85R4577 SMJ-D
By: Alonzo H.R. No. 94
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A Texas star was forever dimmed with the tragic
passing of the internationally acclaimed queen of Tejano music,
Selena Quintanilla Pérez, on March 31, 1995, and the solemn
anniversary of her death offers an opportunity to reflect on the
career and artistry of this singular entertainer; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla,
the former Selena Quintanilla was born in Lake Jackson in 1971; she
demonstrated exceptional talent as a young child and soon began
performing with her father's group, Los Dinos, which also featured
her brother, A. B., and her sister, Suzette; after becoming the lead
singer, she took the band to a new level, and in 1987, the
charismatic teenager was named Performer of the Year and Female
Vocalist of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards; and
WHEREAS, Selena brought a joyous, youthful flamboyance to the
stage, and she deftly blended traditional Tejano music with
elements of other Latin genres and mainstream pop, creating
cross-generational appeal; EMI Latin signed her to a major
recording contract in 1989, and her career began to take off with
the release of a compilation album, Personal Best, and then Ven
Conmigo, whose title track became the first Tejano record to go
gold; finding happiness as well as success through music, she
married the guitarist of Los Dinos, Chris Pérez, in 1992; and
WHEREAS, Two years later, Selena Live earned the singer her
first Grammy Award, for Best Mexican American Performance; her 1994
album, Amor Prohibido, received a Grammy nomination, won the Tejano
Music Award for Album of the Year--Orchestra, and in 2015 was listed
by Billboard magazine as one of the Essential Latin Albums of the
Past 50 Years; to date, Amor Prohibido has sold 2.5 million copies;
and
WHEREAS, Selena's fame continued to grow as she toured the
United States, Mexico, and other Latin American countries; she drew
more than 60,000 people to her performance at the 1995 Houston
Livestock Show and Rodeo, the highest attendance for a lineup that
featured some of the top country stars of the day; while gaining
greater recognition as an artist, she also launched a clothing
business and a boutique, and she made time to assist charitable
groups and youth initiatives, among them D.A.R.E., the Texas
Prevention Partnership, the Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation, and the
Houston Area Women's Center; and
WHEREAS, Poised for mainstream success, Selena was working on
her English-language debut when she was slain on March 31, 1995, at
the age of 23; the tragedy resonated so widely in the Hispanic
community and beyond that the New York Times carried the news on its
front page and People magazine published a special commemorative
issue; when her record company released a posthumous bilingual
collection of old and new material, Dreaming of You, it sold 175,000
copies the first day, soared to the top of the Billboard 200 chart,
and then held the number one spot on the Top Latin Albums chart for
44 consecutive weeks; her story was told in a hit movie, a stage
musical, and numerous books; in 2011, the U.S. Postal Service
issued a memorial stamp; more than two decades after her death, she
has remained a cultural icon, and the MAC cosmetics line created in
tribute to her signature style sold out completely the day it
launched in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Though her life was cut tragically short, Selena
Quintanilla Pérez left an indelible mark on the world through her
vast achievements as a musical performer, and she continues to be
fondly remembered and deeply missed by the adoring family, friends,
and fans she left behind; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Selena Quintanilla
Pérez on March 31, 2017, the 22nd anniversary of her death.