A.B. Quintanilla

Abraham Isaac "A.B." Quintanilla III (born December 13, 1963) is an American record producer, songwriter, and musician. Dubbed the "King of Cumbia" for his influence on the cumbia music genre, he is the older brother of singer Selena. Quintanilla produced and co-wrote many of Selena's albums and singles. He is also the founder and creator of the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz, for which he wrote and produced numerous hit songs and performed as a member of both groups. In addition, he has written, produced, and contributed music for various other artists.

Alongside Selena, his sister Suzette Quintanilla, and his father Abraham Quintanilla Jr., he became a member of the family band Los Dinos in 1980. As part of Los Dinos, Quintanilla played bass guitar and served as a producer and songwriter, helping create successful singles such as "Como la Flor", "Amor Prohibido", and "No Me Queda Más". Following Selena's death, he went on to form Kumbia Kings and later Kumbia All Starz.

Early life Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III was born on December 13, 1963, in Toppenish, Washington. He is the oldest child of Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. and Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla (née Samora); and the older brother of Suzette Quintanilla and the late Selena Quintanilla. Shortly after he was born, Quintanilla and his parents would move to Lake Jackson, Texas, where he would be raised there and where his two younger sisters were born.

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. 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 would reform and rename Kumbia All Starz to a new band called Elektro Kumbia in 2016. In 2017, they released a single called "Piña Colada Shot". The band would change the name back from Elektro Kumbia to Kumbia All Starz in late 2017.

On June 9, 2024, it was announced A.B. Quintanilla had signed with D Luna Music to be his music label and Daniel Luna will be his manager.

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 Selena: The Series, he was played by Gabriel Chavarria, while Juan Martinez played him as a child.

Personal life Marriages and relationships A.B. Quintanilla has been married five times. Quintanilla married his first wife, Evangelina Almeida, born in February 1966 and is better known as Vangie Almeida, on April 17, 1988, in Corpus Christi, Texas, when he was 24 years old. They separated in the late 1990s. Their divorce was finalized in 2000. They reconciled after she gave birth to Quintanilla's sixth child later that month and had one more child in September 2007, but would separate again. Their divorce was finalized in 2009. Brenda Ramírez now lives in Houston, Texas. Rikkie Robertson appeared in the music video for "Solo", which was released on November 12, 2012. On January 5, 2013, it was announced that Quintanilla and Rikkie Robertson had separated and were divorcing after a year of marriage. They later reconciled and did not proceed with the divorce. They separated again in May 2016 and Quintanilla announced that he and Rikkie Leigh were getting divorced. The divorce was finalized in September 2017. A.B. Quintanilla and Rikkie Robertson did not have children together. Elizabeth Olsen, an American model of Swedish descent who lived in Chicago, Illinois and appeared in his January 2008 music video "Por Ti Baby", whom he met in Puerto Rico on September 15, 2007, and were together until they broke up on September 9, 2008 (they were together after Quintanilla's separation from his third wife Brenda Ramírez in 2007 but before the divorce was finalized in 2009), and Susie De Los Santos, born on November 6, 1988, a DJ, beauty pageant model and Nuestra Belleza Latina contestant, who he dated in 2013 during his first separation from his fourth wife Rikkie, and maintains a good friendship with Quintanilla and spoke positively about him during his 2017 court case against his ex-partner Summer.

Children A.B. Quintanilla has seven children, six sons and one daughter, born between 1989 and 2007, and had a stepdaughter during his third marriage. He has a daughter, Martika Quintanilla, born on September 21, 1989, and a son, Svani Quintanilla, born on November 27, 1990, with his first wife Vangie Almeida.

Extended family A.B. Quintanilla has one granddaughter. Svani Quintanilla and Chatty Celeste Cave, Svani's girlfriend at the time, have a daughter, Yvie Quintanilla, who was born on September 20, 2017.

A.B. Quintanilla has two brothers-in-law and a nephew through his sisters. Selena Quintanilla and Chris Pérez, born on August 14, 1969, were married on April 2, 1992. Chris and Selena would remain married until Selena's death on March 31, 1995. Quintanilla's brother-in-law, Chris Pérez, would join to him in the bands created by Quintanilla, Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz. Pérez would perform with Kumbia Kings on their albums and some concerts from 1998 to 2003 before joining as a full-time member in 2003 until 2006, when the Kumbia Kings disbanded. Pérez then joined Kumbia All Starz in 2006, when the band was created, and would remain until 2010. Suzette Quintanilla and Bill Arriaga were married on September 12, 1993. Bill and Suzette have a son, Jovan Arriaga, who was born on March 5, 1998, and is A.B. Quintanilla's nephew.

Discography

Albums with Selena Mis Primeras Grabaciones (1984) Alpha (1986) Muñequito de Trapo (1987) And the Winner Is... (1987) Preciosa (1988) Dulce Amor (1988) Selena (1989) Ven Conmigo (1990) Entre a Mi Mundo (1992) Selena Live! (1993) Amor Prohibido (1994) Dreaming of You (1995)

Albums with Kumbia Kings Amor, Familia y Respeto (1999) Shhh! (2001) All Mixed Up: Los Remixes (2002) 4 (2003) Presents Kumbia Kings (2003) La Historia (2003) Los Remixes 2.0 (2004) Fuego (2004) Duetos (2005) Kumbia Kings Live (2006) Greatest Hits (2007) Lo Mejor de A.B. Quintanilla III y Los Kumbia Kings (2016)

Albums with Kumbia All Starz Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz (2006) Planeta Kumbia (2008) La Vida de un Genio (2010) Blanco y Negro (2013) Éxitos en Vivo (2014) Elektro Kumbia (2017)

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result1999 Tejano Music Awards Song of the Year "Te Quiero, Te Amo" (performed by David Lee Garza) (written by A.B. Quintanilla III) 2000 Tejano Music Awards Album of the Year – Group Amor, Familia y Respetorowspan="1" Most Promising Band of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Showband of the Yearrowspan="1" Tejano Crossover "Azúcar" Billboard Latin Music Awards Pop Album of the Year, Group Amor, Familia y Respetorowspan="1" Pop Album of the Year, New Artistrowspan="1" Premio Lo Nuestro Regional Mexican Group of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Regional Mexican New Artist of the Yearrowspan="1" Latin Grammy Awards Best Tejano Album Amor, Familia y Respetorowspan="1" 2001 Tejano Music Awards Showband of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Group – Latinorowspan="1" Latin Grammy Awards Best Tejano Album Shhh! 2002 Premio Lo NuestroRegional Mexican Group of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Tejano Performancerowspan="1" Video of the Year "Shhh!" Tejano Music Awards Album of the Year – Group Shhh! Crossover Song of the Year "Shhh! (Remix)" Showband of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Billboard Latin Music AwardsPop Album of the Year, Group Shhh! Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" 2003 Tejano Music Awards Male Entertainer of the Year A.B. Quintanilla IIIrowspan="1" Showband of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Latin Grammy AwardsBest Pop Album by a Duo/Group with Vocals 4rowspan="1" Best Regional Mexican Song "Ay! Papacito" (Límite) (with Alicia Villarreal) American Music AwardsFavorite Latin Artist A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" 2004 Premio Lo NuestroRegional Mexican Group of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kings, Juan Gabriel, El Gran Silenciorowspan="1" Regional Mexican Song of the Year "No Tengo Dinero" (with Juan Gabriel and El Gran Silencio) Billboard Latin Music AwardsLatin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group 4rowspan="1" Premios JuventudDynamic Duo Thalía with A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Best Moves A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Best Re-Mix "No Tengo Dinero" (with Juan Gabriel and El Gran Silencio) Party Starter "Sabes a Chocolate" 2005 Billboard Latin Music AwardsLatin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group Fuegorowspan="1" Premios JuventudI Hear Them Everywhere A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Favorite Urban Artistrowspan="1" Latin Grammy AwardsBest Regional Mexican Song "Na Na Na (Dulce Niña)" (with Cruz Martínez and Luigi Giraldo) Best Engineered Album Fuego (Seth Atkins, Javier Garza, Cruz Martínez and Robert "Bobbo" Gómez III) 2006 Premio Lo NuestroPop Album of the Year Fuegorowspan="1" Pop Group of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia Kingsrowspan="1" Premios MTV LatinoaméricaMTV Tr3́s Viewer's Choice Awardrowspan="1" Latin Grammy AwardsBest Tropical Regional Mexican Album Kumbia Kings Liverowspan="1" 2007 Billboard Latin Music AwardsLatin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starzrowspan="1" 2008 Premio Lo Nuestro Pop Album of the Yearrowspan="1" Pop Song of the Year "Chiquilla" Pop Breakout Artist or Group of the Year A.B. Quintanilla III and Kumbia All Starzrowspan="1" Premios Texas Lifetime Achievement Award A.B. Quintanilla IIIrowspan="1" Latin Grammy Awards Best Pop Album by a Duo/Group with Vocals Planeta Kumbiarowspan="1" Premios Oye! Popular Field Best Tropical by a Duo/Group or Solorowspan="1" 2009 Billboard Latin Music Awards Latin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Grouprowspan="1"