3, 1959 plane crash. 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 ...

(Photo by David Allen, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Ritchie Valens was rescued from obscurity by a 1987 movie, “La Bamba,” that finally put the Southern California teen’s story ahead of Buddy ...