La Bamba

Artist Bio:
Ritchie Valens was a pioneering rock and roll musician who rose to fame in the late 1950s. He was born on May 13, 1941 in Pacoima, California, and his birth name was Richard Steven Valenzuela. Valens' music career took off with his hit song "La Bamba," which became a rock and roll classic. He was one of the first Latin American artists to successfully cross over into the mainstream music scene.

Tragically, Valens' career was cut short when he died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, alongside fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson, in what became known as "The Day the Music Died." Despite his short career, Valens' impact on rock and roll music was significant, and he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.