Selena

Selena Quintanilla Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), principally known by her first name, was a Mexican-American singer who has reached mythical status and is considered to be one of the most popular and influential Hispanic music icons of all time. Very few other Hispanic celebrities (e.g. Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan) rival her popularity among American Hispanics.

Related Topics:
April 16 - 1971 - March 31 - 1995 - Mexican-American - Jennifer Lopez - Gloria Estefan

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Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas and grew up in Corpus Christi, where she began her musical career. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., was a singer with the original Los Dinos from 1957 to 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.

Related Topics:
Lake Jackson - Texas - Corpus Christi - Los Dinos - 1957 - 1972 - Abe III

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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 finished high school by mail and lived most of her life on the tour bus "Big Bertha". 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, which knocked Gloria Estefan's Mi Tierra off the number one spot.

Related Topics:
Mexican - 1989

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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.

Related Topics:
Roger Garcia - April 2 - 1992

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In 1994, Selena won a Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album for Live.

Related Topics:
1994 - Grammy - Best Mexican-American Album

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She holds the record of drawing the largest concert crowd ? over 67,000 screaming fans ? in the history of the Houston Astrodome, for her 1993 performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It is erroneously believed that her largest crowd at the Astrodome was the famed 1995 concert, which she gave a little over a month before her death. The crowd she drew that night, however, was nevertheless enormous: over 64,000 fans.

Related Topics:
Houston Astrodome - Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

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The greatest irony in Selena's musical career is that she became a star singing in her second language. She grew up speaking English, recording her early Spanish hits phonetically.

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Aside from her singing, Selena was an avid clothing designer. Boutique shops with the Selena name opened in Corpus Christi and San Antonio in the 1990s. She also dabbled in acting, making a cameo in the Johnny Depp film Don Juan de Marco.

Related Topics:
San Antonio - 1990s - Johnny Depp - Don Juan de Marco

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