Valens, whose real name was Richard Steven Valenzuela, began performing while he was still a teenager in Pacoima, California. When he was 16, he joined a local band called The Silhouettes, playing lead guitar.
His big break came in May 1958, when Del-Fi Records founder Bob Keane heard about the young musician. After seeing Valens perform at a movie theater in San Fernando, Keane invited him to audition at his home studio in Los Angeles. Impressed by the teenager’s talent, Keane signed him to Del-Fi Records.
Just weeks later, Valens recorded “Come On, Let’s Go” at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. The original song was written by Valens and produced by Keane. Released in August 1958, it became Valens’ first hit, reaching No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 51 on the Cash Box Top 100.
That success was followed by a double A-side single featuring “Donna,” written about his high school sweetheart, and “La Bamba.” “Donna” was the bigger hit during Valens’ lifetime, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “La Bamba” eventually became his most recognizable recording.
By early 1959, Valens was touring with the Winter Dance Party alongside Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Dion and the Belmonts. After their show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Valens, Holly and The Big Bopper took off on a small plane shortly after midnight on February 3, headed for their next venue.
His death became part of the tragedy later known as “The Day the Music Died,” a phrase immortalized by Don McLean in his 1971 hit “American Pie.”
Related: 1967 Motown Song, Written by Smokey Robinson, Launched a Young Band’s Career
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