Selena y Los Dinos

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Selena y Los Dinos
Selenaylosdinos1995.jpg
The Members as of 1995
Background information
Origin Lake Jackson, Texas, U.S.
Genres Tejano, pop music, traditional rock
Years active1981–1995
Reunions: 2005, 2010, 2015
Labels Freddie Records (1981–1984)
Cara Records (1985)
GP Records (1986–1989)
EMI Latin (1989–1995)
Past members Selena
Abraham Quintanilla III
Suzette Quintanilla
Rena Dearman
Rodney Pyeatt
Mike Dean
Dale Balint
Ricky Vela
Roger Garcia
Jesse Ybarra
Joe Ojeda
Pete Astudillo
Mike Orosco
Chris Pérez
Don Shelton
Freddie Corea

Selena y Los Dinos (English: Selena and the Guys) was an American Tejano band formed in 1981 by Tejano singer Selena and her father Abraham Quintanilla. The band remained together until the murder of Selena in 1995, which caused the dissolution of the band in the same year. [1] When Selena was signed with EMI Latin, [1] EMI president José Behar told Selena that "the world wanted Selena, not Selena y Los Dinos." Selena then began releasing her solo studio albums under her name and her own logo title Selena instead of Selena y Los Dinos. [1] Before Selena was signed with EMI, the band had sold more than 80,000 copies in the state of Texas.

Contents

Band history

Beginning (1957–1981)

Between 1957 and 1971, Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, played with Los Dinos. He loved to play music and persuaded Selena to play music. Although she initially complained she didn't want to, she later found that she actually loved to play. [1] Selena herself joined the family band at the age of ten, and they turned professional two years later. [1] Selena not only sang in some concerts that her father arranged, but she also sang in school whenever she asked. [2] Selena's father discovered her amazing voice. He formed a family band around her with his two older children: Abraham III (A.B.), was put on the bass guitar, [2] and Suzette, was put on drums. [2] The family first showcased their band on street corners, at quinceañeras, and at other family gatherings until Selena's father opened up a Mexican restaurant in Lake Jackson, Texas called Papágayos (English: Parrots) in 1981. [3] While her parents took care of the restaurant, Selena performed for the first time in public at the age of nine [4] with her older siblings to entertain the diners. [2] However, the restaurant began to lose its customers when the recession of 1981 hit South Texas, [2] and the restaurant was forced into foreclosure. Soon after the restaurant's closure, Selena's family moved their musical aspirations to Corpus Christi, Texas. There, Selena began to gain popularity and respect as a child singer. [2]

Within a year, the family's restaurant went bankrupt [5] and the family was forced to move in with relatives, as Abraham [5] had quit his job to manage the restaurant full-time. [5] The band then performed wherever they could, including weddings, street corners, fairs, Events, and Quinceañeras. At some places, the band began to gain a lot of appreciation, while at other performances, where Mexican Americans were not accepted, it was booed. On one occasion while performing at a wedding, the band was booed and then food was thrown on stage. [5]

Mainstream success (1981–1988)

In 1981, Corpus Christi, Texas-based Freddie Records signed Selena y Los Dinos to a recording contract. [5] By 1981, the label began promoting the yet-to-be-released debut album by selling singles from tracks off the album in local stores. Selena y Los Dinos began to perform more frequently in local Texas clubs and fairs as their name began to spread around Texas. In 1984, Freddie released the band's very first full-length album entitled Selena y Los Dinos . [5] When the album was completed, the president and owner of Freddie Records told Abraham that his band, Selena y Los Dinos, were not professionally ready to record and release a full-length album. Undeterred, Abraham dropped the record deal with Freddie Records and walked out. While still under the record deal, Selena's father came upon another small local Texas record company called Cara Records. The rumored album The New Girl in Town was never stored in stores, but singles from Cara Records were sold separately and promotionally around the state of Texas. On this album is the song Encontré El Amor that was sold as a promotional single in 1983. In 1987, GP Productions, which discovered Selena y Los Dinos performing, signed the group for a yearly record contract. Selena y Los Dinos were in the recording studio soon after the agreement. That same year, Selena y Los Dinos recorded their second full-length album Alpha (A in the Greek alphabet), which was the first album to be released without legal actions or threats. [5]

In 1987, '[Muñequito de Trapo]' (Rag Doll) was released and an increase in sales began to spread the news about the band, which was promoted and showcased in the Tejano Music Awards. [5] Selena won best "Female Vocalist of The Year", [5] which she then won eight consecutive times. [5] The band as well received and won awards separately. In 1987, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., who was proud of the band's winnings and awards, released And the Winner Is... and made Selena sing more Tejano and Mexican songs which followed their roots in order to gain more recognition in the Tejano world. [5] In 1988, Selena y Los Dinos released Preciosa (Precious), a nickname that was given to Selena as a child, which sold 20,000 units in Texas alone. No other record or single sales were ever documented outside the United States. [5] By 1988, Selena's albums began to sell 20,000 units apiece. [5] Selena y Los Dinos' last independent studio album was released in 1988 under the title Dulce Amor (Sweet Love). The album helped Selena to be noticed during the 1989 Tejano Music Awards by José Behar, who had just opened the Latin division of EMI Records; EMI Latin. Jose Behar recalled seeing Selena perform and the whole place "blew up" from so much excitement and enthusiasm emanating from the charismatic Selena. Soon after her performance, Behar signed Selena as a solo artist. [5] Selena began releasing her albums with her new logo titled after her name, while the band Los Dinos was still beside Selena in concerts.

Chris Pérez (1988–1995)

Selena's brother A.B. met Chris Pérez while touring in the Tejano scene in Texas. Chris was the guitar player for Tejano artist Shelly Lares and the two became friends. Selena's guitarist Jesse Ybarra, who appeared and recorded with the band from 1986-1988, left the band to be a part of Pete Astudillo's solo band. Pérez was interviewed and auditioned at Abraham Quintanilla's house. [5] A.B., who had told Chris to come, was confronted by his father, who did not like the energy and image of Chris Pérez, who had his own rock band and performed entirely in the English language. A.B. insisted that Pérez would learn the music quickly, convincing him to hire Pérez as the new lead guitarist. [5] Pérez's addition to the band proved to be more than anticipated. He and Selena fell in love, but her father, who wanted to keep the band's clean-cut image, only saw envy in Pérez. He confronted Pérez and Selena and told them that the relationship had to end or the band would break up. [5] Pérez was fired, while Selena stayed with the band. However, they secretly married on April 2, 1992, and Selena added Perez's last name to hers. [5] She tried to hide the marriage from the rest of the family, but the news quickly spread to radio stations and newscasts. [5] The senior Quintanilla later accepted Pérez into the family and allowed him to re-join the band. [5] Soon after Selena's murder in March 1995, Pérez left to form the Chris Pérez Band. He dedicated a song to his late wife, calling it "The Best I Can". The band broke up in 2002, and he joined Selena's brother A.B. in his bands, the Kumbia Kings in 2002 and the Kumbia All Starz in 2006. A.B. is now honoring Selena by using her name in his songs.

The Reunion: Selena ¡Vive! (2005)

The surviving band members reunited for a historic massive tribute concert in honor of Selena on April 7, 2005. [5] The concert, Selena ¡VIVE!, was held at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.The event not only sold out but became the highest-rated and most-viewed Spanish-language TV special ever. [5] [6] In attendance were Gloria Estefan, Kumbia Kings, and an introduction by Jennifer Lopez, who portrayed Selena in the film made about her life. Suzette Quintanilla, Selena's sister, the former drum player for Selena y Los Dinos, announced that the band Los Dinos were reuniting to record a new song for A.B. Quintanilla's group Kumbia All Starz with surprise guest recording artists on the album La Vida de un Genio in 2010.

Band members

Discography

Selena - Alpha (logo).png
Alpha (1986) album logo
Selena - And the winner is (logo).png
And the Winner Is... (1987) album logo
Selena - Preciosa (logo).png
Preciosa (1988) album logo
Logo-1992.png
Entre a Mi Mundo (1992) album logo

Selena y Los Dinos albums

Selena solo albums

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selena</span> American Tejano singer (1971–1995)

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<i>Selena</i> (film) 1997 film by Gregory Nava

Selena is a 1997 American biographical musical drama film about Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, played by Jennifer Lopez. The film, written and directed by Gregory Nava, chronicles the star's rise to fame and death when she was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar at the age of 23. In addition to Lopez, the film also stars Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Constance Marie, Jacob Vargas, Lupe Ontiveros, and Jackie Guerra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Pérez</span> American guitarist (born 1969)

Christopher Gilbert Pérez is an American guitarist, best known as lead guitarist for the Tejano band Selena y Los Dinos. He married the frontwoman of the group, Selena, on April 2, 1992. Pérez grew up in San Antonio, Texas as one of two children of Gilbert Pérez and Carmen Medina. In 1986, he began his tenure by joining Shelly Lares' band. By the late 1980s, Pérez was respected among Tejano musicians for his guitar skills. This caught A.B. Quintanilla's attention; at the time, A.B. was seeking another guitarist for the band he produced, Selena y Los Dinos. Between one and two years after Pérez joined the band, he and Selena began a personal relationship.

The Kumbia Kings are a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of Cumbia, Hip Hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. The producers for the band are Quintanilla— the brother of the late "Queen of Tejano", Selena— and Cruz Martínez. Quintanilla played bass guitar for the group, while Martínez, husband of international artist Alicia Villarreal, played keyboards. Both co-wrote songs for the Kumbia Kings.

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Ven Conmigo is the second studio album by American singer Selena, released on November 12, 1990, by EMI Latin. The singer's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III remained her principal record producer and songwriter after her debut album's moderate success. Selena's Los Dinos band composed and arranged seven of the album's ten tracks; local songwriter Johnny Herrera also provided songs for Selena to record. Ven Conmigo contains half cumbias and half rancheras, though the album includes other genres. Its musical compositions are varied and demonstrate an evolving maturity in Selena's basic Tejano sound. The album's structure and track organization were unconventional compared with other Tejano music albums. The songs on Ven Conmigo are mostly love songs or songs following a woman's struggles after many failed relationships.

<i>Selena</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Selena

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<i>Alpha</i> (Selena album) 1986 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Alpha is the debut studio album by American Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. Released in 1986 under Manny Guerra's G.P. Productions, it followed two albums the group recorded under different indie music labels. Selena y Los Dinos, led by vocalist Selena, recorded mostly cover songs. Wanting to stand out, bassist A.B. Quintanilla requested original material from Luis Silva after noticing his track record for writing award-winning songs. Silva ignored A.B.'s request and he was inspired by Abraham to write songs himself. The group expanded to include keyboardist Ricky Vela and guitarist Roger Garcia. Vela collaborated with A.B. on "Dame un Beso", while he collaborated with Abraham on "Dame tu Amor". A.B. became Selena y Los Dinos' music producer and songwriter, while Abraham encouraged them to record songs of various genres to appeal to a wider audience. Despite her limited Spanish, Selena recorded all nine tracks phonetically.

<i>Momentos Intimos</i> 2004 compilation album by Selena

Momentos Intimos is a compilation album by American singer Selena and released posthumously on March 23, 2004, through EMI Latin. The album contains 24 tracks, though the last eight are spoken liner notes provided by the singer's family, friends, and her Los Dinos band. The songs on the album range from "Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti" (1988), a re-recorded version modernized and remixed on the album, to "Puede Ser", an unreleased duet with Nando "Guero" Dominguez, recorded two weeks before Selena was shot and killed in March 1995. Following Selena's death, her father Abraham Quintanilla expressed his interest in persevering his daughter's memory through her works. Selena's family has been criticized by fans and the media for exploiting the singer and cannibalizing her murder by commercializing her repertoire.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">A.B. Quintanilla</span> American producer, songwriter and musician

Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III, known professionally as A.B. Quintanilla III or A.B. Quintanilla, is an American record producer, songwriter and musician. Called the "King of Kumbia" due to his influence and impact on the cumbia music genre, he is the older brother of singer Selena, known as the "Queen of Tejano Music", having produced and written many of her hit songs throughout her career, is the creator and founder of the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz, also having produced and written their hit songs as well as performing as a member of both, and has contributed, produced and written many songs for other artists.

<i>Dulce Amor</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Dulce Amor is the sixth and last independent studio album by Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. The album became the final album to be released from RP Records on December 24, 1988. Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III had become the main songwriter. Selena recorded fourteen songs but only released ten. All the songs were recorded in three different recording studios. Dulce Amor helped Selena to be noticed at the 1989 Tejano Music Awards. She was then signed by EMI Latin. This would be the last studio album to be released under “Selena y Los Dinos” as all subsequent albums would be released under “Selena”. The album had only sold over 30,000 copies. It was ordered to be removed from stores by EMI Records.

<i>Preciosa</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Preciosa is the fifth independent studio album by Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. It was released on October 10, 1988 under Manny Guerra’s RP Records. Preciosa garnered favorable reception from music critics, with Tim Baker of Newsweek observing the group finally purging their oldie influences from their discography. At the 1989 Tejano music awards, Selena was the finalist for Female Vocalist of the Year. Terco Corazon was nominated for Single of the Year, and A.B was nominated for Songwriter of the Year.

<i>Selena y Los Dinos</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Selena y Los Dinos is the debut independent studio album by American Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. It was released on July 16, 1984 under Freddie Martinez’s Freddie Records. The album was originally released in cassette format and in limited quantities. The album was not sold in stores and Freddie records did little to promote it. In 1995, the album was re-issued under the title Mis Primeras Grabaciones and again in 2005, during the 10th anniversary of Selena's passing, with remastered audio tracks.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cynthia E., Orozco (August 31, 2010). "QUINTANILLA PEREZ, SELENA [SELENA]". Texas State Historical Association . Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tijana, Ilich. "The Story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, the Queen of Tejano". ThoughtCo . Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  4. ↑ Harkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Sutherland, William. "Selena Biography". Selena Forever. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Selena Vive Breaks Audience Records". Spanishtown.ca. April 11, 2005. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Los Dinos". Selena Forever. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
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