Bill Text: TX HR45 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Honoring the life of Selena Quintanilla Perez on March 31, 2012, the 17th anniversary of her passing.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-03-03 - Reported enrolled [HR45 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR45-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Honoring the life of Selena Quintanilla Perez on March 31, 2012, the 17th anniversary of her passing.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-03-03 - Reported enrolled [HR45 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR45-Introduced.html
82R2913(2) BPG-D | ||
By: Alonzo | H.R. No. 45 |
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WHEREAS, A Texas star was forever dimmed with the tragic | ||
passing of the internationally acclaimed queen of Tejano music, | ||
Selena Quintanilla Perez, on March 31, 1995, at the age of 23, and | ||
her death both stunned and saddened the legions of fans around the | ||
world whose lives had been touched by her music; and | ||
WHEREAS, Born in Lake Jackson, Texas, on April 16, 1971, this | ||
extremely gifted young woman developed her love for music at an | ||
early age, having begun singing at the age of six and performing | ||
with Los Dinos, the Quintanilla family band, by the age of nine, | ||
following her family's move to Corpus Christi; and | ||
WHEREAS, Selena recorded her first album while still in her | ||
early teens, and as her popularity grew, her band became known as | ||
Selena y los Dinos; blessed with the guidance of her father, Abraham | ||
Quintanilla, who served as her manager and booking agent, she | ||
successfully made the transition from teen star to adult artist and | ||
garnered her first serious recognition in 1987 when she was named | ||
Female Vocalist of the Year and Performer of the Year at the Tejano | ||
Music Awards in San Antonio; and | ||
WHEREAS, With artistry and hard work she continued to build | ||
on her success by setting a dizzying pace for herself during which | ||
she would captivate audiences by dancing and singing in her | ||
trademark costumes; far from limiting herself to concert | ||
performances and recording albums alone, this dynamic entertainer | ||
was featured on one of Latin America's most popular shows, Siempre | ||
en Domingo, had appeared on the renowned soap opera Dos Mujeres, Un | ||
Camino, played a singer in the film Don Juan DeMarco, and had begun | ||
a new chapter in her multifaceted career with the establishment of a | ||
boutique and hair salon in Corpus Christi and San Antonio; and | ||
WHEREAS, Selena became an internationally recognized star | ||
who was especially revered in Mexico, throughout Latin America, and | ||
in her home state of Texas, and while developing her own phenomenal | ||
career, she was also instrumental in transforming the Tejano music | ||
industry into one of the fastest growing markets of music in the | ||
world; and | ||
WHEREAS, Her achievements as an entertainer gave her a means | ||
by which to reach a broader audience, and she put her accessibility | ||
to her adoring fans to good use, empowering women through her | ||
inspiring lyrics and through her community involvement; and | ||
WHEREAS, A positive role model for Hispanic youth and women | ||
from all walks of life, Selena gave many young people hope and | ||
encouragement to persevere and to follow their dreams as she did, | ||
and she used her success to encourage students to complete their | ||
education, to stay away from drugs, and to make healthy choices | ||
through her support and involvement with many worthy organizations | ||
and events, including local schools, the DARE program, the Stay in | ||
School Jamboree, and the Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation, to name but a | ||
few; and | ||
WHEREAS, In 1994, Selena was awarded a Grammy for the year's | ||
best Mexican-American album, Selena Live, and went on to sweep the | ||
year's Tejano Music Awards as well, winning the best album, | ||
recording, female vocalist, female entertainer, and Tejano | ||
crossover categories; and | ||
WHEREAS, She was nominated for a Grammy again the following | ||
year for the quadruple-platinum Amor Prohibido, which produced | ||
three chart-topping singles and sold more than 400,000 copies in | ||
the United States alone; and | ||
WHEREAS, A young woman of tremendous charisma and talent, she | ||
became the first female crossover Latin artist signed to the SBK | ||
sister label to the EMI Latin recording company and, at the time of | ||
her death, was recording her first album in English; that record was | ||
widely expected to establish Selena as a crossover star in the | ||
broader reaches of the pop music world; and | ||
WHEREAS, Though she had attained fame and fortune as an | ||
entertainer, Selena remained true to her roots and shared her | ||
culture's long-standing devotion to family, keeping her music a | ||
family affair with her husband, Chris Perez, backing her on guitar, | ||
her sister Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga serving as her band's | ||
drummer, and her brother A. B. "Abe" Quintanilla III assisting her | ||
as her producer, bassist, and cowriter; and | ||
WHEREAS, The tragedy of her death was so deeply felt by the | ||
Hispanic community that the People magazine issue in honor of | ||
Selena sold a record number of copies, and ultimately spurred the | ||
creation of the popular People En Espanol; and | ||
WHEREAS, After Selena's passing, her life inspired a hit | ||
movie, a Broadway-bound musical, and a successful clothing line, | ||
and the soaring popularity of her music resulted in Billboard | ||
naming her "Best Selling Latin Artist of the Decade" for the 1990s | ||
with 18 million albums sold; and | ||
WHEREAS, Though her life was cut tragically short, Selena | ||
Quintanilla Perez left an indelible mark on this world through her | ||
vast achievements as a performer of Tejano music, and it is fitting | ||
that she be remembered on the 17th anniversary of her passing, for | ||
she remains deeply mourned by the adoring family, friends, and fans | ||
she left behind; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas | ||
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Selena Quintanilla | ||
Perez on March 31, 2012, the 17th anniversary of her death. |