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.
	Alonzo
	Herrero
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 94 was adopted by the House on
	February 23, 2017, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House