OUR DAILY OLDIES: RITCHIE VALENS WAS BORN "RICARDO VALENZUELA" FROM A MEXICAN AMERICAN FAMILY. VERY YOUNG, RICARDO WAS A PROMISING ROCK AND ROLL STAR BUT "RICARDO VALENZUELA" DIDN'T SOUND VERY ATTRACTIVE FOR A ROCK AND ROLL PERFORMER SO HIS MANAGER PROPOSED TO CHANGE 'RICARDO' FOR RITCHIE AND CUT 'VALENZUELA' FOR VALENS. VISITING A MEXICAN TOWN, SOUTH OF THE BORDER, RITCHIE SAW A 'MARIACHI' (MEXICAN FOLK MUSICIANS) PLAYING 'LA BAMBA'. LA BAMBA WAS A TRADITIONAL MEXICAN FOLK SONG AND RITCHIE CAME BACK WANTING TO RECORD LA BAMBA. HIS MANAGER TOLD HIM: "ARE YOU CRAZY? A MEXICAN FOLK SONG IN A ROCK AND ROLL RECORD AND YOU DON'T EVEN SPEAK SPANISH?". RITCHIE INSISTED BY SAYING: "IF NAT KING COLE CAN SING IN SPANISH, SO CAN I". BY THAT TIME, NAT KING COLE HAD A LP ALBUM WITH LATIN AMERICA LOVE SONGS SINGING IN SPANISH. LA BAMBA WAS RECORDED AS A SIDE B (THROW AWAY) IN A SINGLE 45" ALONG WITH 'DONNA', DONNA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE HIT. THAT RECORD CHANGED THE HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL AND LA BAMBA BECAME VERY POPULAR. SADLY, RITCHIE DIED VERY YOUNG IN A PLANE CRASH IN 1959. A FEW YEARS LATER, LA BAMBA CAME BACK BY TRINI LOPEZ, IN A LIVE PERFORMANCE RECORDING. ENJOY BOTH RIGHT HERE!