First recorded by El Jarocho (1939).
Hit versions by Richie Valens (US #22/UK #49 1958), Los Lobos (US #1/UK #1/CAN #1/AUS #1/NZ #1/IRE #1 1987).
From the wiki: “Originally a wedding dance (from the Veracruz area), ‘La Bamba’ eventually became a standard in the Son Jarocho-style repertoire. The name of the dance, which has no direct English translation, is presumably connected with the Spanish verb bambolear, meaning ‘to shake’ or perhaps ‘to stomp’.