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Selena
Quintanilla Perez
April 16,
1971 - March 31, 1995
Selena Quintanilla-Perez, now an icon
in Tejano and mainstream Latino, Texas and pop culture, was born on April
16, 1971 to Abraham (II) and Marcella Quintanilla at Freeport
Community Hospital, just outside their hometown of Lake Jackson, a
small Texas community of 23,000, 75 miles from Houston. At the time
of Selena’s birth, the Quintanillas had two other children,
Abraham (A.B.) III, 8, and Suzette, 4.
Initially when Marcella began experiencing pregnancy symptoms, a
doctor misdiagnosed her, declaring that she had a tumor that needed to be
removed. Only after the Quintanillas went for a second opinion, did
they receive an
accurate diagnosis.
Upon learning of the pregnancy, both parents picked “Marc Antony” as
the name for their baby, convinced that they were going to have a boy. Then
when Marcella gave birth to a healthy, 5-pound baby girl, they chose
“Selena” at the suggestion of her hospital roommate.
At the time of Selena’s birth, Abraham worked in the shipping
department of Dow Chemical, the anchor company of their community with a
strong passion for music.
Earlier, during the late 1950s and early 1960s, he and a few friends had
formed a band “Los Dinos” and performed a mix of rock ‘n’ roll
and traditional Mexican songs at nightclubs and restaurants in Corpus
Christi. However, due to limited opportunities, Abraham had to
give up the band when he married and took the job at Dow Chemical to
support his family. Even though he gave up the band, Abraham’s
passion for music didn’t die. Accordingly he taught his children how to play
an instrument at an early age. A.B. III was taught bass and
Suzette, the drums.
By the time Selena was three, Abraham spent many hours working
with A.B. III and Suzette. Feeling excluded, Selena
confronted her father, demanding to know why she couldn’t learn an
instrument. When told that she was too young, Selena decided to sing.
Before long Abraham was convinced that Selena had a special
talent. He was especially influenced by her sheer determination.
Abraham’s belief was further enhanced when one day, Selena, then
only 5, came up to him and began to sing with purity and perfect pitch as he
strummed his guitar. Her rendition of a song sung by the Little Anthony
and the Imperials over the radio was amazing.
“I always wanted to go back into the music business, but I felt like I
was already getting too old, and my kids were growing up,” Selena’s
father later reflected in an interview. “When I found out Selena could
sing, that’s when the wheels started turning in my mind. I saw the chance to
get back in the music world through my kids.”[1]
A
year later, Abraham was convinced that Selena was destined to
be a star, especially since she shared his passion for music and her voice
had a special quality to it. “…She had that extra thing that makes an
artist. Of course, nobody believed me at the time,” he recalled.[2]
Then with Marcella’s blessing, Abraham converted the family
garage into a soundproof studio. He bought a set of drums and obtained a
used bass from a friend. Afterwards, he taught Selena how to sing in
Spanish. At first she sung using phonetics but quickly progressed
until she could sing flawlessly with emotion.
Prior to being taught how to sing in Spanish, English had been
Selena’s first and only language. However, afterwards when she could
sing with perfection in Spanish, Selena still found it
difficult to converse fluently in that language. Her thinking was slow and
her word selection awkward. As a result, Selena relied on her
effervescent personality, radiant smile and interpreters to get by with
Spanish-language interviews. Because of Selena’s laughter at her own
mistakes, the Spanish media overlooked her difficulties.
Prior to Selena’s enrollment in an intensive Spanish course to gain
proficiency, her parents were terrified at the prospect of their daughter
facing 30+ Mexican reporters in a Monterrey, Mexico press
conference coordinated by EMI Mexico. Afterwards, although Selena’s
answers sounded ridiculous, she had won every reporter’s heart by hugging
each one of them. As a result they wrote kindly of her, declaring that she
was an “Artist of the People.”[3]
Nevertheless, by December 1994, Selena had mastered the Spanish
language.
Once everyone was proficient at their musical tasks — A.B. III on
bass, Suzette on the drums and 9 year-old Selena at singing,
Abraham formed a family band called “Selena Y Los Dinos".
Afterwards they practiced almost every night.
Initially Selena was the only one who enjoyed the rehearsals; A.B.
III and Suzette preferred to play with their friends. Later on,
though, all of the Quintanilla children got into music. Before long
they were creating extemporaneous compositions.
When Selena attended Oran M. Roberts Elementary School, she tried to
excel at and participate in everything. She “tried really hard at
whatever she was doing and was eager to learn - the kind of student you
always like to have,” Selena’s first grade teacher, Nina
McGlashan recalled.[4]
As a child, Selena was upbeat with a big smile and constantly
cheerful. She was also extroverted and athletic with a gift of bringing
others together in the playground. She was well liked by her peers and
excelled in several of the class games - running faster and jumping further
than most.
Though athletic, Selena also enjoyed playing with dolls. She liked to
work with their hair and dress them in custom outfits she made, a prelude to
her dream of opening a boutique. Even the one occasion when Selena
badly burned a doll’s hair while using a curling iron, did not deter her.
In addition, Selena exercised maturity and respectfulness when in the
company of adults, always addressing them with “Yes/No sir/ma’am.”
Although she got into mischief once in a while, Selena, with her
strict upbringing in a well-disciplined family that looked out for each
other, knew when to behave and be polite.
In the summer of 1980, Abraham Quintanilla quit his job at Dow
Chemical and opened Papa Gayo’s, a family-run restaurant that
featured quality meals and live entertainment. In an attempt to succeed,
Abraham poured all of his life-savings into it and everyone pitched in
to help.
Papa Gayo’s also gave Selena Y Los Dinos their first real
public exposure, as they frequently performed in front of patrons during
evenings. Selena became an instant favorite. One patron commented,
“It was so unusual. You wouldn’t expect to see a kid get up and sing in a
restaurant like that. …she always had a lot of enthusiasm.”
[5]
Soon every patron shared Abraham’s belief that Selena was destined
for stardom.
Initially during their performances at Papa Gayo’s, Selena Y Los
Dinos sung renditions of current Top 40 mainstream hits in English and
occasional pop oldies using Spanish lyrics that Abraham had
written. However, just when things were about to take off, the recession of
1980-81 struck forcing many oil wells, the life-blood of Texas, to
shut down. With people out of work, Papa Gayo’s along with the other
businesses lost many customers. With mounting debts and little hope of
recovery, Abraham was forced to close the restaurant and move the
family back to Corpus Christi.
Yet despite their desperation, Abraham never gave up. He continued to
believe in Selena’s talent and did whatever he could to assist her.
Music became the Quintanilla’s sole source of income as Selena Y
Los Dinos traveled to various clubs and restaurants and performed at
weddings and other special occasions. During those times, even if each made
only $5 or $10, they were happy since they could eat and go shopping.
Gradually their hard work and determination began to pay dividends.
Selena Y Los Dinos recorded their first album, “Mis Primeras
Grabaciones” in 1984 under the Freddie Records Label. However, aside
from some radio play of the “Ya Se Va” track, “Mis Primeras
Grabaciones” didn’t do very well and was not released until 11 years
later when Abraham purchased the rights.
Although during “Mis Primeras Grabaciones” recording sessions
Selena needed fewer cuts than many, Freddie Records felt she
needed more time to develop. Abraham rejected this and moved the band
first to Cara Records and then to the Manny Label.
As Selena’s popularity grew placing additional demands on the band
(e.g. more travel) Abraham removed Selena from the 8th grade,
drawing immediate unwarranted criticism. Some accused him of violating child
labor laws while others warned that he was ruining his kids. “They’ll be
surrounded by drinking and drugs” and “it’s going to have an effect
on them,” the critics incorrectly predicted.
[6]
Despite the skeptics, Selena remained unaffected. She continued to
have fun and enjoy
singing.
She kept her down-to-earth personality and refused to snub anyone, believing
that “if you treat people good, it [will] come back” in the end.[7]
Accordingly, Selena always maintained a great repertoire with her
fans and audience. [8]
At the same time, she also kept up with her academics and earned a G.E.D.
from a Chicago-based Correspondence School at 17.
As Selena was growing into a star, her brother, A.B. III was
becoming an accomplished songwriter and producer, after originally taking it
up to supply his youngest sister with the quality, original material that
the band lacked.
One of his first songs, “Dame Un Beso” enjoyed moderate success.
Before long, A.B. III supplanted his father as the band’s leading
songwriter. In addition, Ricky Vela, another band member also
assisted with music composition.
When the band’s second album, “Alpha” was released, it brought
Selena her first music honors. She won “Female Vocalist of the Year”
at the 1987 West Texas Hispanic Music Awards and KFLZ Awards
ceremonies and was voted “Female Vocalist of the Year” and
“Performer of the Year” at the Tejano Music Awards.
This recognition introduced Selena to two influential people: Rick
Trevino, founder of the Tejano Music Awards and Johnny
Canales, a television personality on one of the top-rated Spanish shows.
Their efforts gave Selena much needed publicity, expanding the
horizons for Selena Y Los Dinos.
Two more albums, “Preciosa” and “Dulce Amor” were released in
1988 earning Selena greater recognition. With album sales exceeding
20,000, Selena’s name began to spread beyond Texas. Not
surprisingly, Selena was a finalist for “Female Vocalist of the
Year” for 1988 and “Terco Corazon” and A.B. III were nominated
for “Single of the Year” and “Songwriter of the Year,”
respectively, at the Tejano Music Awards.
Despite Selena’s growing fame, the Quintanillas lifestyle had
not changed much. They continued to live on beans and hamburgers and shared
just about everything. As a result, they had “Nobody You Know”
written at the top of the band’s bus, “Big Bertha’s” front
windshield.
Their fortunes, though, changed dramatically when Selena was signed
by Jose Behar, the former head of Sony’s Latin music division and
creator of the Capitol/EMI Latin label in 1989. The signing came
about when Behar and a friend, Mario Ruiz, who became
President of EMI Mexico attended the 1989 Tejano Music Awards
searching for new talent and discovered Selena. The events went as follows
according to the account by Jose Behar:
"…We were standing at the back of the auditorium when we saw her. Mario
and I looked at each other like, ‘Wow. This is special."…I said, "It’s
interesting. Women don’t sell in the Tejano market."
And they really hadn’t.
Yet I said to myself, "This is the crossover act I’m looking for.”
[9]
Afterwards, Behar, believing that he had found the next Gloria
Estefan, a popular and successful crossover Latin artist went backstage
and met and signed Selena after talking to her father. At the time, Behar
never imagined how many records Selena would eventually sell.
Despite her signing with Capitol/EMI Latin and her taking “Female
Vocalist of the Year” honors at the 1989 and 1990 Tejano Music Awards,
and also “Female Entertainer of the Year” at the 1990 Tejano Music
Awards, Selena’s first few new releases did little better than
her previous ones.
However, another breakthrough came in 1991 when she was paired with
Alvaro Torres in “Buenos Amigos.” Their video soared to #1 on the
Billboard Latin Tracks Chart giving Selena national exposure. An appearance
on “Donde Quiero Que Estes” with the Barrio Boyzz, an
immensely popular Latin band further enhanced Selena’s rising
stature, enabling
her
to enter the international Latin market with her solo hits, “La Carcacha”
and “Como La Flor".
Johnny Canales then helped make Selena an instant celebrity in
Mexico leading to an offer star in a leading role in a Mexican Soap
opera, which she turned down because of its steamy scenes. Though determined
to make it big, Selena wasn’t about to sacrifice her principles. She
valued her appeal to her broad audience that consisted of young children and
grandparents alike.
Performing in skin-tight pants, low-cut bustiers, and shiny outfits was her
limit. Unlike many others, Selena did not need to forego her morals
for fame. Her natural-born talent was sufficient. In addition, when
Johnny Canales compared Selena to Madonna, Whitney Houston,
and Janet Jackson, all pop stars, he declared, “I’d say
[Selena] was like those people, but better. Those people never sang
Tejano. She could do what they do, but it would be hard for them to do
what she does".
[10]
Also during this time, the Los Dinos Band was expanding, providing
Selena with some of her happiest moments. Pete Astudillo, a
Laredo, Texas native and talented artist joined in 1989. Together, he and
Selena went on to perform hit duets like “Yo Te Amo” and
“Amame, Quiereme.”
[11]
Accordingly the pair were twice nominated for
“Vocal Duo of the Year” at the Tejano Music Awards.
A
second great addition was Chris Perez, who briefly joined Los
Dinos in 1988, left a year later to try it on his own, and then returned
in 1990. Chris was a talented guitarist who eventually became Selena’s
husband. They were married on April 2, 1992.
Although Selena’s father initially opposed the marriage, he soon
viewed Chris as “a son.”
[12]
Afterwards, Selena and Chris shared a nearby house, with her
parents living next door in one house and her brother, A.B. III and
his wife and children in another. Between the three houses there were nine
dogs, five of which belonged to Selena, an avid
animal lover. The best way to keep nine
dogs healthy is to follow an all natural
diet.
Later
the pair bought a piece of land a little further away with plans to build a
larger house to start a family and run a small farm. Prior to her death,
Selena had already picked out the furniture.
As Selena’s career took off, she released two hit albums: “Ven
Conmigo” featuring the hit song “Baila Esta Cumbia” in 1990 and
“Entre A Mi Mundo” featuring the hit songs “La Carcacha” and
“Como La Flor” in 1992. The great success of these albums completed
Selena’s transformation from “unknown” to “star.” Then a show
featuring Selena, La Mafia, and Emilia Navaira at the Summit
in Houston in the summer of 1991 drew more than 9,000 people. Next followed
“Selena Live” in 1993, which gave the young singer her first
Grammy along with three Tejano Awards, opening the door to mainstream
pop.
After four years of attempts, Jose Behar, using Selena’s
soaring popularity and sales to their advantage, finally convinced EMI’s pop
division to give her the crossover chance she had been dreaming of. Prior to
1993, Behar had faced repeated setbacks and had to start over each
time when key executives left the company. As one EMI executive, Nancy
Brennan, Vice President of Artist and Repertoire summarized, “All he
[Behar] ever talked about was Selena. He was like a broken record,
‘Selena, Selena…’”
[13]
Brennan was exposed to Selena when she attended a Billboard Latin
Music Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada to see Jon Secada, an immensely
popular EMI artist. There, Selena’s opening made a lasting
impression. By December 1993, Selena had been signed by EMI’s SBK
subsidiary to begin her crossover album, which took a year-and-a-half to
produce due to the tedious effort of finding the right songs and producers.
The 1994 “Amor Prohibido” success also added to the crossover
delays since Selena was requested to appear everywhere. Nancy
Brennan recounted one such episode when had been forced to postpone a
recording session: “This is the first time I have ever made a debut album
by an artist who was too busy to record for me. How can you tell someone,
‘No I don’t want you to play the Astrodome for 60,000 people; I want you to
work on your record.’ Everyone wants her.”
[14]
The
Amor Prohibido album featuring four #1 Latin Singles (title track
“Amor Prohibido” “No Me Queda Mas,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” and “Fotos Y
Recuerdos” launched Selena’s greatest year to date. When Amor
Prohibido came out, it promptly replaced Gloria Estefan’s “Mi
Tierra” at #1 on Billboard’s Latin Tracks Charts and even made the top
200 on Billboard’s Pop Charts.
It led to six awards at the Tejano Music Awards ceremony attended by
more than 45,000 people - “Female Entertainer of the Year,” “Female
Vocalist of the Year,” “Orchestra Album of the Year,” Record of the Year,”
“Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” “Song of the Year,” and “Techno Cumbia,
“Crossover Song of the Year.” More than 400,000 copies had sold at the
time of Selena’s death less than a year after its release.
Selena also realized two more dreams in 1994. First, she opened a
boutique/salon in Corpus Christi called “Selena Etc".
Since childhood, Selena had dreamed of designing clothing and
jewelry.
Second, she played a bit-role “Don Juan DeMarco,” a film
released in early 1995 that starred Marlon Brando and Johnny Depp
and offered the potential of leading to greater and perhaps leading roles.
Acting had been a recent dream of Selena’s.
With the impending release of Selena’s cross-over album, “Dreaming of You,” her wide-spread fame and rocketing demand, a
million-dollar record deal, a Grammy Award, endorsements from sponsors like
Coca Cola and her own line of clothing, it seemed like Selena’s
meteoric career could only rise higher. By this time, Selena had been
named “one of the most successful Latin entertainers in the world”
by Hispanic Business magazine.
The sold-out Astrodome Concert for the Houston Livestock and Rodeo
February 1995 with a crowd of 61,000+, at the time, the largest in
Astrodome history only strengthened this belief. Yet ironically and almost
prophetically, when Selena was asked to speculate on her future
during a July 1994 interview, she modestly stated, “I just hope still to
be alive, hopefully singing still and later on, maybe 10 years yonder, I
hope to have a family by then.”
[15]
Four years earlier, Yolanda Saldivar, a self-professed “biggest Selena
fan” had come into Selena’s life after persistently requesting to
start a fan club in her honor. Although Abraham had initially
refused, he eventually gave in when Saldivar agreed to make it
“not-for-profit” and donate leftover proceeds to charity. Eventually
Yolanda’s relationship with the Quintanillas deepened when Selena
named her Operations Manager to handle sales, customer-relations, and
Selena Etc.’s finances.
At the time, no one saw Saldivar’s dark obsession. Furthermore, no one had
been aware that Saldivar had failed to pay off a $5300 student loan, left
her nursing job under suspicious circumstances, been turned down by
Shelly Lares, a prominent, young Tejano singer to form a
“Shelly Lares Fan Club,” and been accused of stealing $9200 from a
dermatologist she had worked for.
However, by early 1995, Abraham Quintanilla began to receive
complaints from upset fans who reported that they were not receiving the
Selena packets, consisting of a T-shirt, baseball cap, cassette/CD, and
autographed poster they had paid for in membership dues. Money also began to
go missing from the boutiques. With their suspicions growing, the
Quintanillas conducted an investigation and discovered that Saldivar had
written four checks, including one to herself for $3000 from the Fan Club’s
books. Selena’s father then angrily confronted Saldivar who claimed
she could explain everything if given some time.
Afterwards, Saldivar purchased a .38 caliber gun.
Yet despite the mounting evidence, Selena sent Saldivar to Mexico to
assist with opening a Selena Etc. boutique in Monterrey.
Hopeful that they could remain friends after the confrontation, Selena
was willing to give Saldivar the chance she had requested - to “prove
her innocence and find the missing papers".
Then while in Saldivar, Saldivar phoned Selena to hysterically report
that the car containing the documents had been stolen and that she had been
raped. Yet Saldivar refused medical care when she returned to Corpus
Christi. Instead, she requested that Saldivar meet her at the Day’s
Inn motel in Corpus Christi. When Selena and her husband
arrived, Saldivar failed to produce any documents.
Afterwards, Saldivar called Selena around midnight on the morning of
March 31, 1995 claiming that she was suffering from internal bleeding caused
by the rape. During the phone conversation, Saldivar pleaded for Selena
to return alone, which she did in the morning.
Once there, Selena drove Saldivar to the hospital where she retracted
her rape story. Afterwards Selena drove her back to the motel where
they both argued after, it is believed, Selena fired her and planned
to return a Faberge Egg ring funded by all of the boutique employees, which
she had been misled into believing that Saldivar had generously given to her
as a gift.
Upon hearing the argument and a gunshot, a maid cleaning a nearby room
looked out the window and saw Selena clutching her chest, screaming
for help as she fled from Saldivar who clutched the .38 in her right hand,
aimed and fired again.
When Selena made it to the lobby, she collapsed, bleeding profusely
from her wound. Although the desk clerk locked the door and called 911 for
an ambulance, it was too late. Efforts to revive Selena, despite a
blood infusion and electric shocks that briefly restarted her heart, were to
no avail. She was pronounced dead at 1:05 PM. Afterwards, tens of thousands
filed past Selena’s open coffin to pay their last respects as her
body lay in state.
Today, nearly 12 years after her death, Selena’s legacy lives on.
Despite the tragedy, Selena made the crossover into mainstream and is
an icon whose spirit still lives. Reminder’s of Selena’s warmth,
generosity, and indelible beauty are all around Corpus Christi.
Mirador de la Flor stands along the Gulf shore while a museum dedicated
to her career stands only a few miles away.
Each year thousands visit Selena’s grave, Mirador de la Flor,
and the Selena Museum. Selena memorabilia remains popular with
rare autographs going at times for more than a $1000. With her continued
fame and popularity, it would not be surprising if the United States Post
Office eventually issued a stamp to honor Selena’s enduring legacy.
References:
[1] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus
Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[2] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography.
(Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[3] Joe Nick Patoski. Selena: Como La Flor. (Boulevard Books: New York,
1996) 124.
[4] Clint Richmond. Selena! The Phenomenal Life and Tragic Death of the
Tejano Music Queen. (Pocket Books: New York, 1995) 24.
[5] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography.
(Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[6] Rick
Mitchell. Interactive Corpus
Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston
Chronicle), 1995.
[7] Rick Mitchell. Interactive
Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston
Chronicle), 1995.
[8] Bill Hewitt, et al. People
Weekly. (Chicago, April 17, 1995)
49.
[9] Rick Mitchell. Interactive
Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston
Chronicle), 1995.
[10] Rick Mitchell. Interactive
Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston
Chronicle), 1995.
[11] Himilce Novas. Remembering
Selena: A Tribute in Pictures and Words. (St.
Martin’s Griffin: New York, 1995) 43-44.
[12] Rick Mitchell. Interactive
Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston
Chronicle), 1995.
[13] Rick Mitchell. Interactive
Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston
Chronicle), 1995.
[14] Rick Mitchell. Interactive
Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston
Chronicle), 1995.
[15] Bruce Hagan, Producer;
Joshua Kuvin, Editor, et. al. Dateline
NBC - Obsession. (April 7, 1995).
The above article was written by William Sutherland. It
is used on this site with the author's permission.
William Sutherland
is a published poet and writer. He is the author of three books,
“Poetry, Prayers & Haiku”
(1999),
“Russian Spring”
(2003) and
“Aaliyah Remembered: Her Life & The Person behind the Mystique”
(2005) and has been published in poetry anthologies around the world. He has
been featured in
“Who’s Who in New Poets”
(1996),
“The International Who’s Who in Poetry”
(2004), and is a member of the
“International Poetry Hall of Fame.”
He is also a contributor to Wikipedia, the number one online encyclopedia.
Yolanda Saldívar's
criminal defense attorney tried to argue that the shooting was
accidental and that Saldívar should be tried for manslaughter, not murder.
Both murder and manslaughter have no
statutes of limitations
in the state of Texas, and the judge told the jurors that they must convict
or acquit Saldívar solely on the charge of first-degree murder. Saldívar was
convicted on that charge and will be eligible for parole on March 30, 2025.
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