| BAMBA | Ritchie Valens hit "La ___" |
| LABAMBA | Ritchie Valens hit of 1959 (2 wds.) |
| DONNA | Ritchie Valens hit on the flip side of "La Bamba" |
| LOUDIAMOND | American actor who played Ritchie Valens in the 1987 film La Bamba (3,7,8) |
| PHILLIPS | American actor who played Ritchie Valens in the 1987 film La Bamba (3,7,8) |
| TURKISH | Ritchie Valens "In a ___ Town" |
| BOPPER | The Big ---, American musician who died in a 1959 plane crash along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens (6) |
| BIGBOPPER | The _ _, American musician who died alongside Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in a 1959 plane crash (3,6) |
| ISLA | Madonna hit, La - Bonita (4) |
| WITHALL | Big change in wealth hits LA quickly (4,3,5) |
| HASTE | Big change in wealth hits LA quickly (4,3,5) |
| RITCHIE | Valens who sang "La Bamba" |
| LOSLOBOS | American band who had a 1987 UK Number One with a cover of Richie Valens' La Bamba (3,5) |
| IHADA | "_ ___ _ girl, Donna..." (Valens lyric, three words) |
| PINO | Danny ___ played Scotty Valens in Cold Case from 2003 to 2010 |
| THREETIMESALADY | Commodores hit written by Lionel Ritchie |
| YOU | "Stuck on ___" (Lionel Ritchie) |
| VALENS | 1950s rocker Ritchie |
| FINDLAY | Scottish publisher and humanitarian, John Ritchie ___ |
| SIDVICIOUS | Singer born John Simon Ritchie |