Basic Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name (as requested) | Joseph Steven Valenzuela |
| Approximate birth | ca. 1894–1896 |
| Death | January 8, 1952 |
| Spouse | Concepcion (Concha / Connie) Reyes Valenzuela |
| Most famous child | Richard Steven “Ritchie Valens” (born May 13, 1941 — died February 3, 1959) |
| Occupations (reported in family histories) | tree surgeon, farmer, horse trainer, munitions-plant worker (varied over life) |
| Public profile | Primarily known as father of Ritchie Valens; appears in genealogical and family-history records |
| Net worth (publicly available) | No reliable public records reporting a net worth |
A personal recon — how I found myself inside this family portrait
I come at Joseph Steven Valenzuela like a cinephile chasing a shadow on a wall — there’s the bright marquee of his son’s fame and, just behind it, the quieter outline of a man who raised a legend. Joseph’s life reads like a background score that suddenly explains the scene: born around the mid-1890s, he died on January 8, 1952 — seven years before Ritchie’s life was cut short. Those two dates, 1894–1896 (approx.) and 1952, bracket a life lived largely out of the spotlight but centrally important to a family that would ripple through pop culture.
Timeline — anchor points and numbers
| Year / Date | Event |
|---|---|
| ca. 1894–1896 | Joseph Steven Valenzuela born (approximate) |
| 1915 | Birth year commonly given for Concepcion (Concha) Reyes |
| May 13, 1941 | Birth of Richard Steven “Ritchie Valens” |
| January 8, 1952 | Death of Joseph Steven Valenzuela |
| February 3, 1959 | Death of Ritchie Valens |
A timeline like this is a skeleton; family memory and neighborhood stories are the muscle. When you stitch together censuses, memorial pages, and family recollections, the picture reads: a working-class man with hands that knew many jobs — from tending trees to training horses to clocking factory hours.
Family & relationships — the people who form the frame
Family, here, is braided and layered. Joseph married Concepcion “Concha” (Reyes) Valenzuela, who is identified as mother to Ritchie and appears in family records as born around 1915 and passing in 1987. Their son, Richard Steven “Ritchie Valens” (Richard Valenzuela), needs no introduction to anyone who’s sung along to “La Bamba,” but the rest of the family carries quieter notes: half-siblings, younger sisters, ancestors with names you can almost hear spoken in a kitchen — Robert “Bob” Morales, Mario Ramirez, Connie, Irma, and ancestors such as Marciano Valenzuela and Agrippina/Agripina.
| Name | Relation | Quick intro |
|---|---|---|
| Concepcion “Concha” Reyes Valenzuela | Spouse | Mother of Ritchie; a central figure in family life and memory. |
| Richard Steven “Ritchie Valens” | Son | Born May 13, 1941; rock & roll pioneer who died February 3, 1959. |
| Robert “Bob” Morales | Half-brother | Identified in family histories as an older son from Concepcion’s prior relationship. |
| Mario Ramirez | Half-brother | Mentioned as another half-brother in biographical accounts. |
| Connie & Irma | Sisters | Younger sisters of Ritchie, part of the domestic circle. |
| Marciano Valenzuela & Agrippina/Agripina | Ancestors | Names appearing in genealogical trees — the deeper roots. |
I like to imagine the house as a patched quilt of stories — some pieces vivid, others faded: a father who worked many jobs so the kids could dream, a mother who kept the household rhythm, siblings who shared the radio and the corner of the street where legends sometimes begin.
Work and livelihood — the practical chapters
If you plot Joseph’s occupations as data points, they form a scatter-plot of adaptability: tree surgeon, farmer, horse trainer, munitions-plant worker — varied work that suggests mobility and survival rather than one steady vocation. Numbers matter: his life ended in 1952, so any influence he had on Ritchie was concentrated in the boy’s first eleven years (1941–1952) — the formative decade when musical taste and familial influence coalesce.
There’s no record of Joseph having celebrity-level earnings; no public net-worth figure exists. That absence is a statement in itself: Joseph was a working-class father — financially modest by public records and historically overshadowed by his son’s late, bright fame.
Public mentions, legacy, and resonance
Joseph’s name is encountered mostly through family histories, memorial records, and the long shadow of Ritchie Valens. Pop culture — the filmic retellings, the music anthologies, the fan pages — folds the father’s story into the myth of the son. The pattern is common: a private life becomes legible because a child’s public life explodes; we then turn the telescope back to see who lit the wick.
Scenes I keep returning to — cinematic fragments
- A dusty porch in the 1940s, a radio crackling with rhythm, a father’s hands tired from work and a son’s fingers learning a guitar.
- A family album where names like Marciano and Agrippina sit in the margins, like stage directions, telling us where the cast came from.
- A calendar with the date May 13, 1941 circled for a birth that would later be celebrated on record sleeves.
FAQ
Who was Joseph Steven Valenzuela?
Joseph Steven Valenzuela was the father of rock & roll musician Ritchie Valens, born circa 1894–1896 and who died on January 8, 1952.
Was Joseph married?
Yes — he was married to Concepcion “Concha” (Reyes) Valenzuela, who is identified as Ritchie Valens’ mother.
What jobs did Joseph do?
Family histories report he worked in a variety of trades — tree surgeon, farmer, horse trainer, and factory (munitions plant) worker — indicating a life of practical labor.
When did Joseph die?
He died on January 8, 1952.
Did Joseph have other children?
Yes; family records mention half-siblings such as Robert “Bob” Morales and Mario Ramirez, plus sisters Connie and Irma.
What was Joseph’s net worth?
There are no reliable public records reporting a net worth for Joseph Steven Valenzuela.
Is Joseph mentioned in mainstream pop culture?
He appears primarily in biographical and family histories tied to his son Ritchie Valens, rather than as a standalone figure in mainstream pop culture.
Where do Joseph’s family roots go?
Genealogical entries list ancestors like Marciano Valenzuela and Agrippina/Agripina, indicating deeper family lines documented in family-tree records.
