Lou Diamond Phillips can still vividly recall the one moment filming “La Bamba” that forever changed his life. The biopic, released in 1987, tells the story of singer Ritchie Valens who died in a ...

PACOIMA — Almost 60 years have passed since Ritchie Valens’ short 17 years of life, but his presence remains alive and well in the San Fernando Valley, more specifically in Pacoima, his hometown. A ...

This essay is adapted from Merrick Morton's "La Bamba: A Visual History," published by Hat & Beard Press. “Dance!! Dance!! Dance!! to the music of the Silhouettes Band!!” read the handbill. The ...

Ritchie Valens will always hold a special place in the heart of Pacoima residents. Now, the “La Bamba” kid turned rock ‘n’ roll legend, has his own post office. The United States Postal Service and ...

The Beach Boys made their professional debut at a Ritchie Valens Memorial Dance on December 31, 1961, in Long Beach, ...

Few dates hold as much resonance in the history of American rock ’n’ roll as Feb. 3, 1959. On that day, a single-engine plane with room for only three passengers crashed into a cornfield in Clear Lake ...

The Pacoima Post Office was renamed Friday for its hometown hero, rock 'n' roll legend Ritchie Valens. Valens attended San Fernando High School and was discovered in 1958 at the American Legion hall ...

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 who died in ...

When Connie Valens Anderson, sister of of late rock ‘n’ roll icon Ritchie Valens, learned that a stretch of the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley was being named after her brother, she couldn’t ...

PACOIMA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Pacoima post office has been renamed after rock 'n' roll legend Ritchie Valens. Valens attended San Fernando High School and became a popular recording artist after ...

PACOIMA, Calif. (CNS) -- A bill to rename the Pacoima post office in honor of rock 'n' roll legend Ritchie Valens has been approved by the House of Representatives. Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City ...