Ritchie Valens Biography by Richie Unterberger The first Hispanic rock star, Ritchie Valens will forever be known as one of the two musicians (along with the Big Bopper) who perished with Buddy Holly in 1959, when their private plane crashed in the midst of a Midwest tour. According to sources at the time of his death, Connie Lemos father, Joseph, and her mother Concepcion were separated. It was love at first sight. SAN JOSE, CALIF. CONNIE VALENZUELA, 72, the mother of 1950s rock singer Ritchie Valens whose overnight climb to fame was chronicled this year in the hit movie La Bamba, died Sunday of an. Concepcions ex-husband Joseph Steven Valenzuela died on 8 January 1952, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA, at age 55. and amazing insight. One of Valens favorite songs, Mrs. Valenzuela said, was a childs lullaby he called The Paddi Wack Song, which he sang accompanied by his guitar to his young sisters in the familys backyard. Donna . Just before her passing in 1987, she formed Hi-Tone Five Corporation for The reason why the plane crashed is still unknown. a professional manager, a decision she would live to regret. Not only were the steamy encounters between her and Valens deleted, but he is portrayed by actor Lou Diamond Phillips as a sensitive, caring young man who is constantly teased by his older brother Bob about his sexual innocence. The two-story tract home has a wall devoted to photographs of Ritchie. Connie Lemos: Facts About Ritchie Valens sister, Milton Augustine Williams jr- Truth About Vanessa Williams father, Nellie Stone Fewings: Facts About Nancy Carrolls Daughter With Jo Stone-Fewings, Isabella Patricia Phillips, Lou Diamond Phillips daughter, Danny Keough: Everything About Lisa Marie Presleys Ex-husband, James Katz- Facts About Jennifer Greys brother, Devin Hervey: Facts About Vanessa Williams son, Emilia Merkell: Everything About Patsy Palmers Daughter. The Valens familys on-screen counterparts were also at the screening: Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays Ritchie; Rosana De Soto, who is seen as Connie Valenzuela, and Esai Morales, who portrays the jealous half-brother, Bob Morales--the role that is pivotal in the film. The excited screams of her friends drowned out the rest of the tune, but she had already recognized it. At age 16, he got an invitation to be part of a local band, The Silhouettes, where he was a guitarist, and later the main vocalist. You know Bob Keane has controlled Ritchies music for all these years. Our relationship was a very, very short part of his very short life. I was pleased with your expertise, speed, and professionalism. Valens hit records included Come On, Lets Go, Donna, and a rock version of a traditional Mexican folk song, La Bamba., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. licensing the rights to Ritchies name and image. ", Her name is Donna Fox-Coots now, and she manages a Cal Fed Mortgage branch in this Sacramento suburb. . The preview was given by Columbia Pictures to herald the nationwide opening of the film in English and Spanish this week. RITCHIE VALENS' ROOTS. This was before CNN and all news radio, and before most newspapers . Another theory claimed that a fight broke out between the performers and one shot another. Gil Rocha, leader of a rock group that Valens joined before going solo, said the singer was a pioneering influence on the many Latino musicians who came after him. 40 minutes 4 seconds 196.4K. Valens was a breakout star who'd had astounding success in a relatively short period of time. Bob was out there with women and booze; Mom worked a lot, and my dad had left us. ALSO, READ; Isabella Patricia Phillips, Lou Diamond Phillips daughter. But I never really promised him one.. In 2001 Valens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was named for the late singer Ritchie Valens, after his mother watched the movie La Bamba. Net Worth: $500 . Sep 24, 2007 24,082 30,738. However, Come On, Lets Go did indeed come from an expression used by both Ritchie and his mom whenever they went somewhere. . Although many people seem confused about this, under the laws of most states a person needs to be 18 or older to execute a Will or sign any other legal documents. I still have the check somewhere., As far as the Thunderbird, Keane said: I may have told Ritchie at one time that if he kept doing as well as he was, I might get him a car. Connie Valens, younger sister of rock and roll legend Ritchie Valens visited Red Rock Center for the Arts in Fairmont on Tuesday to discuss her brother, and how losing him affected her family. I guess we didnt realize that it was going to be about both Bob and Ritchie. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. I always thought you had really arrived when a film made it to that theater, she remembered. Updates and news about all categories will send to you. On February 3, 1959, he died at 17. One incident involved the house that Ritchie bought his mother months before his death. Valens purchased the home for his mother in 1958 and resided here until his death in 1959, which was the most productive period of his professional career. Valens left a small legacy of recordings, but his compositions (often based on only three or four chords), exciting guitar style, emotional singing, and stylistic versatility influenced generations of rock musicians. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Ritchie Valens, original name Richard Stephen Valenzuela, (born May 13, 1941, Pacoima, California, U.S.died February 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa), American singer and songwriter and the first Latino rock and roll star. Ritchie was 40th Anniversary of Buddy Holly's death and the 20th annual Buddy Holly Tribute. His short career ended when he died at age 17 in the 1959 plane crash in which Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper also perished. Apart from Ritchie Valens, Connie had three other siblings. Ritchie Valens was just 17 years old when he changed the course of pop music in the late 1950s. As with Holly and Richardson, Valens suffered massive and unsurvivable head injuries along withblunt-force traumato the chest. WATSONVILLE, Calif. . Ritchie Valens Collection Album 2021- The Best Of Thomas Anders - All Time Songs List Ritchie Valens. "I was 15 years old, for heaven's sakes," she exclaims. Fox-Coots, whose father managed a Packard automobile dealership in Beverly Hills, regularly sneaked out of her bedroom window to meet Valens at San Fernando hangouts like the Rainbow Roller Rink or Bob's Big Boy. We just sat there looking at each other amazed.. Kelley James Donoho: Facts About Holly Marie Combs Son. Donna remembers being summoned out of class to the principal's office at James Monroe High School, where the press snapped photographs of her. In the mid-1950s, the family moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima, where the teen-ager attended high school and began playing in a rock band. She's only consented to a few interviews, she says, and then only because she wanted to promote "La Bamba" for the Valenzuela family, which is receiving a percentage of the film's profits. He worked as a counselor in a drug/alcohol abuse program in the 70s and today is married with eight children and is self-employed as an upholsterer-mechanic. Only this time they're a little different. "She's certainly got a story to tell. The masters of Valens recordings are owned by Keane in perpetuity, according to Keane, and he has licensed the rights to Rhino Records. He had four siblings, most notably his older brother, Bob Morales, who was portrayed as a bike riding enthusiast in the 1987 movie, La Bamba. It became their song. The men in her office describe her as just one of the boys, a down-to-earth career woman with a ready, throaty laugh. Well, he kept it in his garage after I lost Ritchie. I, of course, was the one that had wound up in the red-light district on several occasions, he smiled mischievously. Mother of Rock Star Ritchie Valens Dies October 20, 1987 WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) _ Connie Valenzuela, the mother of the late rock singer Ritchie Valens, has died of an apparent heart attack. I ultimately told him to forget about it, she said. "I had a girl," Ritchie Valens crooned, "Donna was her name ". she was My Head in the film Go, Johnny, Go! Ultimately, the Valenzuelas gave him five years to get the project together. Morales went on a downward spiral following his brother's death after turning to alcohol. Ritchie Morales' elder brother, Bob had a decent net worth of $100,000 at the time of his death. Later, when he started going out to play at different places, I would worry. and a strong faith. Over the July 4 weekend, La Bamba had a hometown preview for Valens family and neighbors at the Fox Theater here, a typical Art Deco-styled movie house from the 30s that usually plays Spanish-language films today. I guess thats good enough.. Mark Montalbn: Who is Ricardo Montalbns son? I feel kind of silly. As of 2022, she is 71 years old. Info. Ritchie Valens was an immediate sensation: "Come On, Let's Go," his first single, soared on the national pop charts. In 1987, a biographical movie of his life and times entitled 'La Bamba' was released, both the film and soundtrack became a worldwide smash hit with Los Lobos covering his songs on the soundtrack. Did he write his own songs? By GREGG BARRIOS. Oh, I get a bit of money now and then. "See that curl in the middle of his forehead?" Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month. Your mom's house. Ritchie Valens Registered User. The song appears prominently at the end of the 1987 film, La Bamba, during Ritchie Valens' funeral and the subsequent scene of his brother, Bob, screaming Ritchie's name to the heavens. It was the same song Valens had sung to her over the telephone a year before, after they had decided to date other people. Along with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens was one of the first guitarists to play on a Fender Stratocaster. His remains were buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California. Valdez lives 15 miles away in San Juan Bautista (home for El Teatro Campesino, of which he and Luis are founding members). ", In "La Bamba," actress Danielle Von Zerneck portrays Donna as a giggly, rather demure schoolgirl. While the demand for Valens records has grown, his fans and relatives have been clamoring for greater recognition of his accomplishments. As the first Mexican-American hitmaker in the U.S., he laid the groundwork for Chicano rock and . My experience working with her was by far the best experience Ive had in working with an attorney. He made several hits, most notably "La Bamba" and "Donna". Donna 1959, Donna's senior class photo from James Monroe High School. "I was attracted to him because he was a nice man, er " She stops herself. . . He was immortalized in La Bamba by Esai Morales, who captured his. I was a little nervous the first time I saw the film. Omissions? 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But away from the excitement of the screening, Connie Valenzuela, 72, sat in one of her daughters homes, surrounded by her several children and grandchildren.