Shades Of Richie

Since this is one of my most popular posts, I thought a reblog was in order. 🎵

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Tomorrow will mark the 59th anniversary of the death of Richie Valens.

Most of us “non-millennials” have heard of Richie Valens. He was the one who brought us Donna and La Bamba before dying tragically in an airplane crash in 1959. I remember vividly singing along to both of these songs when I was a teenager a few years later. The line, “I had a girl, Donna was her name….” still echoes in my musical consciousness. For me the memories of Richie Valens are stronger than most. Here’s why:

Richie Valens was born Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941 in Pacoima, California. Pacoima is just a stone’s throw from the town of San Fernando, where I grew up. I knew the turf well when I was a kid. It was a tough landscape that was…

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