Daniel Valdez

Daniel "Danny" 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]

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

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.

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
  • Mestizo (1973)

References
  1. "Daniel Valdez". People.theiapolis.
  2. "Daniel Valdez". Hollywood.com.
  3. "MECA presents Daniel Valdez". Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  4. 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. "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. "Actor, musician Valdez to perform at PCC". The Pueblo Chieftain. 17 November 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  10. "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. "Daniel Valdez". Claremont McKenna College. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  13. 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.
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