A. B. Quintanilla
Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III (born December 13, 1963), known professionally as A. B. Quintanilla III or A. B. Quintanilla, is an American record producer, songwriter and musician, and the older brother of singer Selena, known as "The Queen of Tejano music" . Along with Selena, his other sister Suzette, and his father Abraham, he became a member of Los Dinos in 1980. As a member of Los Dinos, A. B. played bass guitar, produced, and wrote songs for Selena that became successful singles such as "Como la Flor", "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Más" After Selena's  death, he would create the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz. Early life. A. B. Quintanilla III is the oldest of the three children of Abraham Quintanilla Jr., including the late Selena Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla. Career. While living in Lake Jackson, Texas, A. B. learned to play the guitar and bass. Alongside Selena, his sister Suzette, and their father, Abraham, he became a member of the successful band Los Dinos. A. B. also became Selena's producer. He co-wrote Selena's hit songs like "Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") and "Amor Prohibido" ("Forbidden Love"). A. B. 's sister, Selena, was murdered on March 31, 1995, which greatly devastated him. He helped produce "Como Te Extraño" ("How I Miss You") by Pedro "Pete" Astudillo, which was written for Selena as well as Astudillo's late grandmother. The song earned Astudillo a Premios Lo Nuestro award for Best Song of the Year in 1996. A. B. Quintanilla later resurfaced in 1999 by creating the Kumbia Kings, which mixed cumbia and pop music. The Kumbia Kings went on an international tour, had several CD releases and participated on such shows as Cristina Saralegui's "El Show de Cristina". Quintanilla  also produced for such entertainers as Thalía, Alicia Villarreal, Verónica Castro and Cristian Castro. He produced and arranged the 2004 album, "A. B. Quintanilla III Presents Joe Lopez", which includes "Cuando Estoy Contigo" ("When I Am with You") and "Soy Tan Feliz" ("I'm So Happy"), co-written by Quintanilla and Luigi Giraldo. A. B. Quintanilla left Kumbia Kings in mid-2006 due to a controversy with member Cruz Martínez. A. B., along with new members and ex-Kumbia Kings Chris Pérez (A. B.'s brother-in-law, Selena's widower) and Pee Wee; started the group Kumbia All Starz in  2006. This new group had hits such as "Chiquilla", "Parece Que Va a Llover", and "Speedy Gonzales". The Kumbia All Starz have become immensely popular in South America, especially in Bolivia, where they performed a series of concerts in 2014. A. B. Quintanilla signed with DEL Records and formed Elektro Kumbia in 2016. In 2017, he released a single called "Piña Colada Shot". In media. In the 1997 film "Selena", Quintanilla was played by Jacob Vargas, while Rafael Tamayo played him as a child. In the 2020 Netflix TV series "", he was played by Gabriel Chavarria, while Juan Martinez played  him as a child. Personal life. Quintanilla has eight children, including a son Svani (b. 1991) and a daughter Martika (b. 1989) with his first wife Vangie. Quintanilla also has five other sons and one daughter born between 2002 and 2007. He also has one grandchild. He married his longtime girlfriend Rikkie Leigh Robertson on November 12, 2011. On July 5, 2016, he announced after a concert that he was getting divorced from his wife. They have no children together. In 2017, Quintanilla was briefly put on the Texas Top 10 Most Wanted List for non-payment of child support  of $87,000 and was arrested. He also declared bankruptcy after Cruz Martinez won a case against Quintanilla on the accusations that Quintanilla had underpaid him and the Kumbia Kings for live shows and concerts. Quintanilla married Anjelah O., an Argentinian woman, on September 16, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.