A biography of Valens with an analysis of the significance of his music which incorporated the Latin sound into rock and roll.

A Lil' Libros Bilingual Biography Introduce little ones to the life of legendary Ritchie Valens in both English and Spanish! Born May 13, 1941, Richard Steven Valenzuela, better known as Ritchie Valens, was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His musical journey began in Pacoima, California, at age 5, when his father encouraged him to take up guitar. In high school, he made his performing debut with his band, the Silhouettes. At age 17, Ritchie recorded his final record, which included the songs Donna and La Bamba. That record went on to sell over one million copies. To this day, Ritchie's music continues to live in the hearts of many! Unable to find bilingual first concept books she could enjoy reading to her baby, Patty Rodriguez came up with the idea behind Lil' Libros. Patty and her work have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, CNN Latino, Latina Magazine, Cosmopolitan, People En Espanol, Cosmo Latina, and American Latino TV, to name a few. She is currently Sr. Producer for On Air With Ryan SeacrestiHeartMedia, jewelry designer for MALA by Patty Rodriguez, and creator of Manolos And Tacos. Ariana Stein, a graduate from California State University, Dominguez Hills, has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. Ariana spent the first eight years of her professional career in the corporate world. Her life changed with the birth of her baby boy. She immediately realized that bilingualism played a very important role in his future, as well as the future of other children.

The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the 'Big Bopper' and Ritchie Valens. The tragic deaths of these three fifties Rock n Roll stars was immortalised in Don McLean's classic hit American Pie. The poignant story of the build-up to, events of, and the fall-out from the infamous 'Day The Music Died' are told here in painstaking chronological detail. A must for any serious rock n roll fan or student.

(Guitar). Ritchie Valens was the first nationally recognized Latino rock 'n' roll star. He had a meteoric rise to fame in a career that lasted barely eight months, before his tragic death along with Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and pilot Roger Peterson, in a plane crash north of Clear Lake, Iowa. Ritchie's unique guitar style and high-energy performances made him a well-known figure in the "Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll." In Ritchie Valens: His Guitars and Music , guitarist and author Ryan Sheeler takes an in-depth look at Ritchie's music in a different light than other accounts. Included in the book are photos and information on his famous guitars, as well as an observation into how he might have approached his playing. This book also presents a brand-new transcription of "La Bamba" with accompanying guitar tablature of the famous intro riff and Ritchie's celebrated guitar solo. Join Ryan for a look back at one of the pioneer guitarists of early rock 'n' roll in Ritchie Valens: His Guitars and Music.

A brief biography of the young singer from California who became the first Latino rock star, only to die in 1959, shortly after he had achieved stardom.

Legendary rock 'n' roll mogul Bob Keane, president of Del-Fi Records, tells a story within a story, dealing not only with the West Coast record scene of the '50s and '60s, but also with his life journey as a man in search of his dream.