Ritche Valens was the first nationally recognized Latino rock'n' roll star. He had a meteoric rise to fame in a career that lasted barely eight months, before his tragic death along with Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and pilot Roger Peterson, in a plane crash north of Clear Lake, Iowa. Ritchie's unique guitar style and high-energy performances and his hits “Come On, Let's Go, Donna,” and “La Bamba” made him a well-known figure in the golden age of rock 'n' roll.<br><br>Valens had only two studio albums, <i>Ritche Valens</i> and <i>Ritchie</i>, both released posthumously in 1959. In <i>Ritchie Valens Songbook: Hits and B Sides</i>, guitarist and author Ryan Sheeler presents an in-depth look at Ritchie's music from these two albums, featuring 12 note-for-note transcriptions with accompanying guitar tablature.<br><br>This is a follow up to Sheeler's book, <i>Ritchie Valens: His Guitar and Music</i>, featuring a complete exploration of “La Bamba,” plus Ritchie's guitars and history.
