First we had The Buddy Holly Story, and now we have La Bamba, that is Ritichie Valens' own life story, and in the Buddy Holly Story we had Gary Busey doing his own singing, in this movie, Lou Diamond Philips doesn't do his own singing, instead it is a band named Los Lobos. And plus we get some more out of this story then the buddy Holly Story, okay we know that Ritchie Valens was another one of the singers that lost his life in the plane crash on the morning of Febuary 3rd, but how much else do we know about him, since his carrier was only 8 months long? La Bamba opens with some boys playing basketball in a school yard, and in the sky are 2 plans, that crash, and guess where they fall. Yep, that is rgith to the schoolyard below, we later learn that one of Ritchie Valens' best friends was killed on this day, and that we are too believe that this is his memory. We also learn that he was not present that day, and he believes that if he was, he would have been killed by one of the falling planes. Hence, why he didn't like to fly. Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips) grows as a poor boy out in the middle of Calfiorna, he lives with his Mom Connie Valenzuela (Rosana De Soto) , and one day when working out in the fields he sees his troubled half brother Bob Morales (Esai Morales) coming out hsi motorcycle, and goes off a ride. And then find Connie, and they also introuce a freind of his mom name Rosie (Elizabeth Pena) to Bob. They movie out, and into a trailer, and 3 months later Connie leaves for her job as a waitress. And he heads off to school, where a new girl named Donna (Danielle von Zerneck) is new to town, and to the school, and is in one of his classes with Ritchie. The rest you should get of his beginning of his carrier, where he treys out for a garbage band, makes it, but at the first gig the lead singer (Geoffrey Rivas) doesn't even let him sing, which leads Ritchie to tour around town solo, and envtelally with the band minus the lead singer, when then he is spoted by the man that would be become his manger and his name is Bob Keene (Joe Pantoliano), which leads to his school days being over, and Ritchie still dating Donna, even if her parents, weel at least her father doesn't approve of Ritchie and the music that he plays.