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Selena ... Mi Amiga
It is April 16, 1986 and on a stage set up in a San Antonio shopping center parking lot, I get my first introduction to Tejano music. On stage performing that evening is a group of young people mesmerizing the audience of about 100 people with their singing, dancing and gyrations. It is the lead singer's birthday the crowd sings in unison wishing the female lead singer a happy fifteenth birthday. Selena and her family are performing before a crowd that will one day remember her every move, her every song and every smile. I quietly start up my camcorder and videotape this new artist and youthful group. The music is fresh and new, a definite Latin flavor with a Top 40 beat. A rough looking man walks up to me and tells me that I cannot videotape this performance. I do not know who he is but he sounds very convincing. I pack up my video camera and continue to enjoy the music. It is later when I review my 30 minutes of videotape that I realize that the woman singing is very special ... very captivating. I later find out that the man at the concert was her father, Mr. Quintanilla. First impressions tell me that he is the man in charge of this group and his word is "the word." It is my first of many confrontations with the Mr. Q. Even now as I play back that first videotape of Selena, I am in awe. This new artist was at this point actually a seasoned veteran having been performing in South Texas for six years. After the concert, I approach the group backstage and I am amazed that Selena really doesn't speak much Spanish. Almost all of the music I had heard in the last hour had been in Spanish!
Several months pass I am called to La Bamba, a local club in Dallas Texas, to videotape a Selena concert and to provide a video feed for television monitors throughout the club. Again I meet this young star. The group arrives early in the afternoon to set up their instruments and perform a sound check. Selena has just received the "Female Vocalist of The Year" award at the Tejano Music Awards, a category that she will dominate until her death. Through the years, her concerts at La Bamba become sold-out events. Her on-stage dancing and moves make my videotaping very difficult. She never stays still in one spot always moving always gliding always dancing. Mr. Q is impressed with the digital effects I add to the live feed and he and his son talk backstage about using effects like that for a possible music video.
It is the staff of La Bamba that convinces Mr. Q to allow the local Spanish language radio station to broadcast one of Selena's concerts live on the radio. He is very reluctant, stating that he fears the sound mix and quality will not be good enough to broadcast. On their next visit, the radio station is ready to broadcast the concert. Selena performs her first set and Mr. Q has not allowed the performance to be broadcast. Right before the second musical set is about to begin, he gives the go ahead to broadcast. Engineers at the club and the radio station rush to complete the communication links and with little warning to the listening public, Selena's performance is broadcast live from La Bamba. For the next 45 minutes, my cassette recorders are receiving the broadcast it is awesome another piece of Selena memorabilia that I will cherish forever.
It is now the 1989 and Selena is signed by EMI/Latin. She will produce many gold and platinum albums for EMI, including a Grammy in 1993 for the "Best Mexican American Performance" for the Selena "LIVE" album. Her popularity soars.
Selena performs at a Quinceρera in Dallas, Texas. It is here where I see fear in her face for the first time, as twice during her performance, young men from the crowd jump up on the stage and try to grab her for a kiss and/or dance. Mr. Q quickly stops the show and announces that the show is over if anyone tries to approach Selena again. Selena restarts the performance and the celebration continues without further problems.
I am called to a local television studio to photograph a new artist that will perform on a midday television variety show called "Noches Latinas." Yes, it is Selena. During the taping of the show, my 35mm camera jams and it will not work. I have lost all the photographs of the performance and I am forced to sit in with the studio audience and watch the live broadcast. Again I am in awe of this performance.
Selena now becomes the main act at almost all of the Tejano concerts throughout the Southwest. I see her at various functions and she invites me into their tour bus "Bertha" to show her my picture albums. She enjoys looking at all of my pictures of the various concerts and special events I cover. She tells me that this is the only way she can see what her fellow artists look like since she is always performing herself and does not have time to attend other events. It is during one of these visits that she proudly shows me a "little surprise." She displays a beautiful dress which bears a label on the back collar a label with the "Selena" logo. She tells me that this is one of the many things she has designed and that she is considering opening a boutique in Corpus Christi to sell her own fashion line. She is so excited it is something she feels she has accomplished on her own. She is very proud of the little label.
It is now Cinco De Mayo and a celebration is held at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. It will be a few hours before Selena performs, so we spend time backstage talking with several members of her family. Selena carries a Chihuahua dog it is the family dog named "Dino" it is like her baby. It is at this concert that I learn that a few weeks ago she has married Chris Perez, a member of her band. Her Mom speaks of the heartache and despair that Mr. Q has experienced because of her decision. All appears calm among the family members, but Selena and Chris remain apart from the others throughout the afternoon. She has broken many young men's hearts but now she is experiencing real love.
I travel to Houston to cover the "Tejano Superfest" concert held at a local racetrack. Again Selena will be one of the last performers. She spends the day backstage meeting and greeting fans, fellow musicians and reporters. She never refuses anyone and she continues for hours. Her smile never wavers and she poses for a thousand pictures so it seems. Mr. Q and Chris remain always near but do not intrude on her space. It seems that there is a serious security problem ... there are more people backstage than in the audience ... so it seems. Nevertheless everyone behaves and the show continues. She asks me a question that surprises me "What is your favorite song?" I answer back quickly, "the Keys song" she is confused "the Keys song???" ... "Yes", I answer back," ... you know Ya Vez !!!!!" she smiles and slugs me!
It is not the only time she slugs me ... we are backstage at Artist's Square in Dallas, waiting for the stage hands to finish setting up the stage for her closing performance. I am drinking an ice cold Dr. Pepper it has been a very long day. She walks over to me and slugs me ... making me spill my D.P. she says "that stuff will kill you" and hands me a can of ice cold Coca Cola. I will always remember that mugging! Siempre Coca Cola, Siempre Selena.
Perhaps the beauty of Selena as a woman could be seen at every appearance and performance she made at the Tejano Music Awards in San Antonio. It was here where we saw the beautiful gowns and dresses she had made especially for the awards. She was a very different person at the awards. She was the "Queen of Tejano Music ... La Reina!"
The late October breeze sweeps across the record attendance crowd of over 65,000 people at the State Fair of Texas. They have come from all parts of the Southwest to see Selena perform one more time. This will be Selena's last performance before her fans here in Dallas but no one can sense that. Her private tour bus arrives and parks a few yards from the stage. The bus nameplate reads, "NO ONE YOU KNOW" it is ironic that within a few months, many will know her name, see her face and finally hear her music. Before Selena takes the stage for this historic performance Mr. Q orders and demands that all photographers and video cameras be removed from the stage. He points at me and says, "You can stay ... but don't get in the way." I am relieved how lucky can I be??? I begin snapping away my camera hums as I try to capture this moment for history. Selena's band begins the music and Selena hides behind the massive loudspeakers and begins singing "Como La Flor" the crowd cannot see her, but they recognize the voice within seconds she jumps out to center stage and begins what will be the concert I will always remember as her best her last. With the freedom to move about the stage during the performance, I try to capture the excitement, the thrill, the sensation on film the pictures speak for themselves. I took over 100 photographs of the concert that day and all remain unpublished except for one ... photographs of a Superstar ... for the next generation.
As I sit at my desk I am stunned of the reports that are coming out of my little Sony TV sitting on the corner of my desk. Univision, the Spanish language television network, is beaming live pictures from a motel in Corpus Christi where Selena's alleged killer is held up. The telephone rings off the wall as friends and associates call to confirm the rumors or news. Several friends stop by the office to view the events as they unfold live before the television cameras. We are in shock no words can describe the feelings and emotions that we are experiencing as we hear of the death of a dear friend.
It is not until months later when I visit that same motel in Corpus Christi that the reality finally sinks in she has died. I visit her home and I am surprised to see the fence that surrounds her house covered with flowers, notes, posters and messages to Selena and her family. The sidewalks are covered with poems, letters and words of comfort written in chalk, magic marker, florescent paint, crayons and pencil. It is a touching tribute from her fans, neighbors and admirers. A quick stop at the Q Production Studios it appears empty and locked up ... but in the fenced parking lot I notice a red Porsche, the new tour bus and several big trucks with Selena's likeness next to the Coca Cola symbols we have all grown accustomed to. Never again will the bus or Porsche carry Selena to her destination it is a sad and disturbing sight.
Twelve years later .. I sit here still in disbelief that we have lost such a wonderful friend. Her accomplishments in Tejano music have yet to be matched. I lost an amiga I am glad I had the opportunity to know and meet a person I could call "friend" in my heart .. she will always remain close and her smile will always stay in my mind. With every Selena song I hear, I am reminded of those days we took for granted all we have now are "fotos y recuerdos." - John Zapata
All Photographs Shown Here Were Taken By John Zapata.
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