He started his musical career after leaving the armed forces. He claimed he selected the
stage name Ricky Valance because he liked the name Ricky, and took the name Valance from that of a trainer at a
horse racing meeting; it was not a tribute to
Ritchie Valens as sometimes reported. At his first
recording session, Paramor suggested that Valance
cover Ray Peterson's American
hit, "Tell Laura I Love Her", co-written by
Jeff Barry. Peterson's original version of the song had never been released in the United Kingdom, as
Decca Records considered a rock song about death and tragedy to be in bad taste. Further singles included "Movin' Away" and "Jimmy's Girl". More than 100,000 copies were sold of "Jimmy's Girl", and "Movin' Away" made it to number one in Australia and Scandinavia. In later years, he featured in 1960s revival festivals in Britain, and on
cruise ships. In 1989, he visited
Nashville where he appeared on the show
Nashville Now, and he returned there in 2001 to record an album,
One of the Best. Later, he continued to perform, when living in Spain, and hosted a local golf-based chat show on television,
Play a Round with Ricky. ==Personal life and death==