An American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, his recording career lasted only 8 months. During this time, he had several hits, most notably La Bamba (1958), which was originally a Mexican folk song and which he transformed into one with a rock rhythm and beat, making him a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.

On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as 'The Day the Music Died', he died in a small-plane crash in Iowa, a tragedy that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J. P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson.