Abraham Quintanilla Jr., father of musical legend Selena, died this weekend. He was 86 years old. His life before creating the most iconic Tejano music band includes his own story of chasing musical success in a vocal group. He spent his life dedicated to music first as a teenager himself, and then later in life managing Selena y Los Dinos. Here’s a look at the life of the man who created an iconic family band.

Abraham Quintanilla Jr. always wanted to be in music

Young Abraham Quintanilla Jr. was focused on becoming someone important in the music industry. At 14, he formed his first band called Gumdrops with a couple of his fellow high school choir mates. They had little performances but it was a band at a Y dance in 1957 that really inspired Quintanilla Jr. to chase his dreams.

Quintanilla Jr. attended the dance and experienced the original Los Dinos, a local band, performing. The three-member vocal group sang English-language songs in the doo-wop style that was popular with teenagers at the time. Shortly after seeing them perform, Quintanilla Jr. learned that one of the members of the original Los Dinos was leaving the band. He quickly approached the remaining members to join.

The original Los Dinos had some moderate, local success. Their first single, “So Hard To Tell,” was one of the most played songs on the KEYS radio station serving Corpus Christi. The band’s follow-up single, “Give Me One More Chance,” built on that success and started to reach the Houston market.

He was drafted by the Army in 1963

Quintanilla Jr. took a short break from music when he was drafted in 1963 and spent his time at Fort Lewis. During his service, he met Marcella Sarmora. The two got married and settled in Washington state. He was struggling to support his family after the birth of his son, A.B., when he decided to go back to Corpus Christi and get back into music.

Los Dinos had to pivot from their original brand. While serving in the military, Mexican-American clubgoers wanted to hear Spanish-language music. Los Dinos sang in English during their first show reunited as a band. It ended with the crowd becoming unruly, being refunded, and Los Dinos fleeing from the stage quickly. You probably remember this scene from the biopic “Selena.”

Los Dinos enjoyed a couple more years of success

The band enjoyed a couple of years of success after releasing their first full Spanish-language album, “Con Esta Copa.” The album, released in 1964, gave the original Los Dinos credibility, and they were soon signed to Falcon Records. The band went on to release three more records before the birth of Suzette, Abraham’s oldest daughter, in 1967.

After the birth of Suzette, Abraham left the band and focused on working to support his growing family. Abraham moved the family to Lake Jackson, Texas, and worked for the Dow Chemical Company with his musical ambition seemingly in the rear view. However, he never fully gave up his dreams.

Instead of pursuing a music career, he noticed the talents of his children and began to form his own band. After decades of trying, Abraham found a way into the music industry with his family. We all know the rest of the story about the rise of Selena y Los Dinos as a major Tejano band.

“Abraham was a devoted family man whose life was marked by faith, discipline and steadfast love,” reads a statement posted to Suzette’s Instagram. “He was a guiding presence within his family and worked tirelessly to protect, provide for and lead with integrity.”

Rest in peace, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. 

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