20 Greatest Hits - 180 Gram Vinyl-Audiophile Pressing. On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson. This tragic event would later become known as "The Day the Music Died" after singer-songwriter Don McLean referred to it as such in his classic 1971 song "American Pie". During the course of his brief life, Ritchie Valens fused different kinds of music together to form his own remarkable style. He left a lasting impact on rock & roll with his classic rocker "La Bamba". A forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted just eight months. He was only 17-years old at the time of the plane crash that took his life. This 180-gram VINYL EDITION presents Ritchie Valens' 20 GREATEST HITS.