| |
Selena Quintanilla Perez
April 16, 1971 - March 31, 1995
Selena Quintanilla Perez
was a
Mexican-American singer
who is regarded as one of the biggest stars of the Tejano genre of music. She
was born in
Lake Jackson, Texas and
grew up in
Corpus Christi, Texas,
where she began her musical career. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., was a
singer with the original Los Dinos from
1957-1972,
and nurtured the burgeoning musical talent of his children. Selena, her brother
Abe III (bass), and their sister, Suzette (drums), were a second generation of
Los Dinos. Its other two members who started in the band were Ricky Vela on
keyboards and Roger Garcia on guitar.
Selena made her first public appearance at her father's Mexican restaurant in
Lake Jackson at eight and recorded her first record at nine. Throughout her
adolescence Selena was constantly on tour. She completed her education via
correspondence courses. The singer signed with Capitol EMI in
1989, and released
several albums with that label, including 1994's wildly popular 'Amor Prohibido'.
Chris Perez replaced Roger Garcia as guitar player. A romance budded between
Perez and Selena, and the two married on
April 2,
1992. Even as Selena's
career skyrocketed she remained very close to her family, choosing to live next
door to them in Corpus Christi.
Selena holds the record of drawing the biggest concert crowd in the history of
the Houston Astrodome, for her February 1995 performance at the Houston
Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Aside from her singing, Selena was an avid clothing designer. Boutique shops
with the Selena name opened in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. She also dabbled
in acting, making a cameo in the Johnny Depp film 'Don Juan de Marco'.
A woman named
Yolanda Saldivar worked
her way into the singer's inner circle, becoming president of Selena's fan club
and manager of the boutiques. In 1995 the Quintanillas found out Saldivar had
embezzled money from these ventures and decided to fire her. Selena agreed to
meet Saldivar at a Corpus Christi motel on the morning of March 31, 1995 in
order to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes. At the motel an argument ensued
and Saldivar shot the singer once in the back. Selena died within hours at a
local hospital.
Selena's death shocked and saddened Tejano fans in Latino communities throughout
the US and in Mexico. Numerous vigils and memorials were held in the singer's
honor. That summer her album 'Dreaming of You', a combination of
Spanish-language hits and new English-language tracks, debuted at #1 on the
Billboard music charts in the US.
In October of 1995 a Houston jury convicted Saldivar of murder and sentenced her
to life in prison, with parole eligibility in thirty years.
There is a museum to honor Selena's memory and a bronze life-sized statue of her
on Ocean Drive in Corpus Christi. In
1997,
Jennifer Lopez played
Selena in the
movie of the same name.
From nationmaster.com
|
|
