Lou Diamond Phillips starred as Valens in the original, which was nominated for a Golden Globe and earned Los Lobos a 1987 chart-topper for their version of Valens’ 1958 single “La Bamba,” which was ...

September 1958: Rock and roll originator Ritchie Valens had two hits on the charts, "La Bamba" and "Donna," when a longtime local DJ, the late Harry "Happy Hare" Martin, persuaded him to perform at ...

Ritchie Valens was rescued from obscurity by a 1987 movie, “La Bamba,” that finally put the Southern California teen’s story ahead of Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, the two older singers who died in ...

This essay is adapted from Merrick Morton's "La Bamba: A Visual History," published by Hat & Beard Press. “Dance!! Dance!! Dance!! to the music of the Silhouettes Band!!” read the handbill. The ...

The Pacoima Post Office was renamed Friday for its hometown hero, rock 'n' roll legend Ritchie Valens. Valens attended San Fernando High School and was discovered in 1958 at the American Legion hall ...

Few dates hold as much resonance in the history of American rock ’n’ roll as Feb. 3, 1959. On that day, a single-engine plane with room for only three passengers crashed into a cornfield in Clear Lake ...