The Mexican folk-music genre that inspired Ritchie Valens’ 1958 hit single “La Bamba” is making a comeback in the U.S. and Mexico, as a new generation of young bands revives traditional sounds. The ...

Sixty years ago, a Mexican folk tune sung entirely in Spanish became a rock and roll phenomenon. Generations after Ritchie Valens, young Latinos... Through Slavery, Segregation And More, 'La Bamba' ...

In Giro’s, a plushy nightspot in Mexico City, the band beat out a rumba rhythm. Americanos were on their feet almost before the Mexicans. Rotund Leon Henderson and his smartly tailored brunette wife, ...

To dance the Bamba, one needs a bit of grace. That is an English translation of one of the lyrics from “La Bamba.” It was a Mexican folk song Richard Steven Valenzuela learned from his cousin. By 1958 ...

On Christmas Eve 2017, Luz Elena Mendoza recorded the clanging church bells at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. She had flown to New Mexico directly after her cousin Jesús’ memorial, ...

The East L.A. band Las Cafeteras is known for a version of "La Bamba" that mixes traditional Mexican son jarocho with hip-hop. This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that ...

This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action. Find more at NPR.org/Anthem. Sixty years ago this ...