Selena Quintanilla-Perez, now an icon in Tejano and Latino, Texas and pop culture, was born on April 16, 1971, to Abraham (II) and Marcella Quintanilla at Freeport Community Hospital, outside her hometown of Lake Jackson. , a little Texas. community of 23,000, 75 miles from Houston. At the time of Selena’s birth, the Quintanillas had two other children, Abraham (AB) III, 8, and Suzette, 4.

Initially, when Marcella started experiencing pregnancy symptoms, a doctor misdiagnosed her and stated that she had a tumor that needed to be removed. Only after the Quintanillas sought a second opinion did they receive an accurate diagnosis.

Upon learning of the pregnancy, both parents chose “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 roommate at the hospital.

At the time of Selena’s birth, Abraham was working in the shipping department of Dow Chemical, the anchor company in his community with a strong passion for music. Previously, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he and some friends had formed a band “Los Dinos” and performed a mix of rock ‘n’ roll and traditional Mexican songs in Corpus Christi nightclubs and restaurants. . However, due to limited opportunities, Abraham had to leave the band when he married and took the job at Dow Chemical to support his family. Although he left the band, Abraham’s passion for music did not die. Consequently, he taught his children to play an instrument at an early age. AB III was taught bass and Suzette, drums.

When Selena was three years old, Abraham spent many hours working with AB III and Suzette. Feeling left out, Selena confronts her father and demands to know why she couldn’t learn to play an instrument. When told that she was too young, she Selena decided to sing.

Before long, Abraham became convinced that Selena had a special talent. He was especially influenced by her sheer determination. Abraham’s faith increased even more when one day, Selena, then only 5 years old, approached him and began to sing with purity and perfect pitch while he played the guitar. Her interpretation of a song sung by the Little Anthony and the Imperials on the radio was incredible.

“I always wanted to get back into the music business, but I felt like I was getting too old and my kids were growing up,” Selena’s father later reflected in an interview. “When I found out that Selena could sing, that’s when the wheels started turning in my mind. I saw an opportunity to get back into the world of music through my children.”[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. “…She had that extra thing that she does to an artist. Of course, no one 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 drum kit and got a used bass from a friend. Later, he taught Selena to sing in Spanish. He at first sang using phonetics, but quickly progressed until she could sing perfectly with emotion.

Before being taught to sing in Spanish, English had been Selena’s first and only language. However, after her, when she was able to sing perfectly in Spanish, Selena still found it difficult to converse fluently in that language. Her thinking was slow and her choice of words clumsy. As a result, Selena relied on her effervescent personality, beaming smile, and interpreters to pull through interviews in Spanish. Due to Selena’s laughter at her own mistakes, the Spanish media overlooked her difficulties.

Prior to Selena’s enrollment in an intensive Spanish course to become proficient, her parents were terrified that their daughter would face more than 30 Mexican reporters at a press conference in Monterrey, Mexico, coordinated by EMI Mexico. Later, although Selena’s answers sounded ridiculous, she won the hearts of all the reporters by hugging each one of them. As a result, they kindly wrote about her, declaring that she was a “people’s artist.”[3] However, in December 1994, Selena was fluent in the Spanish language.

Once they had all mastered their musical assignments: AB III on bass, Suzette on drums, and 9-year-old Selena on vocals, Abraham formed a family band called “Selena Y Los Dinos.” Afterwards they practiced almost every night.

Initially Selena was the only one who enjoyed rehearsals; AB III and Suzette preferred to play with their friends. Later, however, all of the Quintanilla children turned to music. In a short time they were creating extemporaneous compositions.

When Selena attended Oran M. Roberts Elementary School, she tried to stand out and participate in everything. She “worked very hard in everything she was doing and was eager to learn, the kind of student you always like to have,” recalled Selena’s first-grade teacher, Nina McGlashan.[4]

As a child, Selena was optimistic with a big smile and constantly cheerful. She was also outgoing and athletic with a gift for bringing others together on the playground. Her classmates loved her very much and she excelled in several of the class games: running faster and jumping farther than most.

Although athletic, Selena also enjoyed playing with dolls. She liked to work with her hair and dress them in custom-made outfits, leading up to her dream of opening a boutique. Even the one time she Selena badly burned a doll’s hair while she was using a curling iron, she wasn’t dissuaded.

Additionally, Selena exercised maturity and respect when in the company of adults, always addressing them with “Yes/No, sir/ma’am.” Although she occasionally got into mischief, Selena, with her strict upbringing in a well-disciplined family that took care of 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 restaurant offering quality food and live entertainment. In an attempt to succeed, Abraham invested all of his life savings in him 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 the night. Selena became an instant favorite. One customer commented, “It was so unusual. You wouldn’t expect to see a girl get up and sing in a restaurant like that…she was always very enthusiastic.”[5] Soon all the bosses shared Abraham’s belief that Selena was destined for stardom.

Initially, during their performances at Papa Gayo’s, “Selena y Los Dinos” sang covers of current top 40 hits in English and occasionally classic pop songs with Spanish lyrics that Abraham had written. However, just as things were about to take off, the 1980-81 recession forced the shutdown of many oil wells, the lifeblood of Texas. 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 his desperation, Abraham never gave up. He continued to believe in Selena’s talent and did everything he could to help her. Music became Quintanilla’s only 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 they only earned $5 or $10 each, they were happy because they could eat and shop.

Gradually, his hard work and determination began to pay off. “Selena Y Los Dinos” recorded their first album, “Mis Primeras Grabaciones” in 1984 under the Freddie Records label. However, apart from a few radio plays of “Ya Se Va”, “Mis Primeras Grabaciones” did not do very well and was not released until 11 years later, when Abraham bought the rights.

Although during the recording sessions for “My First Recordings” Selena needed fewer cuts than many, Freddie Records felt that she needed more time to develop. Abraham rejected this and moved the band first to Cara Records and then to Manny Label.

~Continued in Part 2~

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[1] Rick Mitchell. Corpus Christi Caller Times interactive biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.

[2] Rick Mitchell. Corpus Christi Caller Times interactive biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.

[3] Joe Nick Patoski. Selena: Like The Flower. (Boulevard Books: New York, 1996) 124.

[4] Clint Richmond. Selena! The phenomenal life and tragic death of the queen of Tejano music. (Pocket Books: New York, 1995) 24.

[5] Rick Mitchell. Corpus Christi Caller Times interactive biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.