MUSICIAN

Ritchie Valens

1941 - 1959

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Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), better known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens died in a plane crash just eight months after his breakthrough. Valens had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Ritchie Valens is the 162nd most popular musician (up from 177th in 2019), the 1,087th most popular biography from United States (down from 977th in 2019) and the 49th most popular American Musician.

Ritchie Valens is most famous for being the youngest member of the rock and roll group The Big Bopper. Valens was killed in a plane crash at the age of 17.

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Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Ritchie Valens ranks 162 out of 3,175. Before him are Paul Mauriat, Karl Thomas Mozart, Carlos Kleiber, Fernando Sor, Franz Berwald, and A. R. Rahman. After him are Steve Howe, Vladimir Ashkenazy, James Last, Charley Patton, Joseph Joachim, and Pete Best.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1941, Ritchie Valens ranks 64. Before him are Ryan O'Neal, Art Garfunkel, Angelo Scola, Milan Kučan, Paul Anka, and Nona Gaprindashvili. After him are Jordi Savall, Michael Howard, Jürgen Prochnow, Karl Barry Sharpless, Ivica Osim, and Pete Best. Among people deceased in 1959, Ritchie Valens ranks 26. Before him are George Grosz, Errol Flynn, Ettore Majorana, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, Buddy Holly, and Alfred Schütz. After him are William D. Leahy, Ernest Bloch, Mike Hawthorn, Enrico De Nicola, Edmond Debeaumarché, and Jose P. Laurel.

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Ritchie Valens ranks 1,087 out of 20,380. Before him are Roy Cohn (1927), Arthur Kennedy (1914), Leon M. Lederman (1922), Richard Kiel (1939), John Searle (1932), and Keith Haring (1958). After him are Carroll Shelby (1923), Richard Crenna (1926), Shelley Duvall (1949), John L. Hall (1934), James Comey (1960), and Jimmy Connors (1952).

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Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Ritchie Valens ranks 49. Before him are Buddy Holly (1936), Nat King Cole (1919), Glenn Miller (1904), Chet Baker (1929), Woody Guthrie (1912), and Benny Goodman (1909). After him are Charley Patton (1891), Lenny Kravitz (1964), Duff McKagan (1964), Bill Evans (1929), Ray Manzarek (1939), and Herbie Hancock (1940).

American born Musicians

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