First Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper Bobbleheads Unveiled

MILWAUKEE – This morning, to commemorate Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper on “The Day the Music Died”, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum announced the release of the first bobbleheads of musicians Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Ritchie Valens’ hit songs “Donna” and “La Bamba” and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson’s hit song “Chantilly Lace” were released six months before they tragically died in a plane crash along with fellow musician Buddy Holly on February 3rd, 1959, in Clear Lake, Iowa. The officially licensed bobbleheads are the first featuring both musicians and are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in affiliation with C3 Entertainment, the exclusive worldwide representative for the Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper, and Winter Dance Party brands. The release follows this past weekend’s Winter Dance Party, which takes place annually at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.

The bobbleheads were exclusively previewed on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at John Mueller’s annual Winter Dance Party. A yearly celebration of “The Day the Music Died”, the Winter Dance Party is a tribute to the lives and legacies of Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly at the Surf Ballroom & Museum in Clear Lake, Iowa. Attended by rock and roll fans from across the world, including family members of the late musicians, the weekend-long musical tribute commemorates the final stop the trio made on the Winter Dance Party Tour before their tragic death on February 3, 1959.

Both bobbleheads feature the musicians standing on bases bearing their names and holding guitars in poses that replicate iconic photos. The bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered to 2,025, are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in June, are $30 each, plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Born Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13th, 1941, in Los Angeles, his name was shortened to Ritchie Valens by Bob Keane, the owner and president of small record label Del-Fi Records in Hollywood.  Known by kids as “the Little Richard of San Fernando,” the 17-year-old Valens was invited to audition at the home of Keane, who had a small recording studio in his basement. After the audition, Keane signed Valens to Del-Fi on May 27th, 1958. The musician took the name Ritchie because, as Keane said, “There were a bunch of Richards around at that time, and I wanted it to be different.” Similarly, Keane recommended shortening his surname to Valens from Valenzuela to widen his appeal beyond any obvious ethnic group.

One of the first songs recorded by Valens at Gold Star Studios in July 1958 was “Come On, Let’s Go,” which reached No. 42 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in late-1958. Valens’ next record, the final record to be released in his lifetime, featured the song “Donna” (written about real girlfriend Donna Ludwig) coupled with “La Bamba.” It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America. “Donna” was Valens’ highest charting single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while “La Bamba” reached as high as No. 22 in the U.S. charts. By the fall of 1958, the demands of his career forced Valens to drop out of high school. Keane booked appearances at venues across the U.S. and performances on television programs.

Born Jiles Perry “J.P.” Richardson Jr. on October 24th, 1930, in Sabine Pass, Texas, Richardson acquired his nickname “The Big Bopper” while working as a disc jockey at KTRM radio (now KZZB) in Beaumont, Texas. Richardson had seen college students doing a dance called The Bop, and the former football player decided to call himself “The Big Bopper.” In May 1957, Richardson broke the record for continuous on-air broadcasting by eight minutes. He performed for a total of five days, two hours, and eight minutes from a remote setup in the lobby of the Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont, playing 1,821 records and taking showers during 5-minute newscasts.

Richardson, who played guitar, began his musical career as a songwriter. George Jones later recorded Richardson’s “White Lightning,” which became Jones’ first No. 1 country hit in 1959. Richardson also wrote “Running Bear” for Johnny Preston, his friend from Port Arthur, Texas. Preston’s recording was not released until August 1959 – six months after Richardson’s death. The song became a No. 1 hit for three weeks in January 1960. The man who launched Richardson as a recording artist was Harold “Pappy” Daily from Houston. Daily was promotion director for Mercury and Starday Records and signed Richardson to Mercury. Richardson cut “Chantilly Lace” as “The Big Bopper” for Daily’s D label. Mercury bought the recording and released it at the end of June 1958. It slowly began picking up airplay through July and August and reached No. 6 on the pop charts, spending 22 weeks in the national Top 40.

Ritchie Valens joined “The Big Bopper”, Buddy Holly, and Dion and the Belmonts for a “Winter Dance Party” tour starting on January 23rd, 1959. On the 11th night of the tour, they played at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. That night, Holly chartered an airplane, intending to fly himself and his bandmates, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup, to their next tour venue in Moorhead, Minnesota. On a friendly wager, Valens flipped a coin with Allsup for his seat on the plane – and won. Meanwhile, Richardson was suffering from the flu and complaining that the tour bus was too cold and uncomfortable for him, so Jennings voluntarily surrendered his seat. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed in a cornfield and all three musicians died along with the pilot. Don McLean wrote one of the most recognizable songs of all time with his 1971 hit “American Pie” to reflect on the loss of an early rock and roll generation. Through his lyrics, the song remembers “The Day the Music Died.” Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame, the California Hall of Fame, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“We’re excited to unveil the first bobbleheads celebrating music legends Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Taken far too early, both musicians made lasting marks and the bobbleheads will be must-haves for music fans.”

About the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum:
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1^st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals and teams across the country. Visit us online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About C3 Entertainment, Inc:
C3 Entertainment, Inc. is a diversified entertainment company specializing in licensing, film production, distribution, and streaming TV media. C3 is the exclusive worldwide representative for the Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper, and Winter Dance Party brands, as well as other iconic celebrity brands. C3 has been in business for over 60 years since the company was originally founded as Comedy III Productions, Inc. in 1959 by the famous comedy team, The Three Stooges.