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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, April 16, 2016, marks the 45th anniversary of the |
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| 6 | 7 | | birth of the internationally acclaimed queen of Tejano music, |
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| 7 | 8 | | Selena Quintanilla Pérez; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born on that day in 1971 in Lake Jackson, this |
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| 9 | 10 | | extremely gifted young woman developed her love for music at an |
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| 10 | 11 | | early age, having begun singing at the age of six and performing |
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| 11 | 12 | | with Los Dinos, the Quintanilla family band, by the age of nine; and |
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| 12 | 13 | | WHEREAS, Selena recorded her first album while still in her |
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| 13 | 14 | | teens, and as her popularity grew, her band became known as Selena y |
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| 14 | 15 | | Los Dinos; blessed with the guidance of her father, Abraham |
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| 15 | 16 | | Quintanilla, who served as her manager and booking agent, she |
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| 16 | 17 | | successfully made the transition from teen star to adult artist and |
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| 17 | 18 | | garnered her first serious recognition in 1987 when she was named |
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| 18 | 19 | | Female Vocalist of the Year and Performer of the Year at the Tejano |
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| 19 | 20 | | Music Awards in San Antonio; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, With artistry and hard work, she continued to build |
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| 21 | 22 | | on her success by setting a dizzying pace for herself during which |
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| 22 | 23 | | she would captivate audiences by dancing and singing in her |
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| 23 | 24 | | trademark costumes; in addition to performing at concerts and |
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| 24 | 25 | | recording albums, this dynamic entertainer was featured on one of |
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| 25 | 26 | | Latin America's most popular shows, Siempre en Domingo, appeared on |
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| 26 | 27 | | the renowned soap opera Dos Mujeres, Un Camino, played a singer in |
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| 27 | 28 | | the film Don Juan DeMarco, and had begun a new chapter in her |
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| 28 | 29 | | multifaceted career with the establishment of a boutique and hair |
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| 29 | 30 | | salon in Corpus Christi and San Antonio; and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, Selena became an internationally recognized star |
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| 31 | 32 | | who was especially revered in Mexico, throughout Latin America, and |
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| 32 | 33 | | in her home state of Texas, and while developing her own phenomenal |
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| 33 | 34 | | career, she was also instrumental in transforming the Tejano music |
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| 34 | 35 | | industry into one of the fastest-growing markets of music in the |
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| 35 | 36 | | world; and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, Her achievements as an entertainer gave her a means |
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| 37 | 38 | | by which to reach a broader audience, and she put her accessibility |
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| 38 | 39 | | to her fans to good use, empowering women through her inspiring |
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| 39 | 40 | | lyrics and through her community involvement; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, A positive role model for Hispanic youth and women |
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| 41 | 42 | | from all walks of life, Selena gave many young people hope and |
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| 42 | 43 | | encouragement to persevere and to follow their dreams as she did, |
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| 43 | 44 | | and she used her success to encourage students to complete their |
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| 44 | 45 | | education, to stay away from drugs, and to make healthy choices |
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| 45 | 46 | | through her support of and involvement with many worthy |
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| 46 | 47 | | organizations and events, including local schools, the DARE |
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| 47 | 48 | | program, the Stay in School Jamboree, and the Coastal Bend AIDS |
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| 48 | 49 | | Foundation, to name but a few; and |
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| 49 | 50 | | WHEREAS, In 1994, Selena was awarded a Grammy for the year's |
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| 50 | 51 | | best Mexican American album, Selena Live, and went on to sweep the |
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| 51 | 52 | | year's Tejano Music Awards, winning the best album, recording, |
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| 52 | 53 | | female vocalist, female entertainer, and Tejano crossover |
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| 53 | 54 | | categories; and |
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| 54 | 55 | | WHEREAS, She was nominated for a Grammy again the following |
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| 55 | 56 | | year for the quadruple-platinum Amor Prohibido, which produced |
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| 56 | 57 | | three chart-topping singles and sold more than 400,000 copies in |
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| 57 | 58 | | the United States alone; and |
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| 58 | 59 | | WHEREAS, A young woman of tremendous charisma and talent, she |
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| 59 | 60 | | became the first female crossover Latin artist signed to the SBK |
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| 60 | 61 | | sister label to the EMI Latin recording company and, at the time of |
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| 61 | 62 | | her death, was recording her first album in English; that record was |
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| 62 | 63 | | widely expected to establish Selena as a crossover star in the |
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| 63 | 64 | | broader reaches of the pop music world; and |
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| 64 | 65 | | WHEREAS, Though she had attained fame and fortune as an |
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| 65 | 66 | | entertainer, Selena remained true to her roots and shared her |
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| 66 | 67 | | culture's long-standing devotion to family, keeping her music a |
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| 67 | 68 | | family affair with her husband, Chris Pérez, backing her on guitar, |
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| 68 | 69 | | her sister, Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga, serving as her band's |
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| 69 | 70 | | drummer, and her brother, A. B. "Abe" Quintanilla III, assisting as |
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| 70 | 71 | | her producer, bassist, and cowriter; and |
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| 71 | 72 | | WHEREAS, The tragedy of her death in 1995 was so deeply felt |
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| 72 | 73 | | by the Hispanic community that the People magazine issue in honor of |
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| 73 | 74 | | Selena sold a record number of copies and ultimately spurred the |
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| 74 | 75 | | creation of the popular People En Español; and |
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| 75 | 76 | | WHEREAS, After Selena's passing, her life inspired a hit |
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| 76 | 77 | | movie, a stage musical, and a successful clothing line, and the |
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| 77 | 78 | | soaring popularity of her music resulted in Billboard naming her |
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| 78 | 79 | | "Best Selling Latin Artist of the Decade" for the 1990s with 18 |
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| 79 | 80 | | million albums sold; and |
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| 80 | 81 | | WHEREAS, Though her life was cut tragically short, Selena |
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| 81 | 82 | | Quintanilla Pérez left an indelible mark on this world through her |
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| 82 | 83 | | vast achievements as a performer of Tejano music, and it is fitting |
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| 83 | 84 | | that she be remembered on the anniversary of her birth, for her |
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| 84 | 85 | | music continues to touch the lives of people the world over; now, |
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| 85 | 86 | | therefore, be it |
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| 86 | 87 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 87 | 88 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Selena Quintanilla |
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| 88 | 89 | | Pérez on April 16, 2016, the 45th anniversary of her birth. |
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