© Latinas in History 2008
The
incomparable Tejana singer, Selena Quintanilla Pérez “Selena”,
was born in Lake Jackson, Texas. When he discovered his daughter’s
talents, Selena’s father organized a band engaging her older siblings
in the venture. They sang at the family’s Tex-Mex restaurant but
soon began to tour. Selena's first television appearance was on The
Johnny Canales Show and while the group originally sang Country and
Western, they soon incorporated pop, African American, R&B, funk
and disco into their repertoire. But it was in the Texas Mexican music
scene that she would leave her mark. The group's rendition of “La
carcacha,” “Bibi bidi bom bom,” and “Techno cumbia,”
Tejano cumbias brought a new distinctive sound to the music world that
went well beyond the Tejano border. Their albums included Alpha
(1986), Dulce amor (1988), Preciosa (1988), Selena
y los Dinos (1990), Ven conmigo (1991), Entre a mi mundo
(1992), Selena Live (1993), Amor prohibido (1994), and
Dreaming of You (released posthumously in 1995). While on the cusp
of national stardom, Selena's tragic death on March 31, 1995 stunned
the nation. Her story is told in the Hollywood production Selena,
the Broadway musical Siempre Selena, and on a video documentary
Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena.
| LINKS | |
|
The
Official Selena Website |
