Selena: La Reina de Tejano

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Selena, “Le Reina de Tejano”, was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson. She was the youngest of three children of Abraham Quintanilla Jr. and Marcela, his wife. At a young age, Abraham had a strong passion for music that he still has. During the 1950s and 1960s, him and his friends made a group called “Los Dinos” and played at nightclubs and restaurants. Even though his passion for music, he gave it up when he got married and earned a job at Dow Chemical as a shipping clerk.

From his experience, he taught his two oldest children, A.B. III and Suzette, how to play the instruments. A.B. III learned how to play the bass guitar and Suzette played the drums. As Selena saw how attached Abraham was with A.B. III and Suzette, she became jealous and asked her father why she couldn’t learn how to play an instrument. He told her she was too young, so she started to sing.

By the time she was 6, her father saw talent in her as she sang with purity and perfect pitch as he played his guitar. Then with enthusiasm, Abraham got a hold of instruments and formed a family band with A.B. III as the bass, Suzette as the drummer, and Selena the lead singer. Their family band was named Selena Y Los Dinos and they started playing at weddings, fairs, and clubs close by. When they barely formed, A.B. III and Suzette hated the rehearsals practice they had every night because they took time from their friends; on the contrary, Selena loved the rehearsals because she had the same passion as her father for music.

As a child, Selena was cheerful all the time and had the gift to bring everyone together at the playground. She was very athletic and did well in her classes. As athletic as she was, she loved playing with dolls, like dressing them up in customs...

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...pm. Until this day, Saldivar is being held in prison with a bond of $100,000.

Selena’s death sent “shockwaves” across the Latin community as well as the English-language. Tens of thousands went to her funeral to pay their respect to her and her family. After her death, Selena’s first English album, “Dreaming of You”, was released and became a huge hit. They made a movie of her biography in 1997, starring Jennifer Lopez as Selena and James Edward Olmos as her father. Thousands of people visit her grave, Mirador de la Flor, in Corpus Christi, near the Selena Museum dedicated to her life, fame, and career. Even today, she’s still considered “La Reina de Tejano” and her legacy still lives on.

Works Cited

1) http://www.biography.com/people/selena-189149

2) http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20105524,00.html

3) http://www.selenaforever.com/

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