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 ...

Written and directed by Luis Valdez, the 1987 biopic chronicles the rise of Pacoima teen rocker Richard Steven Valenzuela, better known as Ritchie ... But with no biography of Valens around ...

Ritchie Valens was just 17 years old ... and some of it will be inspired by his music,” Hidalgo says now. Valens, center, in concert. Archive Photos/Getty Images This year, Valens will be ...

The movie became a cultural touchstone. Books about Valens, though, have been scarce. The only biography was 1987’s “Ritchie Valens, the First Latino Rocker” by Beverly Mendheim, who ...