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Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas. [10] She was the youngest child of Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla (née Samora), who self-identified as being of Cherokee ancestry, [11] and Abraham Quintanilla Jr., a Mexican American former musician. [12]
Selena was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas, USA, to Abraham Quintanilla Jr., a former musician, and Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla. Her father had formed a band called ‘Selena y Los Dinos,’ and Selena started fronting the band from 1981.
- Overview
- Early life and performing with Los Dinos
- Success as a solo artist and murder
- Legacy
Selena (born April 16, 1971, Lake Jackson, Texas, U.S.—killed March 31, 1995, Corpus Christi, Texas) American singer who was a vivacious entertainer and whose fluid voice celebrated the sound of Tejano, a fast-paced, accordion-based Latin dance music that combines elements of jazz, country, and German polka. It is sung in Spanish and is rooted in t...
Selena Quintanilla was born the youngest of three children to Abraham, Jr., and Marcela Quintanilla in Lake Jackson, Texas. She began singing as a child, and, when Quintanilla was nine years old, her father formed a family band called Selena y Los Dinos. Her sister, Suzette, played drums and her brother, Abraham III (“A.B.”), played bass guitar. Her father wrote many of the Spanish-language songs that the group performed in the family’s restaurant. At that time Selena was not fluent in Spanish, so she had to learn the language.
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Los Dinos traveled throughout Texas to perform, usually as the opening act for Tejano bands. Because of the band’s popularity, Quintanilla stopped attending school in eighth grade, but she later earned a General Educational Development (GED) credential. The band recorded its first album, Mis Primeras Grabaciones (“My First Recordings”), in 1984, followed by the albums Alpha and Muñequito de Trapo (“Rag Doll”) two years later. In 1986, when Quintanilla was 15 years old, she won female entertainer of the year at the Tejano Music Awards, and her songs with Los Dinos began soaring on Latin music charts.
In 1989 Quintanilla signed a contract with EMI Latin, with whom she released her debut solo album, Selena, that same year. Several albums followed, including Ven Conmigo (1990; “Come with Me”) and Entre a Mi Mundo (1992; “Enter My World”). Her pop duet single, “Buenos Amigos” (“Good Friends”), with Salvadoran singer Álvaro Torres introduced her to a broader audience. In 1992 Selena married Chris Pérez, the lead guitarist of Los Dinos.
With Selena Live! (1993), Selena won the 1994 Grammy Award for best Mexican-American album, becoming the first female Tejano singer to win a Grammy in that category. Her expanding interests in 1994 included beginning a clothing line and opening two boutiques. That same year she released the album Amor Prohibido (“Forbidden Love”), featuring the popular songs “Amor Prohibido” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” The album was nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for best Mexican-American performance. Selena was working on her first English-language album when she was shot by the founder of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, who was suspected of embezzlement and whom Selena confronted about the improprieties. Selena died hours later in a hospital in Corpus Christi.
The album Dreaming of You (1995) was released a few months after Selena’s death and includes several completed English songs as well as previously recorded and new Tejano songs. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, the first album by a Latina artist to achieve that goal. Since Selena’s death, a number of books and movies about her life have been released, including the film Selena (1997), starring Jennifer Lopez in her breakthrough role. A Netflix show, Selena: The Series, premiered in 2020.
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Jan 1, 1996 · Quintanilla Perez, Selena [Selena] (1971–1995). Singer Selena Quintanilla Perez, known simply as Selena, the daughter of Abraham and Marcella (Perez) Quintanilla, Jr., was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas. She married Christopher Perez, guitarist and member of the band Selena y Los Dinos (slang for "the Boys") on April 2, 1992.
Selena. Selena (16 Apr. 1971–31 Mar. 1995), singer, was born Selena Quintanilla in Lake Jackson, Texas, to Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., a professional musician, and Marcella Quintanilla. Selena attended Oran M. Roberts Elementary School. Her father, who performed with the band Los Dinos in South Texas from 1957 through 1971, encouraged Selena to ...
Selena (1971–1995) Mexican-American singer, known as the queen of Tejano, who was murdered before her 24th birthday. Name variations: Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. Born Selena Quintanilla in Lake Jackson, south of Houston,Texas, on April 16, 1971; died of a gunshot wound in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995; youngest of three children ...
Selena Quintanilla born 1971 – Lake Jackson, Texas died 1995 – Corpus Christi, Texas “I tried to be the best role model that I possibly could, and the best person I could. I tried to help out.” In 1994, Selena was the first female Tejano artist to win a Grammy Award for best Mexican American album. Before her heartbreaking death at age 23, she was a leading artist among Spanish ...
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