Daniel Valdez

Last updated
Daniel Valdez
Born (1949-04-27) April 27, 1949 (age 72)
California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Actor
  • musician
  • composer
  • activist

Daniel Valdez [1] (born April 27, 1949) [2] is an American actor, musician, composer, and activist. He is best known for his work as musical director of the films Zoot Suit (1981) and La Bamba (1987). [3]

Contents

Early life

Daniel Valdez was born to Francisco and Armida Valdez. [4] His brother is Luis Valdez. [5] [6] [7] In 1966, Valdez joined Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers union. [8]

Career

Valdez and his brother co-founded the theater group, Teatro Campesino. [8] [9] [10] [11] In 1973, Valdez's first solo album, Mestizo, became the first Chicano album to be produced by a major label, A&M Records. [8] [10] [12] [13]

During the late 1970s, Valdez appeared in such films as Which Way Is Up? (1977), with Richard Pryor, and The China Syndrome (1979), with Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas. [8] [9] [12] He garnered recognition for playing Henry Reyna on Broadway in his brother's 1979 play, Zoot Suit . [14] [15] In 1981, Valdez reprised his role in the film adaptation of the same name, for which he also co-wrote the original music. [8] [9] [16] He also composed music for the play as well. [13]

In 1987, Valdez served as an associate producer of La Bamba , the biopic based on the life of Ritchie Valens. [17] [18] The project, which became a hit, was a "life-long dream" of Valdez's that came true. [8] That same year, he appeared and wrote songs in Born in East L.A. (1987), starring Cheech Marin. [8] [9] [12] He performed some of the featured songs in that film. [4] Daniel Valdez sang and played guitar on Linda Ronstadt's multi-platinum album Canciones de Mi Padre . The album won the Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album in 1988. There was also a live performance made through Elektra which was featured as a PBS Great Performances episode.[ citation needed ]

In 1996, Valdez composed the original score to the IMAX documentary, Mexico. [4] [8] [12] In 1997, Valdez served as a musical consultant and a historical expert for the San Diego Repertory Theatre and Southwestern College's revival of Zoot Suit. [4] [8] [12] While he was at Southwestern, Valdez wrote his first original musical, Ollin. [4] [8]

In 2000, he appeared in the musical, Selena Forever . [8] [9] That same year, he reprised his role as musical director at the Goodman Theater in Chicago for their production of Zoot Suit. [12] The next year, he participated in another production of the play with his brother, Luis. [19]

In 2010, Valdez acted in the TheatreWorks production of José Cruz González's play, Sunsets and Margaritas at the Lucie Stern Theatre. [20]

Filmography

Feature films

Discography

Studio albums

Related Research Articles

Ritchie Valens 20th-century American singer, songwriter, and guitarist

Richard Steven Valenzuela, known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed in a plane crash eight months into his recording career.

Chicano rock

Chicano rock is rock music performed by Mexican American (Chicano) groups or music with themes derived from Chicano culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of these groups do not sing in Spanish at all, or use many specific Latin instruments or sounds. The subgenre is defined by the ethnicity of its performers, and as a result covers a wide range of approaches.

<i>La Bamba</i> (film) 1987 biographical film by Luis Valdez

La Bamba is a 1987 American biographical film written and directed by Luis Valdez that follows the life and career of Chicano rock 'n' roll star Ritchie Valens. The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña, Danielle von Zerneck, and Joe Pantoliano. The film also covers the effect that Valens' career had on the lives of his half-brother Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig, and the rest of his family. In 2017, La Bamba was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.

Latin rock is a term to describe a subgenre blending traditional sounds and elements of Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean folk with rock music. However, it is widely used in the English-language media to refer any kind of rock music featuring Spanish or Portuguese vocals. This has led to controversy about the scope of the terminology.

<i>Zoot Suit</i> (play)

Zoot Suit is a play written by Luis Valdez, featuring incidental music by Daniel Valdez and Lalo Guerrero. Zoot Suit is based on the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the Zoot Suit Riots. Debuting in 1979, Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. In 1981, Luis Valdez also directed a filmed version of the play, combining stage and film techniques.

"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs. Valens' version of "La Bamba" is included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings—published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)—and ranked number 345 on Rolling Stone magazine′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is the only song on the list sung in a language other than English.

Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero was an American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on later Latin musical artists.

<i>Zoot Suit</i> (film) 1981 film by Luis Valdez

Zoot Suit is a 1981 film adaptation of the Broadway play Zoot Suit. Both the play and film were written and directed by Luis Valdez. The film stars Daniel Valdez, Edward James Olmos — both reprising their roles from the stage production — and Tyne Daly. Many members of the cast of the Broadway production also appeared in the film. Like the play, the film features music from Daniel Valdez and Lalo Guerrero, the "father of Chicano music."

Rosanna DeSoto is an American actress who has performed in films and television. She is best known for her roles in Stand and Deliver, for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, and in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Azetbur, the daughter of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon.

The Plugz

The Plugz were a Latino punk band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1984. They and The Zeros were among the first Latino punk bands, although several garage rock bands, such as Thee Midniters and Question Mark & the Mysterians, predated them. The Plugz melded the spirit of punk and Latino music.

Luis Valdez American film director, playwright, and actor

Luis Miguel Valdez is a Chicano playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano film and theater, Valdez is best known for his play Zoot Suit, his movie La Bamba, and his creation of El Teatro Campesino. A pioneer in the Chicano Movement, Valdez broadened the scope of theatre and arts of the Chicano community.

Brown-eyed soul, also referred to as Chicano soul, is soul music performed in the United States mainly by Latinos in Southern California、East Los Angels, and San Antonio(Texas) during the 1960s, continuing through to the early 1980s. The trend of Latinos started with Latino rock and roll and rock musicians. "Brown eyed soul" contrasts with blue-eyed soul, soul music performed by non-Hispanic white artists.

Bob Keane

Bob Keane, born Robert Verrill Kuhn, and also sometimes known as Bob Keene, was an American musician, producer and owner of the record label Del-Fi Records. He was the producer and manager of Ritchie Valens and Pinoy star Josephine Roberto, aka Banig.

Del-Fi Records was an American record label based in Hollywood, California and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was "Caravan" by Henri Rose released in 1958, but the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. Valens' first single for the label was "Come On Let's Go", which was a hit. His next single, "Donna"/"La Bamba", was an even bigger hit, and brought national notoriety to the label. Johnny Crawford, the co-star of the television series The Rifleman, was the Del-Fi artist who recorded the most hit singles.

Donna (Ritchie Valens song) 1958 single by Ritchie Valens

"Donna" is a song written by Ritchie Valens, featuring the '50s progression. The song was released in 1958 on Del-Fi Records. Written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart Donna Ludwig, it was Valens' highest-charting single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year.

History of Ritchie Valens is a 3-record box set by Ritchie Valens, featuring his three original Del-Fi albums plus a booklet with biography and photos.

Chicano films portray Mexican-Americans and/or Mexican-American themes and may or may not have been directed by a Chicano director.

Alma Martinez is a Mexican-American actress, stage director, and professor of theatre. She is best known for her roles in film and television shows including the Peabody Award winning drama series The Bridge with Demián Bichir and Diane Kruger and Corridos: Tales of Passion & Revolution with Linda Ronstadt as well as performances on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, Mexican and European stages.

El Corrido is a 1976 musical comedy made for TV film directed and written by Luis Valdez, and produced by El Teatro Campesino. The film was adapted from Valdez's stage musical La Gran Carpa de los Rasquachis, which was also produced with El Teatro Campesino. El Corrido was aired on PBS on November 4, 1976 as part of its Ballad of a Farmworker television series on the series Visions.

La Bamba is the original motion picture soundtrack album to the 1987 American biographical film of the same name and was released on June 30, 1987 on Warner Bros. Records. The album contained 12 tracks. In 1988, a second soundtrack album was released, titled "La Bamba Volume 2 - More Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". La Bamba Volume 2 consists of 12 songs by the original artists portrayed in the film.

References

  1. ↑ "Daniel Valdez". People.theiapolis.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Daniel Valdez". Hollywood.com.
  3. ↑ "MECA presents Daniel Valdez" . Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Candelaria, Cordelia (2004). Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture, Volume 1. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   9780313332104.
  5. ↑ "Various Artists'iay Califas! Raza Rock of the 70s and 80s". Vibe . March 1998. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Pratt, Douglas (2005). Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!. UNET 2 Corporation. ISBN   9781932916010.
  7. ↑ Wilson, John M. (4 January 1987). "A Screen Ghetto: Hispanic Americans Are Beginning To Climb Out". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Actor-singer Daniel Valdez of La Bamba and Zoot Suit fame to present musical lecture". Arizona State University. 3 October 2002. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Actor, musician Valdez to perform at PCC". The Pueblo Chieftain. 17 November 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Daniel Valdez – Mestizo". University of Iowa. February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Rodriguez, Richard T. (2010). Next of Kin: The Family in Chicano/a Cultural Politics. Duke University Press. ISBN   9780822391135.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Daniel Valdez". Claremont McKenna College. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  13. 1 2 Brown, Alex (9 October 2013). "SU TEATRO'S MESTIZO RESURRECTS THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE CHICANO MOVEMENT". Westword . Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  14. ↑ Morris, Chris (2015). Los Lobos: Dream in Blue. University of Texas Press. ISBN   9780292748231.
  15. ↑ Tatum, Charles M. (2011). Lowriders in Chicano Culture: From Low to Slow to Show: From Low to Slow to Show. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   9780313381508.
  16. ↑ Monaco, James (1991). The Encyclopedia of Film . Perigee Books. p.  546. ISBN   9780399516047. daniel valdez actor.
  17. ↑ Coto, Juan Carlos (19 July 1987). "La Bamba The Late Hispanic Musician Ritchie Valens Was An Early Force In Rock Whose Influence, A New Film Shows, Went Far Beyond His Music". Sun-Sentinel . Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  18. ↑ Ryan, Desmond (24 July 1987). "Brothers On Brothers Ritchie Valens' Family Life Is The Focus Of The Film "La Bamba"". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Zoot Suit". Los Angeles . July 2001. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  20. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (10 March 2010). "Carrasco and Valdez Enjoy Sunsets and Margaritas at Theatreworks, Starting March 10". Playbill . Retrieved 23 October 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.