Tribute planned for fallen star
Big names to gather to mark a decade since Selena was killed
By RAMIRO BURR
Houston Chronicle
Almost 10 years after her death, Selena continues to remain in the
news and a major influence in the Tejano music world.
San Antonio Light Collection: UT Center for American Studies
Selena's brother A.B. Quintanilla III of the Kumbia Kings expects
Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Pepe Aguilar, Alicia Villareal and Juan
Gabriel to turn out to remember his sister.

It's hard to believe the years have passed so fast, but March will
mark a decade since Selena was shot to death in a Corpus Christi
motel by the ex-president of her fan club.

To remember that dark day, Selena's family is organizing a tribute
concert featuring the 10th anniversary reunion of Selena's band, Los
Dinos. The concert, slated for March 31 at Reliant Stadium, is
expected to draw several big names.

According to Selena's brother A.B. Quintanilla III, whose own Kumbia
Kings will participate, the list of guest musicians he is
anticipating includes Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Pepe Aguilar,
Alicia Villareal and Juan Gabriel. Quintanilla is the executive
producer of the event, which will be televised on the Univisión
network.

"I'm slowly getting all this together," Quintanilla said recently. "I
am working to get Pepe Aguilar, for example, to sing No Me Queda Más.
And Alicia Villareal will be singing Qué Creías. I want Juan Gabriel
to sing Si Alguna Vez."

Quintanilla said he will invite many stars to join the
celebration. "It's going to be an amazing concert to see the Dinos
backing up Juan Gabriel. I'm really hyped about it."

A CD and DVD of the tribute concert are planned.

And some record labels — yes, make that plural — are also planning
major releases to mark the anniversary. Although Selena in her heyday
recorded only for EMI Latin, she made several recordings for
independent labels. Selena continues to be one of Tejano's top-
selling artists.

Recording artists who cite Selena as an influence include San
Antonio's Yvette and Corpus Christi's Sessi, who is recording on Q
Productions, the label owned by Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla
Jr.


A Selena collector
Not surprisingly, as with other icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis
Presley, hordes of collectors, both amateur and professional, are
dedicated to Selena memorabilia.

In San Antonio, collector Saul Barbosa has been a fanatical follower
for more than 15 years.

Barbosa began his huge Selena collection in 1989, after he heard the
song Cariño Mío on the radio.

"Cariño Mío is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard,"
said Barbosa. "I think it was Selena's best song of all time, and it
wasn't even a hit. I like the melodies, the arrangements and her
voice."

Barbosa never got to meet the late Tejano queen or even see her live
in concert.

"I guess I took her for granted," he said. "You know, you don't think
about people dying. I felt she was always (performing) here in San
Antonio and that I could always go see her anytime. I always used to
see her trucks at the hotels here. I thought, 'I'm going to see her;
there's no rush.' "

Selena's death in 1995 shocked the music world and sparked massive
mourning among her fans in the Southwest.

For Barbosa, her death hammered home the fragility of life.

"Even today, when I hear (Cariño Mío), I get teary-eyed. It is a song
about eternal love with lyrics about siempre contigo (always with
you). She sang about how we're always going to be together, but her
life didn't last that long."

Ramiro Burr covers Latin music each week. He can be reached at 800-
555-1551, ext. 3429, or rburr@....


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/ae/music/2908112