Abraham Quintanilla is a singer-songwriter and record producer. He is famous for being the father of late international pop-star Selena Quintanilla-Perez.
Abraham Quintanilla’s Early Life and Education:
He was born on February 20, 1939, in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. His father was Abraham Gonzalez Quintanilla and his mother was Maria Quintanilla Calderon. He was raised alongside his six siblings. His parents worked in vegetables, cotton, and fruits. Later, his father worked as an autobody repairman.
Talking about his education, he attended Roy Miller High School. Along with his other two friends, he formed a high school choir named the Gumdrops. He dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue his musical career. However, his mother Mariastrongly disagreed with her son becoming a singer.
Abraham Quintanilla’s Profesional Life:
In 1956, he encountered his fellow classmates performing at a high school dance. When he found out one of their lead singers was quitting, he approached the “Dinos” and requested to be a part of the group. The group made him their “third voice”. During their initial stages, they were only paid $30 in booked ventures.
Three years later in 1959, they released their first single “So Hard to Tell” on the J.W. Fox Label owned by Johnny Herrera. The song became a classic hit on KEYS and helped them to get bookings at sock hops in many places. Their second single “Give Me One Chance” sold a total of 15,000 copies. They began to rise in the industry. However, the band faced racism several times for being of Mexican descent.
Their third singles “Twistin’ Irene”, Lover’s Holiday”, and “Ride Your Pony” sold poorly. In 1961, Quintanilla joined the military. He was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, Washington, and retired after two years. Then after he rejoined Los Dinos ad started performing American pop and Rock and roll music. Due to the cost of creating English-language music, the band changed their genre to Chicano music.
