Selena Quintanilla Perez captured the hearts of millions of Tejana music fans with her voice, bright smile and amazing sense of style. That Tejano music was called “La Reina” (Queen) of Tejano. Selena came from humble beginnings, but rose to stardom in record time, backed and supported by her entire family. Selena dreams of having her own clothing line and doing an English album. He did both in his dreams, the other in life, and the other posthumously.
Selena Quintanilla was born in Lake Jackson, Texas to Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1971. Her father had been a musician for many years before her birth and was part of a country band called Los Dinos. Abraham always had a talent for his daughter and convinced her to sit in on Los Dinos at several gigs. Since 1981, the family has been in Corpus Christi, Texas and Selena has had her own band – Selena y Los Dinos – courtesy of her father and siblings WITH BROTHER A.B. bass guitar and his sister Suzette played the drums. Although Selena only sang in Spanish, she was not fluent in the language and sang the words over the phone. It wasn’t until late puberty that she officially learned
Selena y Los Dinos continued to record albums and tour throughout the 1980s. In 1987, Selena was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards at the ripe old age of 15. In 1989, Selena signed with EMI Latin record label Selena y Los Dinos released their debut, self-titled album the following year. In 1991, another album, Ven Conmigo, became the first Tejano album to go gold. He released two more albums that year. In 1992, Selena married the guitarist of Los Dinos, Chris Perez.
Last year Selena won a Grammy for her album Selena Live and also released an album of love songs. Selena, etc., launched a private clothing line, and two boutiques of the same name were opened that year. In 1994, Selena graced the silver screen as a singer in the film Don Juan by Marco, starring Johnny Depp. That year, Selena released her album Forbidden Love, which was nominated for a Grammy and went gold. Selena y Los Dinos began an extensive tour of Latin America shortly after.
In February of 1995, Selena gave what would be her last concert at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in front of 65,000 adoring fans. Behind the scenes he has been working to fulfill his dream of recording an English crossover album – a dream he has held close to his heart since childhood. Selene, however, lurked darker and more sinister on the horizon. An employee of Selena’s Empire, Yolanda Saldivar, was accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the boutiques she managed and the Selena fan club she founded .
Unable to trust Saldivar any longer, Selena went to Saldivar’s motel room at the Day Inn in Corpus Christie, Texas to meet him and fire his once loyal employee and friend. Termination and training could not be carried out. He threw one shot at Selena, hitting her in the back. Selena Quintanilla Perez died an hour later at Christie’s Hospital – March 31, 1995, on the day the music died . Saldivar was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
President George W. Bush declared April 16 “Selena Day” in Texas. A statue of Selena’s life has been erected in Christie’s Texas Gardens. Selena’s dream came true the following summer. His English crossover album, aptly titled Dream of You, was released and had gone double platinum by the end of the year. The Tejano music world mourns the loss of a fallen star, but even today, Selena’s light shines brightly in the hearts of countless lovers.
