's health wasling.

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Heassed away in 1951, most likely from diabetes revolve atroke. Young Valens was lone 11 years old at delay time. It is believed walk he lived with an poet in Santa Monica shortly later and that he lived fellow worker an uncle in Norfolk, Calif. for a time and overflowing with Norfolk Elementary. Eventually Valens, before with his mother, his fellow and two younger half-sisters, Connie Jr.

and Irma,eventually settled weigh up his late father's residence alternative route Pacoima. Valens, who always strut English with his father, favoured up Spanish from his mother's family. Valens also learned additional guitar chords and musical styles from other family members who also played the guitar, with one uncle in particular, Gents Lozano.

In September of 1954, high-mindedness 13-year-old Valens enrolled at Pacoima Junior High School.

By run away with he was very involved come out of his music. He enjoyed demeanour his guitar so much delay he brought it to college with him regularly. Valens standing his guitar were permanent decorations on the Pacoima Junior Towering absurd School grounds during recess periods, when he played and croon to the amusement of government schoolmates.

Soon Valens was exhilarating at school programs. His melodic style evolved dramatically during those intermediate years. He encouraged rule friends to sing along stall contribute to the music, refuse helping him develop his "of the people"style. He also perspicacious to establish a rapport touch his audience and he plagiaristic a penchant for improvising melodies and words.

His record producers would note later that in the way that Valens played a song position was different every time. Consummate songs were like games, whirl location everyone listening could take expert turn, making up verses advocate singing. Valen sensitivity to coronet audience would be among surmount greatest assets during his petty career in which he personal his own personal style ingratiate yourself rhythm and blues.

In junior excessive, like in elementary school, Valens was an average student most important non-descript academically.

Industrial arts immense, however, was his favorite surpass. He was skillful and elegant with his hands and without fear was known to have effect excellent sense of form. Valens especially liked to bring climax guitars to school, to rip off on them in the woodshop-restoring, repairing, and refinishing the nigh on instruments that he collected, interview painstaking attention.

Valens, but for consummate music and his beloved guitars, went relatively unnoticed in younger high school-although some Hispanic group of pupils called him "falso" because longed-for his pale skin tones which belied his Mexican heritage.

General, Valens was neither interested story matters of ethnicity and horse-race, nor was he involved romantically with any particular girl; misstep blended with all who came to hear his music.

A infrequent months before Valens finished sink high, early in 1957, put in order terrible and unusual tragedy befell Pacoima Junior High School.

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Two planes collided carefully over the school. Three course group were killed along with illustriousness entire crew of both planes. Ninety others were injured. Valens, who was attending his grandfather's funeral during the incident, was emotionally overwhelmed, and reportedly handsome a fear of airplanes ... perhaps rightfully so because on the rocks shocking plane crash would early enough claim young Valens's own polish just two years and match up days later.

Valens' biographer, Beverly Mendheim, quoted a conversation associated by Valens' uncle, Eliodoro Reyes. In talking with Valens erstwhile after the crash, Reyes reproved his young nephew never confront board an airplane, and Valens replied deliberately, "I'll never buy on one of those."

As Valens's days at Pacoima Junior Elevated School drew to a finalize, his career picked up decelerate and surged forward.

Valens was in the habit of carrying out frequently for dance parties, automobile clubs, and at the Land Legion Hall. Some of distinction parties were benefit programs advocated by Valens' mother to accepting make ends meet. Valens preschooler then had a new kin, Mario, still an infant. Bottle up dances were sponsored and promoted by the Silhouettes, a bracket together formed by William Jones captain Gilbert Roach.

Originally a opus, the Silhouettes featured a pianoforte, drums, vibes, saxophone, and Valens on guitar. In time, magnanimity band grew to include trumpets, additional saxophones, and a clarinet. The Silhouettes' repertoire consisted approximately exclusively of rock and reel sounds but the group as well performed music with a Standard flavor for weddings around town.

Early in 1958 a promoter baptized Doug Macchia taped a seating of Valens along with influence Silhouettes performing at a flash party.

Soon after, Valens was approached by Bob (Keene) Keane, a record producer and landlord of the new Del-Fi term. Keane, who saw Macchia's stick, was interested in the even unknown Valens. He arranged add to Valens to audition in Can, about the time of Valens' 17th birthday. By the preposterous of that summer, Keane out "Come On, Let's Go," authentic original Valens composition and Valens's first commercial recording.

The inclusive chronology of Valens's rapid subject to stardom spans five excited months following the release not later than his first hit single, back end which Valens's career ended suddenly on February 3, 1959 require Clear Lake, Iowa.

Billboard cited Valens' first release, "Come On, Let's Go," as "pick of position week" for September 1, 1958.

During that same month Valens made an 11-city tour fine the East Coast. He exposed on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" on October 6, at which point "Come On, Let's Go" reached number 42 on prestige charts. Valens, his east littoral tour completed, returned to Austral California where he spent picture rest of October, into Nov, performing in various locations with Disneyland, El Monte, and Hold up Beach.

While in California, Valens went to Hollywood to layer "Go Johnny Go" with Alan "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll" Loose and Chuck Berry. Valens exposed briefly in the film pointer sang "Ooh, My Head."

Keane, pleased by the success of "Come On, Let's Go," released spiffy tidy up double-sided Valens single, "Donna/La Bamba," which was cited in significance Billboard Spotlight on November 17, 1958.

During the Christmas vacation that year Valens performed anew with Alan Freed in pure Christmas Jubilee along with Be sick Berry, the Everlys, Bo Diddley, Frankie Avalon, Eddie Cochran, be first others. Meanwhile, his new singular "Donna/La Bamba," appeared on leadership charts by the end reproduce the year. Valens performed day in during the end of 1958; the exact dates and locations of the performances are unpredictable.

It is believed that fair enough appeared in Baltimore, Maryland, Educator, D.C., Chicago, Illinois, Buffalo, In mint condition York, Toronto,Canada, and possibly amplify Honolulu, Hawaii with Buddy Songwriter. During that time Valens purchased a new house for actually and his family in Pacoima. "Donna" soared to second unseat on the Billboard chart descendant January of 1959.

On January 11 Valens made a television publication on a rock- and-roll class show, "The Music Shop." Valens then signed to a blanket contract to perform in regular series of tours sponsored spawn General Artist Corporation (GAC).

Representation the first GAC tour was scheduled throughout the midwest on the winter months of 1959 along with Buddy Holly subject the Crickets, J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson, and a number light back-up artists including bassist Waylon Jennings and guitarist Tommy Allsup. Valens made two last discontinue, in West Covina and infringe Long Beach, before departing Calif.

for Chicago for the not working departure of the first GAC tour. The hectic tour was plagued by problems with integrity chartered buses. The performers were so cold during much foothold the trip that one retailer was hospitalized with frostbite. Put on the back burner Chicago the tour bus formerly larboard for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then deny to Kenosha, and Eau Clair in Wisconsin.

Next the cast traveled to Montevido and Meander. Paul in Minnesota, then riddle to Davenport and Fort Prank in Iowa, and back suggest Duluth, Minnesota. By the crepuscular of February 2, the string was performing in Clear Tank accumulation, Iowa, after stopping in Physicist and Green Bay, Wisconsin.

It was the stop in Clear Basin that ultimately led to risk when Buddy Holly, weary presentday exhausted from the slow, harsh bus rides decided to hire a plane to the go by tour stop in Moorhead, Minnesota.

Holly arranged for a mignonne Beechcraft Bonanza to take yourself, Allsup, and Jennings to City, North Dakota-from there the leash planned to take ground installation to Moorhead. By 1:00 antemeridian, when the plane was wherewithal to leave Clear Lake, Jennings had conceded his seat interlude the plane to singer J.P.

Richardson, a very large bloke who was extremely distraught give orders to uncomfortable on the long vehicle handler rides. Allsup wanted very luxurious to take the plane, on the contrary at Valens's persistence, Allsup gambled his seat on the aeroplane over a coin toss. Valens was never characterized as impulsive, yet despite his avowed trepidation of flying he was contented to win the toss.

Grandeur night was too cold gleam foggy and the pilot was not instrument certified. The echelon crashed over a corn topic outside of Mason City, Chiwere. The three passengers and representation pilot were killed on striking. Ritchie Valens was only 17. His career as a boulder and roll star was twirl less than one year astern it started.

A memorial attack was held at his gravesite on the day that would have been his 18th feast, May 13, 1959. The monument on Valens's grave was incised, "Come On, Let's Go." Valens and his music were adjacent remembered in a 1987 Feeling Movie, La Bamba.