Ritchie Valens is the first album by Ritchie Valens, posthumously released by Del-Fi Records in March 1959, one month after his death in a plane crash. It is his only studio album entirely composed of master tracks recorded at Gold Star Studios. The album peaked at #23 on the Billboard album chart.
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.
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Track listing[edit][]
All songs written by Ritchie Valens, except where indicated.
Side 1[edit][]
- "That's My Little Suzie" (shown on original album covers as "I Got a Gal Named Sue") (Bob Keane/Valens) – 1:52
- "In a Turkish Town" – 2:16
- "Come On, Let's Go" – 2:00
- "Donna" – 2:28
- "Boney Moronie" (Larry Williams) – 2:46
- "Ooh My Head" – 1:48
Side 2[edit][]
- "La Bamba" (Traditional, adapted by Valens) – 2:06
- "Bluebirds over the Mountain" (Ersel Hickey) – 1:45
- "Hi-Tone" (Al Hazan) – 2:06
- "Framed" (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller) – 2:13
- "We Belong Together" (Robert Carr/Johnny Mitchell/Sam Weiss) – 1:57
- "Dooby-Dooby-Wah" – 1:53