Selena
Born in Lake Jackson, Texas on April 16, 1971, Selena Quintanilla-Perez would come to be known as the “Queen of Tejano music.” With the help of different sources to provide evidence and support to my argument, the aim of this paper is to examine how Tejana singer, Selena was able to impact those around her with her career as a musician and through the medium of music. Selena rose to success by continuously crossing over to different markets. She not only impacted her fans one by one, but also brought about social and cultural changes by fleshing out tensions between Anglo and Latino communities by bringing people together through music.
Selena Quintanilla was born to Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. and Marcella Samora, both second-generation Mexican-Americans (Patoski 4). Abraham, also known as Abe, was born and raised in South Texas, while Selena’s mother, Marcella was from Washington State (Patoski 4). In high school, Abe cultivated his passion for music when he joined the Dinos, and pursued a musical career with his band up until things were put on pause when he was drafted into active duty. Stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington, Abraham met Marcella, and after courting for two years, the two married on June 8, 1963 (Patoski 20-21). From then on, Abraham and Marcella’s family started to grow with the birth of their son Abraham (A.B.) Quintanilla III on December 13, 1963. However, struggles soon shadowed the Quintanilla family as Abe found it difficult to make ends meet, and ultimately drove the budding family back to Corpus Christi, Texas (Patoski 21).
Back in Texas, the Dinos had been waiting for Abe’s return, but Abe soon realized that the rules of the music game were not the same as he left it. Audiences were expecting more Spanish flavor from the group than the usual doo-wop that they sang:
“Play Spanish music,” a voice yelled.
“Who do you think you are, gringos or something?”
The Dinos were all Mexican-Americans. The music they sang was in English. Neither
Selena Quintanilla was born to Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. and Marcella Samora, both second-generation Mexican-Americans (Patoski 4). Abraham, also known as Abe, was born and raised in South Texas, while Selena’s mother, Marcella was from Washington State (Patoski 4). In high school, Abe cultivated his passion for music when he joined the Dinos, and pursued a musical career with his band up until things were put on pause when he was drafted into active duty. Stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington, Abraham met Marcella, and after courting for two years, the two married on June 8, 1963 (Patoski 20-21). From then on, Abraham and Marcella’s family started to grow with the birth of their son Abraham (A.B.) Quintanilla III on December 13, 1963. However, struggles soon shadowed the Quintanilla family as Abe found it difficult to make ends meet, and ultimately drove the budding family back to Corpus Christi, Texas (Patoski 21).
Back in Texas, the Dinos had been waiting for Abe’s return, but Abe soon realized that the rules of the music game were not the same as he left it. Audiences were expecting more Spanish flavor from the group than the usual doo-wop that they sang:
“Play Spanish music,” a voice yelled.
“Who do you think you are, gringos or something?”
The Dinos were all Mexican-Americans. The music they sang was in English. Neither
Cited: Orozco, Cynthia E. "Quintanilla Perez, Selena [Selena]." The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2013. <http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fquxg>. Parédez, Deborah Paredez, Deborah. "Remembering Selena, Re-Membering "Latinidad"" Theatre Journal Tragedy 54.1 (2002): 64-84. JSTOR. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/25069021?seq=2>. Patoski, Joe N "Selena." Gale Cengage Learning. Gale Cengage Learning, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/chh/bio/selena.htm>. Sutherland, William Vargas, Deborah R. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom." Latino/a Popular Culture. New York: New York UP, 2002. 117-26. Print.