Ritchie Valens has been played on NTS in shows including Light in the Attic, featured first on 16 July 2018. Songs played include La Bamba, Bluebirds Over The Mountain and Ritchie's Blues.

Ritchie Valens (born Richard Steven Valenzuela; on 13 May 1941 in Pacoima, California, USA – February 3, 1959) was a Mexican American singer, songwriter and guitarist.

A Rock and Roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months. During this time, however, he scored several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song that Valens transformed with a rock rhythm and…