Bill Text: TX HR63 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Paying tribute to the life of Selena Quintanilla Pérez on April 16, 2015, the 44th anniversary of her birth.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-03-01 - Reported enrolled [HR63 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR63-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 63 |
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WHEREAS, April 16, 2015, marks the 44th anniversary of the | ||
birth of the internationally acclaimed queen of Tejano music, | ||
Selena Quintanilla Pérez; and | ||
WHEREAS, Born on that day in 1971 in Lake Jackson, 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; and | ||
WHEREAS, Selena recorded her first album while still in her | ||
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; in addition to performing at concerts and | ||
recording albums, this dynamic entertainer was featured on one of | ||
Latin America's most popular shows, Siempre en Domingo, 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 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 of 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, 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 Pérez, backing her on guitar, | ||
her sister, Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga, serving as her band's | ||
drummer, and her brother, A. B. "Abe" Quintanilla III, assisting as | ||
her producer, bassist, and cowriter; and | ||
WHEREAS, The tragedy of her death in 1995 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 Español; and | ||
WHEREAS, After Selena's passing, her life inspired a hit | ||
movie, a stage 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 h | ||
er life was cut tragically short, Selena | ||
Quintanilla Pérez 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 anniversary of her birth, for her | ||
music continues to touch the lives of people the world over; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Selena Quintanilla | ||
Pérez on April 16, 2015, the 44th anniversary of her birth. | ||
Alonzo | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 63 was unanimously adopted by a rising | ||
vote of the House on February 19, 2015. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||