On May 14, 1941 in Pacoima, California, a large Hispanic community known as the San Fernando Valley, a Hispanic was born and named Richard Steven Valenzuela, better known to everyone else as Ritchie Valens. Ritchie's father, Joseph "Steve" Valenzuela, was the one who brought the love of music to him. Ritchie lived with his father because his parents separated when he was three years old; his father always pushed him to make something of himself. However, when Ritchie was ten years old, his father died of diabetes. Ritchie's mother, Concepcion "Connie" Valenzuela, then moved into the house Ritchie and his father use to live in, along with her oldest son, Robert Morales, and her two younger daughters, Connie and Irma. Ritchie moved to Santa Monica to stay with his uncle, Henry Felix, because he needed to be straightened out.
             Ritchie's father had been teaching him how to play the guitar and Ritchie always had a gift for singing. During lunch in junior high, Ritchie would practice or even entertain his friends; he was only thirteen years old and brought his guitar everywhere with him. At age sixteen Ritchie was asked to join The Silhouettes, which played for small events such as, church, high school dances, and parties. The Silhouettes went through many different members, many containing a lot of talent. Ritchie was somewhat of a shy kid and it showed on stage in the early part of him joining the band, but his emotions came alive and he performed just like any other rock star. After this, he became the lead vocalist of the band.
             Ritchie got his big break when he was spotted at a local show, by Bob Keane, owner of Del-Fi Records. Bob became Ritchie's manager and got him a record contract and then Ritchie wrote his first single, "Come On Let's Go" and it sold 750,000 copies. A short while after this, Ritchie released "Donna" which was about his high school sweetheart and e...