RITCHIE VALENS Y LA BAMBA
Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), better known as Ritchie Valens, was a pioneer
of rock and roll. He was a Mexican-American with Yaqui American Indian roots born in the Pacoima district of
Los Angeles. He became the first Mexican American rock and roll star.
The professional career of Ritchie Valens lasted a period of eight months, during which time he recorded some
very influential songs of the 1950s rock and roll era. His best known song, "La Bamba," is probably the very
first Latin Rock song to become a hit, making Valens the father of the Spanish language rock and roll
movement.
He was born in Pacoima, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, on May 13, 1941.
Brought up hearing traditional Mexican mariachi music, as well as flamenco guitar, R&B and jump blues, by
the age of 5 he expressed an interest in making music of his own. He was encouraged by his father to take up
guitar and trumpet, and he later taught himself the drums. While Ritchie was left-handed, he was so eager to
learn the guitar that he mastered the traditionally right-handed version of the instrument. By the time he was
attending Pacoima Jr. High School, his proficiency on the guitar was such that he brought the instrument to
school and would sing and play songs to his friends on the bleachers.
A completely self-taught musician, Valenzuela was an accomplished singer and guitarist. At his appearances he
often improvised new lyrics and added new riffs to popular songs while he was playing. This is an aspect of his
music that is not heard in his commercial studio recordings. Due to his high-energy performances, Valenzuela
earned the nickname "The Little Richard of the Valley."
In May 1958, Bob Keane, the owner and President of Del-Fi Records, a small Hollywood record label, went to
see Valenzuela play one Saturday afternoon. Impressed by the performance, he invited Ritchie to audition at
his home in Los Angeles, where he had a small recording studio.
After this first 'audition,' Keane decided to sign Ritchie to Del-Fi, and a contract was prepared and signed on
May 27, 1958. It was at this point that he changed the spelling of his name to Ritchie, because, as Keane said,
"There were a bunch of Richies around at that time, and I wanted it to be different." Similarly, it was Keane
who decided to shorten his surname to Valens from Valenzuela, with the intention that a Latino name would
make the DJs think that it was Latino music for a Latino audience - Keane wanted Ritchie's appeal to audiences
of all kinds to be in the songs themselves.
In July 1958 Valens recorded his original song, "Come On, Let's Go," which instantly became a hit. His next
record had the songs "Donna" (written about a real girlfriend) coupled with "La Bamba." At this point, in the
fall of 1958, Valens quit high school to concentrate on his career. Keane booked appearances at venues all
across the United States, and performances on television programs such as Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
He continued to perform around the country and was very popular.
On February 2, 1959 Valens was on tour in Iowa with singers including Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
Conditions on their tour bus were abysmal, and the bitter Midwest weather took its toll on the group. Fed up,
they decided to charter a small plane to get to the next city. The plane departed into a blinding snowstorm and
crashed shortly after takeoff. The crash ended the lives of all three passengers, as well as the 21 year-old pilot.
This event inspired singer Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad "American Pie," and immortalized February 3 as
"The Day the Music Died." The event also inspired the Eddie Cochran song "Three Stars," which specifically
mentions Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Valens.
“La Bamba" is a traditional song created in the Mexican state of Veracruz over 300 years ago. Influenced by
Spanish flamenco and Afro-Mexican beats, the song utilizes the violin, jaranas, guitar, and harp, and is sung in
falsetto. Lyrics to the song greatly vary, as performers often improvise verses while performing. However,
certain versions have survived due to the artists' popularity and have become the "definitive" versions. The
traditional aspect of "La Bamba" lies in the tune itself, which remains the same through all versions. The name
of the dance, which has no direct English translation, is presumably connected with the Spanish verb
bambolear, meaning "to shake."
The traditional "La Bamba" was often played during weddings in Veracruz, where the bride and groom
performed the accompanying dance. Today this wedding tradition is mostly lost, but the dance survives through
the popularity of ballet folklórico. The dance is performed in much the same way, displaying the newlywed
couple’s unity through the performance of complicated, delicate steps in unison as well as through creation of a
bow from a long red ribbon, using only their feet.
The "arriba" (literally "up") part of the song suggests the nature of the dance, in which the footwork, called
"zapateado," is done faster and faster as the music tempo accelerates. The repeated lyric "Yo no soy marinero"
("I'm not a sailor") refers to Veracruz's marine locale and the husband's promise that he will remain faithful to
his wife.
This traditional song inspired Ritchie Valens' rock and roll version "La Bamba" in the 1950s. This song would
prove to be Valens’ most influential recording. His version infused the traditional tune with a rock beat, making
the song accessible to the population of the United States and earning it (and Valens) a place in rock history.
Valens' version of “La Bamba” is ranked number 345 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest
Songs of All Time. It is the only song on the list not sung in English. Curiously, Valens himself did not speak
Spanish natively.
La Bamba
1
5
9
14
17
Para ____________________ la bamba
Para ____________________ la bamba
Se ____________________ una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
y Arriba y arriba
y arriba y arriba por ti seré
Por ti seré
Por ti seré
Yo no ____________________ marinero
Yo no ____________________ marinero
____________________ capitán
____________________ capitán
____________________ capitán
Bamba bamba
Bamba bamba
Bamba bamba
Para ____________________ la bamba
Para ____________________ la bamba
Se ____________________ una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
y Arriba y arriba
*repeat lines 1-8*
Ritchie Valens
bailando la bamba
adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Bamba_%28song%29 , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchie_Valens