17 Year Old Kid Did This B-Side Before He Died Tragically-30 Yrs Later it Hit #1!-Professor Of Rock
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- You can’t make this up… a foreign language song that was originally released as a B-side all of a sudden became a massive worldwide #1 smash nearly 30 years after it was released. How does that happen? Well, it helps when one of the great rock and roll stories comes back into the zeitgeist. Ritchie Valens was a mere 16 years old when he recorded La Bamba. He came in a time of teen idols who had their own songwriters, but he was one guys who wrote his own stuff and had a world of possibilities ahead of him... until he was killed in a tragic accident. Since then, we have all wondered what might have been. 'What ifs’ are always hard, but this one is even worse because his fate was determined by a coin flip. Join us for a great tribute to Ritchie Valens, an original guitar hero next on Professor of Rock.
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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you’ve ever sung the chorus of Don McLean’s American Pie at the top of your lungs this is your channel. Make sure to subscribe below right now and click the bell so you’re always in the know on our latest and greatest interviews and stories. Also, check out more insider vids and become a curator of this history by joining our patreon…
So, it’s time for another edition of #1 in Our Hearts. This show honors songs that were so unbelievably great, they absolutely should've been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. But for whatever reason, be it radio play, lack of marketing, label support or just sheer stupidity, the song came up short. Just to give you an idea of what this is all about, on previous episodes we have covered Louie Louie by The Kingsmen, With a Little Help from My Friends as covered by Joe Cocker, and Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf. Today we’re taking you back a little bit further and telling the story of Ritchie Valens and La Bamba but this one has a twist… because it did actually get a second shot on the charts almost 30 years later it’s a really cool story..… Let’s get into it
For a moment, let’s go back to February 3, 1959. Turning on the news that day you might have heard something like this Action Central News broadcast:“Three young singers who soared to the heights of show business on the current rock n roll craze were killed today in the crash of a light plane in an Iowa snow flurry. The singers were identified as Ritchie Valens 17, Buddy Holly 22, and JP Richardson, known professionally as the Big Bopper... The pilot, Roger Peterson of Clear Lake, Iowa was also killed. The three singers had appeared at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa last night and were on their way to Fargo, North Dakota. Their small charted plane crashed in a lonely farmyard about 15 miles northwest of Mason City. Cause of the crash was due to inclement weather conditions.”
It was a devastating announcement. One that would break hearts across America. Three beloved musicians were lost in the blink of an eye. Ritchie Valens, born Richard Steven Valenzuela in 1941, was the first major Hispanic-American rock star in US music history.
Poll: What is your pick for the greatest song from before the Beatles blasted on to the scene?
Buddy Holly - Everyday
Cole Porter - Let's Do It
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill
Woody Guthrie - 1913 Massacre
Rock Around the Clock (for Rock and Roll. There's a lot of classical music I'd rank above it)
Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets. 😆
Buddy Holly "True Love Ways"
I'll nominate ... "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets.
La Bamba the movie is still timeless today - parents must watch with their kids to truly appreciate the day the music died
don’t forget the Buddy Holly movie starring Gary Busey!! That was awesome!!
I agree. It's a must watch!
@@DC8091 oh yes ! That’s the other movie every parent should watch with their young kids today
@@duromusabc I've never heard of this. I'll track it down. Thanks for informing me.
I had dreams too, Ritchie!
I was 13 when that movie came out, and it meant EVERYTHING to me. My grandfather was a mariachi on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, and I had heard him play La Bamba a million times, eventually learning to play it along side him. That Christmas I got a used, beat up Les Paul from my Dad (which I still have), and the rock version was the first thing I taught myself how to play. I've seen the movie easily over 100 times since then (my wife refuses to watch it with me because I have a tendency to recite the dialogue as I watch it without even knowing I'm doing it). It's a crime how much music we've lost because so many died so young.
Wow, so cool. Thx for sharing!
So cool 😎 Thx for sharing!
I know, it makes you wonder how rock music would have evolved if they had survived.
That’s awesome!
@@00ga-booga Oooh the Riverwalk is BEAUTIFUL at Christmas time!
Valens was in an era where there was no template for the rock sound, so he was free to make his own. This is truly a “what if” story that we’ll never know the ending to.
Bonus: If you see the film, “Go Johnny Go,” you’ll see a rare appearance of Valens singing his hit, “Oooh, My Head.”
Good call!
That's a noteworthy scene to check out!
Yep! They show it on TCM.
I never tire of this classic! I didn't know what the lyrics translated to, I just knew it was great to dance with! What a tragic end to his life and career!
Thanks Cheryl!
That plane crash was indeed the Day The Music Died. Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly....... how many musicians have perished in plane and car crashes? It's a staggering list.
I like the Los Lobos version also. Pays good homage to the original.
Thanks Professor.
Everybody have a great weekend.
Absolutely!❤
Thanx! You have a great weekend s well! 😄
I agree!
Not nearly as many who have succumbed to chemical recreation.
That plane crash had nothing to do with the weather. For some reason that story keeps getting told, but it wasn't the conclusion of the accident investigation. It was mostly about the poor operations of Dwyer Aviation.
I was pretty amazed after La Bamba came out in 1987 to learn that it did Ritchie's story justice and did not take too many liberties with it. In interviews that Lou Diamond Phillips gave subsequent to the film's distribution, he talked about how members of Richie's real family were sitting next to him at the first screening and his mother, connie, broke down and started weeping on Lou's shoulder for her son. What's stuck for me is how impacting it was that one of my second cousins had his guitar with him the following Thanksgiving for our annual family gathering and was playing it during the talent show. Retroactively, I learned about the original version Ritchie had recorded in 1958 gaining placements in both Grease (both the record and a reference from Stockard Channing & Jamie Donnelly)and The Money Pit.
I think it's non-negotiable, Adam. Do that verse-by-verse retrospective about "American Pie". People need to be informed about Buddy's widowed bride, the quartet who practiced in the park and the birds who flew off in the fallout shelter.
One of the best movies about rock! Thanks Eric!
Yup…I have never forgotten its use in Grease
It was a great rock n roll loss with Buddy, Bopper and Richie in that
fateful plane crash but their music still lives on. Thanks Professor.
🎶🎤🎸🎸🎹🥁🎶
THanks Roger!
Ritchie Valens died at 17 ! Incredible and shocking ! Taken away way too soon - I’ll never forget the reaction of his mom in the movie at the end and of his older brother too - heart wrenching pathos
A parent losing their child - very impactful
It's such a great film!
Imagine too finding out by hearing it on the radio.
And he was only a TEENAGER! 😢
Dang, he was that young, I assumed he was in his 20’s…. Not that it’s any consolation! Very tragic!
I did not realize he was that young. Three hits at that young of an age.
You did it again, Prof. - brought me back to that day, hearing the news of the crash on my dad's car radio. I never agreed with McLean's assessment of 'the day the music died', since we kept music on life support for a few more decades.
The guitar that opens "La Bamba" never fails to lift me right off the planet. I didn't think of it as a 'b-side' back then. Record companies often released a rocker b/w a ballad as a single. I like "Come On, Let's Go" almost as much as "La Bamba".
Thanks my friend!
One time I was in the grocery store, and they started playing “Sleepwalk,” the instrumental song from the montage scene at the end of La Bamba when they learn that Ritchie died, and I had to hold it together. I didn’t want to have to explain to a stranger that I was crying because I was reminded of a scene from a 30-something year old movie.
Santo and Johnny were the brilliant guitarists who performed Sleepwalk... unforgettable!
I loved Donna! My sister's name...
I don’t think I’d be able to hold it together either Angela
It is really emotional, isn’t it?
@@Angela22067 To this day someone has to yell out "Ritchie!" at the end of the song. Usually it's my brothers but I've had coworkers do the same.
A definite must see movie! How fitting was it that Richie got his #1 30 years later. LaBamba is one of those songs that still fills the floor at wedding receptions. I hope you get a chance to do more 50s blues and rock icons and the beginnings of the music we all love. Now I have to check out the link to your latest project. Great episode professor!!
Thanks My Name!
They should have played it at our prom!
Thank you for everything you do Professor. Thank you for educating us students to a higher level of music.
Thanks for watching!
One of my favorite episodes of the professor. Ritchie Valens is one of my favorite singers. I loved the movie la bamba I saw it at the movie theater in 1987 it was great.
Same!
Very cool! Thanks Wayne!
@@sandijohnson2216 Awesome!
Did you have a crush on Lou Diamond Phillips?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I did! 😆
At the end of the movie, when Bob screams Richie’s name with Santos and Johnny’s - “Sleepwalk” in the background, hit harder than when Bambi’s Mom was shot.
Now THIS is what makes personal connection!! ❤️
The movie and song La Bamba were responsible for bridging the generation gap between boomers and Gen X. At a time when most of us were struggling to understand the other generation, along comes this movie, and like lightning, we connect.
Ritchie Valens had a superb composition talent. He wrote rock songs that told real and emotionally solid stories, and then put them to music that stirred colors together that painted magnificent works of art.
I, too, watch the movie every year or so, and I will never tire of it. ❤❤❤
this was another one of those “I wore the tape out” in the 80s. The Lambamba soundtrack was awesome!
I know exactly what you mean!
And Lou Diamond Phillips was really hot!
I was named after the Richie Valens song Donna. My mum loved the song so much that said if she ever has a daughter she will name her after the song.
100% truth. My father was in his late teens when Ritchie has his time and I remember him saying "Donna" was the big hit they all knew. "La Bamba" wasn't really even on the radar until the movie. I can never hear "Sleepwalk" without thinking of the end of the movie anymore.
Same here!
That scene is etched into our memories.
I identify as an American of Mexican descent, but like Ritchie I am a Chicano who doesn't speak Spanish. He has been a key figure in my life since I first saw the movie, and I make sure younger hispanics know the importance of Ritchie Valens. No Ritchie, and who knows if Hispanics let alone spanish language songs would have ever made it on the charts, let alone to the top of them!!!
So happy to hear you are sharing his story. Important.
Viva La Bamba
I love my Dad's story about the first time he heard this song. He was a young adult and spoke Spanish fluently. He liked the song but thought it was funny that it was largely gibberish.
Very cool!
You don’t have to understand the lyrics to have fun with this song!
What a wonderful tribute to Ritchie Valens! I'm 69 years old, and all of these years, I didn't realize Valens was only 17 when he died; I thought he was in his early 20s. My heart broke thinking about how massive of a musician he surely would have become in his career. His talent was extraordinary. 😢
Love the Los Lobos outro on it... So festive!
Agree!
I heard their version the other day and they didn't play the outro.
@@DDKaraokeOutlaw Yeah I hate when they don't play the entire song. That's my favorite part of the song!
@@LaManteca76 Mine as well.
Yes, I saw "La Bamba" as a first run movie. I was born after Richie Valens left us. And yet I have a Richie Valens story that will kind of break your heart. Around 1980 or so I would meet a woman who was a very big Richie Valens fan - big enough to where she was made President of the Richie Valens Fan Club. You can only imagine how excited she was over that. But that excitement, as you guess, was short-lived. But it's HOW short it turned out to be that was truly sad. She was made President of his fan club only three days before the plane crash. It was more than obvious that 20 years after the incident it was tough for her to talk about. But she helped make sure his music would live on. But I so whole heartedly agree of all the rock tragedies, this ranks right up there. Yes, Valens was only 17, but Buddy Holly was only 22. And The Big Bopper was only 28 and left two children behind (his son was born 2 months after his death). All three had such "sky's the limit" potential and all taken out at the same time. I personally don't dwell on the "what could have been" aspect, but mourn over what we did lose. And these losses were big.
For those whose were wondering, The Platters were at number 1 with “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” on the week “La Bamba” peaked at #22. Ironically, “Donna” was at its peak at #2 in the same week. All 3 are great songs though.
Thanks!
Thank you for covering this story. Although its a tragic one. Its one that inspires me and makes me proud of my heritage.
Amen!
Always loved this timeless classic. "La Bamba" was a one-of-a-kind song. And I absolutely loved Los Lobos cover of the song as well. Just SO good! Valens's "Donna" is also a great song. :)
Thanks Bart!
So true!
Oh Donna…classic.
In our family La Bamba was basically our Citizen Kane. Me and my cousins used to watch that movie endlessly as kids for years (hell, our folks did too), besides giving us a hero that transcended our parents' generation into our own. And I agree with your take that Ritchie would have been a bigger star and probably would have even embraced more traditional Hispanic elements into his overall musical palette as time went on.
Sixty-five years after the tragedy of Clear Lake Iowa, it's good to know that Ritchie's music and presence still live on🎸
I was attending San Fernando High School when the movie was filmed on location. I grew up,literally, around the corner from the house that Ritchie bought for his mother. Being from Pacoima, Ritchie and his music hold great importance in our community. Thank you for discussing our home town hero.
Peace, Love, Respect
I came here to say how important Ritchie is to the community. I grew up in Sylmar but we attended church in San Fernando. My Dad taught at San Fernando Jr. and was soccer coach and Work Experience Counselor at San Fernando High School. He retired in 1986. We were all thrilled to see SF High in the movie! Go Tigers!
I loved the scene in the movie where he surprised his mother with the house. Very sweet.
I remember when this song had a resurgence on the radio in the 80's. Thank you.
I performed "Donna" at an open mic place back in 1991. That was back when I was strictly a keyboard player. I did the vocals & keyboard. I still remember our lead guitarist playing the cool extra notes on guitar. Before we actually performed, we were at Burger King & the girl who took our order was named Donna. We sang "Oh, Donna... Oh, Donna............." while standing at the counter, swaying back & forth (3 of us). We had guts back then. She just looked at us funny while we did that. 😁
Thanks for sharing Bill!
What would really be funny is if she read this, remembered and commented.
That would be a 33 yr hoot.
@@SteelToes Wow, that would! Oh, Donna. Where can you be? 😁
Reminds me of the time my best friend and I did the Top Gun (You've Lost That Loving Feeling) to his girlfriend in a parking garage after Thunder Over Louisville. We got a nice ovation from others in the parking garage. When we got to my car, I thought she was going to knock the crap out of him. Good Times. Peace in Heaven Jim. Till we meet again my friend.
Hahaha! I remember we once spontaneously sang Come On Eileen to a girl named Eileen.
First off, great coverage of Richie Valens. How many people ever really reach their zenith much less at 17? Second, Thanks for your great work on UA-cam. We are Legacy viewers and knew all along your career trajectory. Appreciate you Adam.
FINALLY! The era I love, thanks professor!
Proud to be friends with Ritchie’s sister Connie.
Excellent episode Prof. La Bamba who can forget the 80s when that song became popular with a newgeneration. RIP forever Ritchie Valens and thank you.
*Thank you for all the work you and yours put in to this channel! As a middle schooler in the mid 80s I listened to this and so many other songs from the 50s and 60s…and my friends thought I was NUTS. 🤣
But I still listen to this day!
I've loved this movie from the first time out. They've told Ritchie's story with taste and authenticity, AND they were faithful to the music and the artists they portrayed, like getting guitar players to play guitar players was a nice touch. Valens brief career left me, like many, wondering what might have been.
I was 21 when La Bamba came out. Knew his songs from my childhood since my dad was into 50s rock and growing up in a multi-ethnic neighborhood. So much good music!
Goosebumps! That was fabulous with touching, heartfelt commentary. I am glad that you gave Los Lobos lots of time here. The first time I heard " Don't Worry Baby," I went out and bought the album, on vinyl, that day. One song, and I knew they had the goods.
LA Bamba, the movie, is one of my favorite bio pics!! Lou Diamond Phillips did an amazing job!! LA Banba the song, is a fun song!! Even if you don't understand the words, the music just makes you happy and want to dance!! Thanks for another interesting video Professor Of Rock!! Cindy S.
Amen!
Another great episode professor. Keep teaching. 👏
You can keep Elvis. Buddy Holly was mine and mum's favourite singer. We sang his songs together when I was a child. I still play them now. If someone played them at a party we danced together to it. La Bamba came into my life through the Lemon Popsicles films.
FROM BROOKLYN NY I'M GLAD YOU FINALLY ARE DOING AT LEAST SOME OF THE ORIGINAL ROCK N ROLLERS THAT SPARKED IT ALLLLLLLLLL BACK THEN .
NOW IN MY EARLY 60'S I'M GLAD TO HAVING
HEARD ALLLLLLLLLL
FROM THE 1950'S TO NOW.
IN MANHATTAN IS OR WAS A RECORD SHOP
NAMED ' DOWNSTAIRS
RECORDS ' ALLLLLLLLLL 45's OF THE 50's 60'S +
THIS WAS IN THE 1980'S. YOU COULD
PLAY THE RECORDS TO
KNOW IF IT WAS THE ONE.
THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK AND CHANNEL.
I saw Los Lobos in a free show on the lawn at the Columbus Zoo. One of the best shows I've ever seen.
They are great.
Thank you Professor for keeping Rock n Roll alive. God bless you.
I danced to this song when I was abroad for the first time and met my first foreign gf in 87.
She was Italian and called Victoria, and three other people, two Brazilian, and another Italian female called Elizabetta
Thanks for sharing.
Ritchie, his songs, and the La Bamba movie are all amazing. I wondered what happened to Ritchie Valens in my youth (my parents listened to the oldies station) and I learned about what Don McLean's American Pie referenced when I was maybe 12 or 13. That's how I found out about Ritchie Valens. Same with Buddy Holly and Big Bopper.
I remember seeing the movie with my mom, I was about 12, and she was just crying so hard by the end because she remembered when the music died and the movie introduced me to all of their music. Bought the soundtrack on tape and raided my parents '50s rock records including their Time Life records that were boxed editions of a double record with hits from a specific year. My mom later told me that a relative had died soon after the plane crash and the funeral for that relative was held at the same funeral home for The Big Bopper in Beaumont. My mom said, while The Big Bopper's visitation and funeral were kept private, she said she caught a glimpse of his very pregnant widow and said she felt so sad for her. I also think of what might have been with all of them had they not died that night. Really dig you channel and learned so much from it about music history.
Very glad you covered Ritchie!! I've seen this movie once, it was cemented in my mind... I haven't been able to watch the movie since just because of the thought of what happened that fateful night... but honor those that parished, by keeping the music alive!
La Bamba was one of my first favorite songs. I was 7 years old in ‘87. Pretty sure the resurgence of this incredible song started my love of oldies and eventually classic rock. As a kid, I remember I didn’t listen to the big hits of the time for the most part, though I’ve come to enjoy them later. I loved those oldies stations that my mom listened to…It’s a shame there aren’t as many stations playing the classics of the 50s and 60s today for kids to discover. As I grew up, I kept moving through those decades. By the time I was a teen in the 90s, I was all about the great bands of the 70s. Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Springsteen…so many great tunes, and love hearing you cover them all.
I watched La Bamba over and over again when it became available on cable. I still think about the stories of the artists, the crash and how tragic it all is. Saw Don McLean this past spring in concert. Of course he received an applause of thunder when he finished American Pie! Great episode, Prof.
Although we already know about the day the music died, somehow The Professor makes it feel like new coming from his voice filled with excitement, honesty and compassionate. Thank Professor 👓, and great episode
I am almost 79 and I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news on the radio. In grade 9, lunchtime, in a corner soda bar across from the high school. Playing a pinball machine, 5 cents. The owner had the radio on. The news came on. The report of the deaths by plane crash came on. I will never forget. I was already familiar with them and their music because my mother always had music playing in the house. For me, that WAS the day the music died. 😢
As a boomer, I can honestly say that the global openness of thought, that pervaded the US in the 50’s with everything from Dean Martin singing “That’s Amore’” to Edith Piaf’s French songs such as “No Regrets” even as child hearing “La Bamba” was exciting. Pop, jazz, folk, rock, all blending together in the huge mosaic culture that is America. We understood the intermingling of cultures and languages was the greatness of our nation. There was no reason that Mexican Spanish should not be represented in music.
I was 15 when the movie first came out.. in my hometown El Paso Texas every one was talking about it & La Bamba was playing everywhere from radio to birthday parties school dances and everyone would get up to dance. Good times good music
My father had a huge 45 record collection, Valens music was on regular rotation when I was a kid.
So cool!
I found the streaming of WDRV & can't wait to hear your show on Sundays!
I remember how much I loved this movie as a kid. My mom, who remembered these songs from their original release, was so surprised that we loved La Bamba so much! She was always telling me that everyone she knew bought Donna and never listened to the b-side😆💗
I dont think one can overstate the impact of the movie. I was 13 and in very white Iowa, that movie really opened up a lot of minds towards Latinos at the time. Everyone was singing that song! I know quite a few of my friends trying to learn what the song meant way back then. Great memories come from this song. Thanks for another great episode!
I saw La Bamba in the theatre on it's release date. My classmate Matt and I caught the first matinee. We were among the first to see it in Kansas City, Mo.
Three great talents gone way to soon , great music and movie!!
I remember this movie so vaguely, because I was like 9 or 10 when it came out. This makes me want to watch it again.
Ritchie Valens was amazing! His music inspired many as did the movie which was so good. When Los Lobos came out,I couldn't hear them enough. And they have continued down that road of brilliant music
Great video. When three pioneers of the music die at the same time and place, yes, the day the music died.
Hope I get a chance to hear your radio show, and hope it gets picked up nationwide.
Thanks! Please request it in you area!
Amazing news for your radio show...excellent. Thanks for this video, Prof...great song and great story. Cheers from Niagara Falls, Canada🍁
It's a thing of beauty that a kid born American with Mexican blood (Roots) did as good as he did back then. Racism was pretty big back then but Valence won the people over with the Universal language of Rock-N-Roll (music).
Of course I was not born yet when Valence was already a Rock Star but I first listened to Donna when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I didn't know he was part Mexican but when I heard La Bamba I learned that he was an American born with Mexican blood.
I was born in 1970 in Mexico so for me and my brother that was like my best friend for many years, Ritchie was a big deal.
I already knew about when he and Buddy and The Bopper were killed in that plane crash but when the movie came out, I was 17 years old and even though I knew what was going to happen to him (them) it still brought some tears to my eyes.
I loved the fact that he wrote his own songs and music. That to me is a very important ingredient when it comes to musicians.
Thank God for giving us, not only the Hispanic people but to the world, Ritchie Valence.
La Bamba is still one of my favorite Hollywood documentaries. My mother loved Ritchie Valens so I was aware of his music before the film. I thought for years Lou Dimond sang all the songs lol... La Bamba still gets heavy play here at least twice a year.. Ritchie will forever live on
My sister and I went down the rabbit hole of 50s music after seeing the film, La Bamba, we were able to steal our mother's old 1958 cassette tapes! It is an incredible movie and I will always have a special place in my heart for Ricardo Valenzuela and Los Lobos!
Once again, you knocked it out of the park. Thanks professor. 👍
Thanks again!
Very nice to hear that news. Congratulations bro. You worked hard to get there. !
I appreciate it!
One of my favorite scenes in La Bamba is when Ritchie auditions for the Silhouettes with his old little amp. They tell him that it looks like something someone threw away and he responds “well it’s mine now!!”
Professor of rock knocks it out the park again.... Awesome job!
Such a tragic end to such young talented musicians. La bamba was always a big hit with my family and a must learn song when I started playing guitar
Loved this movie as a kid.
Los Lobos killed it.
I saw the movie when it was out & The Best of Ritchie Valens was 1 of the 1st CDs I ever bought. I too bought the ST & later the 45s.
I was around in 87, and never want to hear this song again.
However, it is also responsible for one of my favorite anecdotes.
Around 87/88, when everyone and their mom and their mom's dog and the dog's cousin were singing "la la la la la la bamba", the kid doing vocsls in my garage band used to sing "Puerto Vallarta La Bamba".
Perfect combo! The Prof and a radio show! Its gonna be awesome.
Ritchie Valens is a Mexican-American music icon. There wouldn't be Santana, Los Lobos, or Freddy Fender if Ritchie didn't break thru. 🇲🇽
Before the beatle, so many great songs but one that continues to stick with me is, Up On The Roof!
When I was in college, a big part of one of my grades was a research project in psychology. The group I was in did one on memory and recall. The experiment involved reading a story, taking a break, then answering questions on the story. During the break we showed the VHS of La Bamba. This was in 1989 and I was amazed at how many people had not seen the movie, but then again at that time most of my classmates were into "alternative" music. I hope the video had more of an impact than the story we wrote to go with our experiment.
Thanks for sharing!
I was a young teen when all these were famous. Remember well the news of their deaths. As I found out just a few days ago, Eddie Cochran was so traumatized that he vowed never to tour if it involved flying. Tragically he was killed in a car crash not long afterwards. He too had had a premonition of dying in a car accident. Hey, Professsor, maybe you can do a profile of Eddie's life. As for the movie La Bamba, I loved it too. All the parts were played so well. Brought back many memories.
I learned the lyrics to this in my high school Spanish class in 1993. Have never forgotten them.
I remember we went to the drive in for a double feature of Stand By Me and a classic Rock and Roll movie called La Bamba. When we saw the movie, we all cried in the car during the scene when they played the news the plane crashed and the music died. The memory of that night lives on and they definitely did his life and legacy justice with that movie. May they all rest in peace.
Speaking of Spanish vocals in Rock and Roll, I saw The Reverend Horton Heat last night. Big Sandy performed about five songs with The Rev, including a Spanish rendition of "Good Golly Miss Molly"! It was a fantastic show. I got to talk with both Jim Heath (The Rev himself) and Jimbo Wallace (the bass player) for quite a bit after the show.
Somehow during my conversation with Jimbo, Tom Kenny's (voice of Spongebob) name came up, and he said that Kenny and the band were really good friends, going back quite a few years--years before Spongebob was even a thing, in fact.
Really gracious, down-to-earth folks. And Big Sandy himself is a great guy. I also spoke with the lead vocalist/bass player of The Koffin Kats, a psychobilly band from Detroit. He really got a kick that I knew about the connection between two stylistically opposite bands from Detroit: His Name is Alive (a dream pop band), and Elvis Hitler (another psychobilly band). He said almost nobody ever realizes that Warren Defever is a member of BOTH bands. Anyway, he says their bands always hang out with each other.
My first re-introduction to La Bamba (the song) came 4 months earlier in 1987. In the movie Tin Men, there is a scene in a diner where a tin man keeps dropping coins in the jukebox to play La Bamba over and over while he dances to it! I loved that scene so much that La Bamba was on my mind when the movie came out; I went on opening night!
DEFINITELY guessed this one from the title.
Not my first, not gonna be my last.
Awesome!
Excellent movie, and performances by musicians and actors/actresses. Outstanding soundtrack.
Agreed!
I love La Bamba ... great movie and would listen to my mom's 45s as a kid had buddy holly and ricky nelson and Ritchie so exposed to the music as a toddler on the way they were first issued. so much great stuff.
I was born in the San Fernando Valley, so Ritchie was already a local legend by the time _La Bamba_ (the movie) came out. I was about 8 or 9 years old then; I remember going to see the movie in the theater with my Nana. It was a very hot day and we shared a box of chocolate- covered cherries. Loved the movie then and I still love it now.
Dude, I need your tshirt! That album cover is one of my all time faves. And I wore that record (and Abraxas) OUT back in the 70s.
I saw the "La Bamba" movie in the theater when I was a kid. It's still one of my all time favorite rock bio pics. I think that had Ritchie Valens not got on board that plane, he would have went on to be a legend. He was really only getting started.
Loved Ritchie Valens since I was 2 or 3 years old ! I got the lucky draw of the deck by being exposed to music from 1900s on and all genres ! Used to love when Mom played her vinyl and would groove to all of her old music. I even added to her collection with many of her favorite artists! R..I.P.Mom ! ❤
Here's a little bit of rattle snake.
I was seven years old when La Bamba came out and, especially as an American kid with Mexican ancestry, that movie really sparked my love for guitar and rock and roll.
We would regularly visit family in Mexico, and i nagged my parents into buying me a cheap acoustic guitar from a street vendor that was walking through traffic congestion. My uncle played guitar and taught me three chords, and was mind blown when he overheard me playing and singing "Donna" a few days later by ear. The next week I took that little guitar to school and sang Donna for show-and-tell lol. Soon after, my dad got me a cheap electric guitar but I was just a dumb kid with an electric and no amp, and all i really recall about that guitar is one day stuffing Cheetos into the jack 🤦♂️
Ten years later in '97, I was looking for a guitar because my friends were starting a cover band, and a schoolmate told me that his dad was selling his Fender Stratocaster (the same guitar Richie plays in his final performance in "La Bamba"). I was very pleasantly surprised when he brought it to school and not only was it a real Fender Strat, but it also had the same two-tone sunburst paint job and maple fretboard, just like Richie. My dad paid only $75 for it and that was my 17th birthday gift (ironically the same age Richie was when he died).
I'm almost 45 today and I'm looking at it as I type this comment. I never became a rock star or guitar god, but that two-toned Strat still makes me feel like one when I sling it around my shoulder. Thanks, Dad 🎸
Omg.... I'm literally driving thru clear lake iowa as this video randomly came on
No way!
@ProfessorofRock not kidding. I drive an 18 wheeler and I was going from Minneapolis to des moines. I got the alert for a new video. Pushed play. A couple minutes into it you said 'clear lake iowa' as I was driving by the clear lake exit sign lol. Perfect timing. There's actually a Pilot truck stop there i stay at occasionally. 2 mile walk to the Surf Ballroom. Caught George Thorogood there a few years back.
You should visit the crash site. I know if had to drive through Clear Lake for some reason I would be stopping to see it.
@michaelharrington75 id actually looked into it one weekend I was at the truck sstop. But it's about 7 miles away. Idk if there's anywhere to park a big rig closer
Shake it up baby now! Twist and shout!
You want us to cover that one?
Just trying to point out that the chord progression is identical.
Love the way you referenced, American Pie, one of the greatest songs of all time and a song that wouldn't have existed without that terrible plane crash that claimed Valens, Holly, and The Big Bopper. It truly was the day, the music died. Two legends killed so early in their lives. Two legends whose contribution to rock history cannot be denied. Two legends who influenced so many other artists after their passing. It boggles the mind to think what Valens and Holly could've done going forward. And, to think they were only kids and had already cemented their place in music history.
The world mourned the loss of a legendary rocker, Richie Vallens.
P.S. I’m surprised you didn’t mention the movie “Tin Man” where the La Bama was held in high esteem. Danny DeVito says, “The Bama is the Bama, or something like that.” Sorry, I can’t recall the exact quote, but his character paid homage to La Bama.
Indeed!
man i love this movie i jsut rewatched it on my apple tv for the thousanth time such great story telling telling the short story of this amazing artist he was truly taken from us way to soon so was other great artists R.I.P to all of the great musicians taken from us way to soon and i am man enough to admit at the end to this day i still cry at the end when the news breaks over the radio about his untimely death such a impactful moment in music history hell i am tearing up right now writing this 😢😢😢😢
I've loved this song since I heard it when I was a kid back in the 70s.
"I need to interview those guys." No truer words have been spoken.
We really need some Los Lobos content. I really enjoy everything I hear them do but know so little about them.