Donna (Valens) by Ritchie Valens The 17 year-old’s famous signature ballad was parked at the #3 Billboard chart position on February 3rd, “The Day The Music Died.” (debuted late ’58) 1959 Pop Chart Peaks: Music Vendor 1, Billboard & Cash Box 2 - R&B Peak: 11 THE 1959 HITS ARCHIVE - here in one place, a good-quality library of original-release-version best-sellers and songs that made an impact that were either released or enjoyed a major chunk of their popularity within the calendar year 1959 (some were recorded in 1958).