Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & Big Bopper Exhibit Launches at Final Venue From the Night They Died originally appeared on ...

That’s Ritchie Valens; he deserves that credit. Though he died in a plane crash at 17, Ritchie Valens changed rock 'n' roll and Latin music forever.

From Slash’s guitar to Buddy Holly’s final tour relics, Surf Ballroom’s “Not Fade Away” immerses visitors in the stories that ...

On February 3, 1959, three influential rock and roll performers—Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, known as ...

Ritchie Valens Park, 10731 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Pacoima Saturday, Aug. 25 — 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free for all ages This story has been updated to reflect a chance in the time of the event.

Books about Valens, though, have been scarce. The only biography was 1987’s “Ritchie Valens, the First Latino Rocker” by Beverly Mendheim, who struggled to turn her research into a narrative.

The importance of Ritchie Valens in the history of rock ‘n’ roll is undeniable. Beyond his musical influence, however, the Mexican-American from Pacoima, Calif., is a symbol for the int… ...

Murrieta resident Bob Munson, 79, shows his personal photographs of his junior high and high school friend Ritchie Valens Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 which were taken in the spring of 1957.

There had not been a Mexican American rock star, but Ritchie Valens became an immediate sensation. His single, “Come On, Let’s Go,” rose on the national charts.