“La Bamba” is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll’s best-known songs. Valens’ “La Bamba” infused the traditional tune with a rock drive, in part provided by session drummer Earl Palmer and session guitarist Carol Kaye, making the song accessible to a much wider record audience and earning it (and Valens) a place in rock history. Valens’ version of “La Bamba” is ranked number 354 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is the only song on the list sung in a language other than English. (More from Wikipedia)
As an example, I have previously written of the origin of the Ritchie Valens hit from 1958, “La Bamba”. The 1987 biopic film about Valens also took the name La Bamba, and “La Bamba” as performed in the film by the Chicano rock band Los Lobos became a Number One hit that year. This song originated in Veracruz (one of the 31 states in Mexico) and was particularly popular at weddings, where the bridge and groom would dance to this music; “La Bamba” might date from as long ago as the 14th Century and is said to have 500 verses. From Wikipedia: “[Ritchie] Valens’ version of ‘La Bamba’ is ranked number 354 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is the only song on the list sung in a language other than English.”
(February 2015)
