A.B. Quintanilla
Quick Facts
Biography
Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III (born December 13, 1963),known professionally as A. B. Quintanilla III or A. B. Quintanilla, is an American record producer, songwriter and musician, and the older brother of "The Queen of Tejano music" Selena. Along with Selena, his other sister Suzette, and his father Abraham, he became a member of Los Dinos in 1980. As a member of Los Dinos, A. B. played bass guitar, produced, and wrote songs for Selena that became successful singles such as "Como la Flor", "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Más".
Early life
A. B. Quintanilla III is the oldest of the three children of Abraham Quintanilla Jr., including the late Selena Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla.
Career
While living in Lake Jackson, Texas, A. B. learned to play the guitar and bass. Alongside Selena, his sister Suzette, and their father, Abraham, he became a member of the successful band Los Dinos. A. B. also became Selena's producer.
He co-wrote Selena's hit songs like "Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") and "Amor Prohibido" ("Forbidden Love").
A. B.'s sister, Selena, was murdered on March 31, 1995, which greatly devastated him. He helped produce "Como Te Extraño" ("How I Miss You") by Pedro "Pete" Astudillo, which was written for Selena as well as Astudillo's late grandmother. The song earned Astudillo a Premios Lo Nuestro award for Best Song of the Year in 1996.
A. B. Quintanilla later resurfaced in 1999 by creating the Kumbia Kings, which mixed cumbia and pop music. The Kumbia Kings went on an international tour, had several CD releases and participated on such shows as Cristina Saralegui's El Show de Cristina. Quintanilla also produced for such entertainers as Thalía, Alicia Villarreal, Verónica Castro and Cristian Castro.
He produced and arranged the 2004 album, A. B. Quintanilla III Presents Joe Lopez, which includes "Cuando Estoy Contigo" ("When I Am with You") and "Soy Tan Feliz" ("I'm So Happy"), co-written by Quintanilla and Luigi Giraldo.
A. B. Quintanilla left Kumbia Kings in mid-2006 due to a controversy with member Cruz Martínez. A. B., along with new members and ex-Kumbia Kings Chris Pérez (A. B.'s brother-in-law, Selena's widower) and Pee Wee; started the group Kumbia All Starz in 2006. This new group had hits such as "Chiquilla", "Parece Que Va a Llover", and "Speedy Gonzales". The Kumbia All Starz have become immensely popular in South America, especially in Bolivia, where they performed a series of concerts in 2014.
A. B. Quintanilla signed with DEL Records and formed Elektro Kumbia in 2016. In 2017, he released a single called "Piña Colada Shot".
In media
In the 1997 film Selena, which depicted his sister's stardom, Quintanilla was played by Jacob Vargas, while Rafael Tamayo played him as a child.
Personal life
A. B. Quintanilla has eight children, including a son Svani (b. 1991) and a daughter Martika (b. 2000) with his first wife Vangie. Quintanilla also has five other sons and one daughter born between 2002 and 2007. He also has one grandchild.
He married his longtime girlfriend Rikkie Leigh Robertson on November 12, 2011. On July 5, 2016, he announced after a concert that he was getting divorced from his wife. They have no children together.
A. B. Quintanilla married Anjelah O., an Argentinian woman, on September 16, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Discography
- Albums with Selena
- Mis Primeras Grabaciones (1984)
- Alpha (1986)
- Muñequito de Trapo (1987)
- And the Winner Is... (1987)
- Preciosa (1988)
- Dulce Amor (1988)
- Selena (1989)
- Ven Conmigo (1990)
- Entre a Mi Mundo (1992)
- Selena Live! (1993)
- Amor Prohibido (1994)
- Dreaming of You (1995)
- Albums with Kumbia Kings
- Amor, Familia y Respeto (1999)
- Shhh! (2001)
- All Mixed Up: Los Remixes (2002)
- 4 (2003)
- Presents Kumbia Kings (2003)
- La Historia (2003)
- Los Remixes 2.0 (2004)
- Fuego (2004)
- Duetos (2005)
- Kumbia Kings Live (2006)
- Greatest Hits (2007)
- Lo Mejor De (2016)
- Albums with Kumbia All Starz
- Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz (2006)
- Planeta Kumbia (2008)
- La Vida de un Genio (2010)
- Blanco y Negro (2013)
- Éxitos en Vivo (2014)
- Albums with Elektro Kumbia
- Elektro Kumbia (2017)
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Premio Lo Nuestro | Regional Mexican Group of the Year | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated |
Regional Mexican New Artist of the Year | Won | |||
Latin Billboard Music Awards | Pop Album of the Year, Group | Amor, Familia y Respeto | Nominated | |
Pop Album of the Year, New Artist | Won | |||
Latin Grammy Awards | Best Tejano Album | Nominated | ||
2001 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Tejano Album | Shhh! | Nominated |
2002 | Premio Lo Nuestro | Regional Mexican Group of the Year | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated |
Tejano Performance | Nominated | |||
Video of the Year | "Shhh!" | Nominated | ||
Latin Billboard Music Awards | Pop Album of the Year, Group | Shhh! | Won | |
Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated | ||
2003 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Pop Album by a Duo/Group with Vocals | 4 | Nominated |
Best Regional Mexican Song | "Ay! Papacito" (Límite) (with Alicia Villarreal) | Nominated | ||
American Music Awards | Favorite Latin Artist | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated | |
2004 | Premio Lo Nuestro | Regional Mexican Group of the Year | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings, Juan Gabriel, El Gran Silencio | Won |
Regional Mexican Song of the Year | "No Tengo Dinero" (with Juan Gabriel and El Gran Silencio) | Won | ||
Latin Billboard Music Awards | Latin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group | 4 | Won | |
Premios Juventud | Dynamic Duo | Thalía with A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated | |
Best Moves | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated | ||
Best Re-Mix | "No Tengo Dinero" (with Juan Gabriel and El Gran Silencio) | Nominated | ||
Party Starter | "Sabes a Chocolate" | Nominated | ||
2005 | Latin Billboard Music Awards | Latin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group | Fuego | Won |
Premios Juventud | I Hear Them Everywhere | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated | |
Favorite Urban Artist | Nominated | |||
Latin Grammy Awards | Best Regional Mexican Song | "Na Na Na (Dulce Niña)" (with Cruz Martínez and Luigi Giraldo) | Nominated | |
Best Engineered Album | Fuego (Seth Atkins, Javier Garza, Cruz Martínez and Robert "Bobbo" Gómez III) | Nominated | ||
2006 | Premio Lo Nuestro | Pop Album of the Year | Fuego | Nominated |
Pop Group of the Year | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia Kings | Nominated | ||
Premios MTV Latinoamérica | MTV Tr3́s Viewer's Choice Award | Nominated | ||
Latin Grammy Awards | Best Tropical Regional Mexican Album | Kumbia Kings Live | Won | |
2007 | Latin Billboard Music Awards | Latin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group | Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz | Nominated |
2008 | Premio Lo Nuestro | Pop Album of the Year | Nominated | |
Pop Song of the Year | "Chiquilla" | Nominated | ||
Pop Breakout Artist or Group of the Year | A. B. Quintanilla and Kumbia All Starz | Nominated | ||
Latin Grammy Awards | Best Pop Album by a Duo/Group with Vocals | Planeta Kumbia | Nominated | |
Premios Oye! | Popular Field Best Tropical by a Duo/Group or Solo | Nominated | ||
2009 | Latin Billboard Music Awards | Latin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group | Nominated |