Two original photographs of Ritchie Valens, 1958-1959

Hollywood: Del-Fi Records, 1958-1959. Two vintage publicity photographs of rock-and-roll icon and Chicano rock forefather Ritchie Valens, circa 1958-1959. Provenance labels on the versos.

Born Richard Valenzuela in the San Fernando Valley, Valens signed with then relatively little-known Del-Fi Records after being discovered by label owner Bob Keane. A self-taught musician, Valens had earned the moniker "the Little Richard of San Fernando" among local teenagers. Valens' records were met with near-immediate success, with his 1958 double A-side of "Donna" and "La Bamba" certified gold. Valens' career was famously cut short on February 3, 1959—the Day the Music Died—in a plane crash that killed Valens, Buddy Holly, and The Big Bopper.

8 x 10 inches. Very Good plus, one with layout annotations to the recto margins in manuscript pencil.

[Book #170455]