There has been an African roots link in Verracruz by way of Cuba. The word itself meant `wood,' and it had to do with the people dancing on a wooden floor. "The name itself, `Bamba,' is not Spanish," says Mendheim. "La Bamba's" origin may go back even further, according to Beverly Mendheim, author of the book "Ritchie Valens: The 1st Latino Rocker." The bride and groom try to tie a ribbon together with their toes while dancing "La Bamba" as a symbol of their love for each other. It also refers to a dance performed mainly at weddings. "La Bamba" is originally an 18th-century folk song that comes from the Verracruz region on the Mexican Gulf Coast. Only a month after "Donna" hit number two on the pop charts, rock deejays everywhere added "La Bamba" to their playlist as well. "We needed a flip side for it, obviously," Keane says, "so I chose 'La Bamba' because it was all in Spanish and I figured `Nobody's gonna play that,' because we didn't want any mixed air play, you know." Keane knew he had a winner with "Donna" and was eager to release the song nationwide. The hit song was usually on side A and the B side often considered a throw-away. He was more concerned about Ritchie Valens' next release, a ballad called "Donna." This was the era of the 45. Let's try that.'"īut Keane didn't think a Spanish-language song could be a hit. And then I heard this melody, this `Dadadada da da da,' and I said, `Boy, that'd make a great rock record, I think. "He was in the backseat strumming his guitar all the way up there. "The first time I heard "La Bamba" with Ritchie was I was driving up to San Francisco with him for his first television appearance up there," Keane says. In the summer of 1958 the two hit the road to promote the young new rock singer's first release, called "Come On, Let's Go." While Keane drove his Thunderbird, Valens played another song that caught his attention. Keane produced most of Ritchie Valens' recordings. "When you stop to think what was accomplished with one record," Del-Fi records President Bob Keane says, "it's one of the phenomenons of this whole industry, as far as I'm concerned. Those are the simple, catchy words of a very old folk song that Ritchie Valens made a rock 'n' roll classic. To dance "La Bamba," one needs just a bit of grace. That teen-ager, Ritchie Valens, was made famous. "La Bamba" made rock 'n' roll history when it became the first Latin-based song to cross over to the pop and rock audience. It was the late 1950s when a 17-year-old boy took an old Mexican folk song and set it to a rock 'n' roll beat. Recordings Used: La Bamba, Ritchie Valens Interviewees: Bob Keane, Hi fi Records President
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |