Various The Best Of La Bamba (CD)

(Rhino) 10 tracks - mega rare multi label collection with superb sound quality! 

Could 'La Bamba' be the best known song in the Western Hemisphere? Probably so. Its recognition is instant, joyous, and bilingual. From the African slave trade in the early seventeenth century through mainstream Hollywood in the late twentieth century, tracing 'La Bamba' reveals the sweep of history and culture beginning with the Spanish conquistadors and ending with an aisle seat in movie theaters everywhere. 

The song was confined to Spanish-speaking America until late 1958, when Richard Valenzuela—stage name, Ritchie Valens—amplified and grafted a joyous rock 'n' roll rhythm to the song's traditional melody line. Since then it has become a basic part of the reper-toire for every aspiring garage bond from East Los Angeles to the South Bronx. Now, 30 years after Valens brought the song with its Spanish lyrics into mainstream American culture, 'La Bamba' has become a classic in virtually every country from Canada south to Argentina. 

To find the roots of this remarkable song I traveled to Mexico, first to the capital, Mexico City, and then to the state of Veracruz on the Gulf Coast. The song that now resonates in night clubs, at fiestas, and on radios everywhere had its beginnings in the southern, coastal part of Veracruz , where the regional music is characterized by the playfulness of its lyrics and its stringed instruments—guitars of various sizes, a small harp, often a stand-up bass, and sometimes a violin. 

Ever since Hernon Cortes landed on the Gulf Coast in 1519, Veracruz has seen the arrival of Catholic missionaries, Caribbean pirates, African slaves, foreign troops, and sea-faring traders. The result has been a fusion of Spanish tradition with African, Caribbean, and native life. The mixed-blood population came to be called mestizo, and its songs, coupled with unique dances and rhythms, were known as jorodio-style songs. Of the hundreds and hundreds of tunes that evolved from that hybrid, 'La Bamba' is the most durable. (...from the liner notes by Tom Miller)