''Ritchie Valens'' is the debut album by American musician
Ritchie Valens
Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed i ...
. It was released by
Del-Fi Records
Del-Fi Records was an American record label based in Hollywood, California and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was "Caravan" by Henri Rose released in 1958, but the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. Valens' fi ...
in January 1959. It is his only studio album entirely composed of master tracks recorded at
Gold Star Studios
Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Los Angeles, California, United States. For more than thirty years, from 1950 to 1984, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world.
Founded ...
in Los Angeles. The album peaked at #23 on the ''Billboard'' album chart.
The LP yielded four U.S. chart singles: "
Come On, Let's Go
"Come On, Let's Go" is a song written and originally recorded by Ritchie Valens in 1958. It was the first of four charting singles from his self-titled debut album, and reached number 42 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in late 1958.
Renditio ...
" (#42), "
Donna
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
*Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...
" (#2), "
La Bamba" (#22), and "That's My Little Suzie" (#55).
The original pressings are black and sea green with circles around the outer edge. The print font for the track listings on these labels is the same font used on the back of the album cover. Later pressings feature black labels with gold and sea green diamonds around the outer edge. The album has been reissued over the years, featuring different album covers.
Track listing
All songs written by Ritchie Valens, except where indicated.
;Side 1
#"That's My Little Suzie" (Valens,
Robert Kuhn) – 1:52
::*Original album covers show the title as "I Got A Gal Named Sue", corrected on later pressings
#
"In a Turkish Town" – 2:16
#"Come On, Let's Go
"Come On, Let's Go" is a song written and originally recorded by Ritchie Valens in 1958. It was the first of four charting singles from his self-titled debut album, and reached number 42 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in late 1958.
Renditio ...
" – 2:00
#"Donna
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
*Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...
" – 2:28
#" Boney-Moronie" (Larry Williams
Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...
) – 2:46
#"Ooh, My Head" – 1:48
;Side 2
#" La Bamba" (Traditional; adapted by Ritchie Valens) – 2:06
#"Bluebirds Over the Mountain
"Bluebirds over the Mountain" is a song written and recorded in 1958 by Ersel Hickey, later covered by artists such as The Beach Boys, Ritchie Valens and Robert Plant. Hickey's original recording of the song peaked at No. 75 on the ''Billboard'' ...
" (Ersel Hickey
Ersel Hickey (born Ersel O'Hickey, June 27, 1934 – July 9, 2004) was an American rockabilly singer best known for his hit song "Bluebirds over the Mountain".
Early life
Hickey was born in Brighton, New York, and was named after the family d ...
) – 1:45
#"Hi-Tone" () – 2:06
#" Framed" (Jerry Leiber
Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such Crossover music, crossover hit songs ...
, Mike Stoller
Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as " Hound Dog" ( ...
) – 2:13
#"We Belong Together
"We Belong Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her 10th studio album, ''The Emancipation of Mimi'' (2005). The song was released on March 15, 2005, through Island Records, as the second single from the album. "W ...
" ( Robert Carr, Johnny Mitchell, Hy Weiss
Hyman Y. "Hy" Weiss (February 12, 1923 – March 20, 2007) was an American record producer of pop and rhythm and blues music in the 1950s and 1960s, and the founder of Old Town Records.
Biography
Born to a Jewish family in Cuca, Argeș County, ...
) – 1:57
#"Dooby-Dooby-Wah" (Valens, Kuhn) – 1:53
Charts
Album
External links
*
{{Authority control
Del-Fi Records albums
Ritchie Valens albums
1959 debut albums
Albums recorded at Gold Star Studios