Selena Quintanilla Perez captured the hearts of millions of Tejano music fans with her sultry voice, bright smile, and wonderful sense of style. She was referred to as “La Reina” (The Queen) of Tejano music. Selena came from humble beginnings, but rose to super star status in record time, backed and wholly supported by her family. Selena’s dreams were to have her own clothing line and make an English crossover album. She achieved both of her dreams – one in life, 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 hometown band called Los Dinos. Abraham always knew his daughter had talent and convinced her to sit in with Los Dinos on several gigs. By 1981, the family had moved to Corpus Christie, Texas and Selena had her own band – Selena y Los Dinos – courtesy of her father and siblings. Her brother A.B. played bass guitar and her sister Suzette played drums. Although Selena sang exclusively in Spanish, she wasn’t fluent in the language and sang the words phonetically. It wasn’t until her late teens that she officially learned Spanish.
Selena y Los Dinos continued to record albums and tour throughout the 1980s. By 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 the EMI Latin record label. Selena y Los Dinos released their debut, self titled album on this label the following year. In 1991, another album, Ven Conmigo, became the first Tejano album to go gold. She released two more albums that year. In 1992, Selena married lead guitarist for Los Dinos, Chris Perez.
The next year, Selena won a Grammy for her album Selena Live and also released an album of love ballads. Selena, Etc., her private clothing line, was launched and two boutiques of the same name also opened that year. In 1994, Selena graced the silver screen as a singer in the film Don Juan de Marco, starring Johnny Depp. The album Selena released that year, Amor Prohibido, 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 become her last concert at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in front of 65,000 adoring fans. Behind the scenes, she was working on fulfilling her dream of recording an English crossover album – a dream she held close to her heart since childhood. However, something darker and more sinister lurked on the horizon for Selena. An employee of the Selena Empire, Yolanda Saldivar, was accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the boutiques which she managed and the Selena fan club, which she founded.
Unable to trust Saldivar any longer, Selena went to Saldivar’s motel room at the Day’s Inn in Corpus Christie, Texas to confront and fire the once loyal employee and friend. Yolanda was unable to cope with the termination and confrontation. She fired one shot at Selena, striking her in the back. Selena Quintanilla Perez died an hour later at a Corpus Christie hospital – March 31, 1995, the day the music died. Saldivar was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Governor George W. Bush declared April 16 “Selena Day” in Texas. A life size statue of Selena was erected in a park in Corpus Christie, Texas. Selena’s dream came true the following summer. Her English crossover album, appropriately titled Dreaming of You was released and had gone double platinum by the end of the year. The Tejano music world mourned the loss of its fallen star, but even today, Selena’s light shines bright in the hearts of countless enamored fans.
