 Richard Valenzuela, better known as Richie Valens, was a rock and roll teen sensation of Chicano heritage. In 1958, Valens signed a recording contract with Del Rey Records and put out a few singles that vaulted him to superstardom before dying tragically in a plane crash less than a year later. One of the first singles was a cover of La Bamba. It taught teens around the world to sing along. No soy marinero, soy capitán, soy capitán.