“Donna” is a song written and sung by Ritchie Valens featuring the 50s progression. The song was released in 1958 on Del-Fi Records. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year, becoming Valens’ highest-charting single. The song was covered by another Del-Fi artist and western actor, Johnny Crawford, in 1962. It was also covered in 2003 by American punk band The Misfits on their album Project 1950, which was a cover album of 1950s songs.
It was written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig, now known as Donna Fox.
“Donna”, the second Ritchie Valens single released, was the A side of the influential and much more famous song “La Bamba”. This single was only one of three, along with the previous single (“Come On, Let’s Go”/”Framed” – Del-Fi 4106) and the follow-up (“Fast Freight”/”Big Baby Blues” – Del-Fi 4111) ever released in Valens’s lifetime.
Original Del-Fi pressings of “Donna”/”La Bamba” include black and sea green labels with circles, later…
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