Selena Quintanilla Perez

1. Selena Quintanilla Perez By: Lindsey Tillery

2. A Star is Born Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16,1971. Her parents were Marcela and Abraham Quintanilla. She had a sister named Suzette and a brother named Abraham III. She was the youngest of the three.

3. Selena lived in Lake Jackson for the early part of her childhood. Selena’s dad loved music. In the late 50's and early 60's he was part of the group Los Dinos (The Guys). When his children were very young, he began to teach them an instrument. When Selena was just 3 years old, she demanded to know why her father was leaving her out of the music. Abraham said she was too young. Then Selena showed him she was not too young, she showed him her own instrument, her voice. She sang Blue Moon. Abraham couldn't believe what a beautiful sound she heard. By the time Selena was 6, she was already singing like a pro in English and in Spanish. Selena Growing up

4. Selena’s Group When Selena was 9, her father started the group Selena Y Los Dinos (Selena and The Guys). Everyone who saw her, even at that young age, knew she was going to be a star someday. The Quintilla family went bankrupt. They were out on the streets without a roof over their head. The family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where they piled into an old bus with all their musical equipment. They played everywhere they could, on streets, at weddings... Soon all the hard work paid off. Selena even said in some interviews that when she first started playing it was because it put food on the table. Selena recorded her first album in 1984 under the Freddie label. The album was released in 1995 titled "Mis Primeras Grabaciones." Because Selena was getting even more popular and the traveling to perform was interfering with school, Abraham pulled her out of school when she was in the 8th grade. Even though she was not attending school anymore, Selena earned a high school degree from a correspondence school in Chicago. In 1986, Selena's career really began to take off. Her second album, Alpha, was released then. At the Tejano Music Awards, she took female Vocal 0f the Year.

5. Selena’s Career In 1988, two more Selena albums were released, Preciosa and Dulce Amor. But it was in 1989 when Selena got her big break. That year, she signed with Capitol/EMI Latin label. By this time, Selena's concerts were drawing thousands of people and her band was expanding. Pete Astudillo joined Selena Y Los Dinos and can be heard on such hit duets as "Yo Te Amo" ("I Love You") and "Siempre Estoy Pensando En Ti" ("I'm Always Thinking Of You"). A.B. (who was already writing most of Selena's songs) joined Pete and wrote such it songs as "Como La Flor" ("Like A Flower"). In 1988, Selena met a guitarist named Chris Perez. The Quintanilla family hired him to be in the band in 1990. When Selena's father first heard of the couple's idea of getting married he was very upset and fired Chris. But soon after that Selena and Chris decided to get married and her father accepted them and hired Chris back. Selena and Chris were married April 3,1992.

6. Selena’s Enemy In 1990, a fan approached Abraham with the idea of starting a fan club. Her name was Yolanda Saldivar. Her wish was granted. She was often referred to as Selena's biggest fan. Yolanda became a very close friend of Selena's, but later on, one of her worst enemies. Ven Conmigo (Come With Me) was released in 1990. That album had such hits as "Baila Esta Cumbia" ("Dance This Cumbia"). She won a grammy for Best Mexican American Performance. But 1994 was her best year, that was when she truly became a superstar. In 1994, Selena released Amor Prohibido (Forbidden Love). An album that even knocked Gloria Estefan's "Mi Tierra" off the number one spot on the charts. By March of 1995, it had sold over 400,000 copies. Selena opened a salon. She loved to design. Also in February, trouble started with the Selena Fan Club. People were complaining that they weren't receiving their packets they paid for. The Quintanilla family confronted Yolanda, who by this time was also manager of the boutiques. Money also started to turn up missing from the Selena Etc. account. Yolanda was stealing from them. On March 12, 1995, Selena fired Yolanda. Although she was fired, Yolanda continued to work because there were papers missing. On March 30, Selena went to where Yolanda was staying in Corpus, a Days Inn motel, to get the missing paperwork.

7. Selena is Dead When Selena and Chris got home that night, they found out that some of the papers were still missing. Early the next morning, Selena got up and went to face Yolanda again. There Yolanda told her she had been raped in Monterey, Mexico and needed to go to the hospital. After about an hour, Selena and Yolanda returned to the motel and argued. Selena told her that she just couldn't be trusted anymore. At 11:48 am, Yolanda took out a gun, and fired at Selena. The bullet struck her in her right shoulder. With all her strength, Selena ran towards the lobby to get help. She collapsed on the floor as the clerk called 911. Soon an ambulance came to take Selena to the hospital where she was pronounced dead at 1:05 PM. News of Selena's death spread all over the world. Selena fans mourned the loss of their queen, the queen of Tejano music. Thousands and thousands of fans passed by her coffin. The Friday she died, will always be known as Black Friday... In July of 1995, her dream of crossing over into the pop market was accomplished. The first single released from her English album Dreaming Of You, "I Could Fall In Love," instantly became a hit and was in heavy rotation all across the US. Dreaming Of You instantly hit the charts at number one, if only Selena was here to see her dream come true.

8. Rest In Peace Selena The End

9. Selena Pictures