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SurfGuitar101 Forums » The Shallow End »

Permalink Come On Lets Go: Richie (Valenzuela) Valens

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Inspired by Jake's post, I think we also need some love for another early Strat king and Del-Fi recording artist, Ritchie Valens.
Mexican Americans in Southern, and other parts, of California, and across the southwest over to El Paso and San Antonio had been soaking up R&B since the 40s and as rock and roll developed, it was only a matter of time before we had Ritchie Valens, the first nationally known Chicano rock and roller.
I don't think I need to explain the parallels and influence that he had on surf music, not to mention the fact that the money he generated for Del-Fi probably paid for those surf records that Del-Fi went on to release a couple years later.
Feel free to share the love!

http://www.satanspilgrims.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satans-Pilgrims/8210228553
https://satanspilgrims.bandcamp.com/
http://www.surfyindustries.com

Last edited: Feb 04, 2018 16:02:45

Very good. Smile

In the other thread I mentioned HollyFest, which is a tribute to all three artists who died in the crash. Just about EVERYBODY does "Come On, Let's Go," which is one of the greatest and most danceable songs of all time. We did an instro version of "We Belong Together." I wish I could find a video of us doing it (if one exists).

The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31

Well, it does have the great Earl Palmer on drums (another surf connection).
Just think, if Ritchie had never given us that song, would we have ever gotten The Ramones?

http://www.satanspilgrims.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satans-Pilgrims/8210228553
https://satanspilgrims.bandcamp.com/
http://www.surfyindustries.com

Last edited: Feb 04, 2018 16:03:14

Man, that kind of conjecture takes you down a rabbit hole...

I would say without any of those guys we wouldn't have gotten The Ramones, or at least not exactly as they were. There are also MANY links in the chain, of which Ritchie Valens was one of the first.

I was traversing YouTube, listening to various Ritchie Valens tracks, and it sounds to me after listening to a couple of demos that he had a slightly less-accented/Americanized sound to his voice on the final cuts. I am guessing this was done by the label to broaden his appeal?

The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31

Last edited: Feb 04, 2018 15:04:58

Just following up some thoughts as an addendum to Buddy Holly. Man it just hit me, what a devastating loss all at once.

Anyway, remember when that bio pic with Lou Diamond Phillips and Los Lobos La Bamba cover put Valens back in the spotlight for awhile? La Bamba has one of the most infectious riffs in rock and roll because it just goes round and round. It's a perfectly crafted song just like Come On Let's Go. Oh Donna actually has a Buddy Holly feel to me (speaking of). Just those three biggies right there are immaculate songs.

Really cool Ted the way you wove the Chicano thread into rock and roll and by extension, surf music.

Now this thread makes me miss Tuck because he surely would have taken that and run with it.

websurfer, I about wore that VHS out, when I was a kid.
Probably the first place I heard Sleepwalk.
Did you notice Brian Setzer playing Eddie Cochrane?

I sure did. Now there's a part he was born to play!

Haha so weird to see this thread since I just worked with Lou Diamond! He was on the tv show I do sound for and he was awesome. Super chill and very nice fellow. Made a hilarious joke about being the ambiguous brown person. We killed him too! On a harbor police boat in the Mississippi. Seeing La Bamba in the theater was awesome, the whole family went. I didn’t ask him about it.

I’m ashamed to say I haven’t really heard much Valens other than that song. I hadn’t thought about how surfy that riff is though! Is the rest of his stuff like that?

Daniel Deathtide

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