I think every Latino boy that learns the guitar has dreams of becoming the next Ritchie Valens. For those of you gringos who don't know who I'm talking about, Ritchie Valens was a rock and roll phenom in the late 1950's. His story became popular in the 1988 film, La Bamba. Valens was from the San Fernando Valley. My great aunt knew the Valenzuela family from their early days in Pacomia. Ritchie's life ended in a tragic airplane crash while on tour with Buddy Holly in 1959. He was only 17.
When I was little, I would watch La Bamba with my family and I would always break out my plastic guitar and act out the concert scenes. Those are some of my fondest memories as a young child. Anytime, La Bamba is on TV, everything stops. I found a clip from YouTube. =)
As a Mexican American, I am proud and grateful for the groundwork that Valens laid for generations of latino musicians. He broke through the sterotypes and people of all races loved his music.
No comments:
Post a Comment