Ritchie Valens: The California Kid Who Shaped Early Rock Music
It's almost startling, really, when we think about the tragic events of February 3, 1959, a day famously remembered as "the day the music died." So many lives were cut short, and what's particularly heartbreaking is that no one who perished in that plane crash was an old man. The pilot, Roger Peterson, was just 21 years old, a young man with a lot of life ahead of him, and that, arguably, makes the whole thing feel even more profound.
Among those lost, a very bright light was Ritchie Valens, often called "the California Kid." He came from a family of poverty-stricken fruit pickers, which makes his rise to stardom quite a remarkable story, you know? He wasn't just another performer; he was the very first rock star to come from the West Coast, and in a way, he became one of the key innovators of what we now call 'Latino rock.' It’s a pretty big deal, actually, when you consider the music scene back then.
Richard Steven Valenzuela, which was his real name,
Ritchie valens hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy
Ritchie Valens - California Museum
Ritchie Valens | Biography, Songs, Plane Crash, Donna, La Bamba, & Facts | Britannica
