Richie Valens is the unrepeatable king of rock and roll who has lived so little, but brightly. He managed to do so much for the world of music.
Ricardo Esteban Valenzuela Reyes () is a professional Latin rock musician. The protagonist of the sixties, a versatile personality in the world of music. He combined in his performance the popular rhythms of that era, each of his works as a masterpiece that touches the soul.
Biography
The future rock star was born in the settlement of Pacoima, California in May 1941 in an ethnic Mexican family. Soon after the birth of the boy, his parents divorced, he remained under the supervision of his father, a professional guitarist. From an early age he showed a great interest in instruments, tried to play the guitar, drums, and compose songs in the Mexican style. The sounds of flamenco, African American rhythm and blues inspired many ideas in the head of the young vocalist.
As an eleven-year-old boy, he independently assembled a wooden electric guitar, which he played and sang to his classmates during recess. After collecting some money, he bought his first professional guitar and learned to play with his right hand, although he was left-handed from birth. Until the death of his father, the boy felt support, protection and approval. He taught his son to always go forward, live brightly, burn and not give up.
Career
The first school performances were not in vain, rumor spread throughout the districts and soon the boy was invited to a small group that performed at school evenings, holidays, dance floors. At one of these performances, he was noticed by the owner of the record company Del-Fi-Records. He discerned charisma, vocal abilities in a modest guy, invited him to an audition, which Richie passed with success and immediately signed a contract. The first result of this agreement (1958) was the recording of the song "Com On, Lets Go!" (Come on, let's go!), Which brought recognition. The disc scattered in an instant, raised this hit to the high position of the national chart.
Richie's career was relatively short, only 8 months. But during this time he made an invaluable contribution to world culture, released several singles, records, made an unforgettable tour of the cities of the North West. A gentle voice, a radiant smile and a constant positive from the musician remained in the memory of the public.
Personal life
During his short life, Richie was in love with a beautiful classmate Donna Ludwig, to whom he dedicated the ballad of the same name "Donna" and released a double-sided single. On the reverse side of the record was the most popular song of the subsequent "La bamba". Young people made plans that were not destined to come true.
The famous Richie died tragically on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash while on tour. He crashed along with the pilot and two members of their group, making a large concert voyage for 23 days. Much later, Don McLean dedicated the song "American Pie" to him and called the day of the death of the talented guys "the day the music died."
Decades later, the singer's popularity gained momentum, making him an unforgettable idol, the founder of rock and roll. In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and since 2016, his image has appeared on a limited edition of guitars in order to convey to the younger generation the bright image of the pioneer of Latin American rock.
