#14: “La Bamba” – Ritchie Valens (1958)
Valens took a traditional tune and transformed it into rock and roll with a clean guitar line and a bright tempo.
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He recorded “La Bamba” at seventeen and made it sound effortless. The track sat on the B side of a single, yet it became the one everyone remembered. Kids played it at school dances, and adults tapped along in their kitchens.