If you have watched the Netflix series, Selena, you might have already developed an interest in A.B. Quintanilla. He is the brother of famous Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez. In the music industry, he is also known as A.B. Quintanilla III or A.B., aka AB.
His character got enough exposure in the biographical series and displayed the close sibling bond the brother and sister shared.
While Selena is credited for introducing Tejano music to the whole world, her success also has a great contribution from her brother A.B.
He is also a talented musician, songwriter, and singer, just like his late sister? Even though A.B. Quintanilla did not gain fame like Selena, he is famous in his own right!
So, what is he doing at this moment? Is he in the music industry or doing anything else?
Read on to know the latest details on A.B. Quintanilla, Selena’s brother.
His Childhood and Early Career
Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III, akaA.B. Quintanilla, was born on December 13, 1963. That makes him 58 years old at this moment. He was the child of Abraham Quintanilla Jr, also a Trejano musician and Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla!
A.B Quintanilla, Selena, and their sister Suzette Quintanilla were talented singers from their birth. He grew up in Lake Jackson, Texas, and learned to play the guitar from his father.
Like his siblings, A.B. also studies at the Brazoswood High School in Texas. He grew close to his teacher Red Cannon. As per Cannon. A.B. was a “talented if somewhat introverted guitarist in the jazz resembles”. He also praised his student, saying A.B. has “an obvious gift for music as well as art!”
Abraham senior was trying to kick start his own music career while A.B Quintanilla II was born. Joe Nick Patoski offers some insightful details about A.B.’s childhood in his biographical book “Selena“. As his father was constantly on tours, often A.B. was unable to recognize his father.
Later, A.B. Quintanilla became the band member of the official band Los Dinos alongside his two sisters and father. His father was at that time busy raising the three siblings. The band formed with Selena as the singer, Suzette on drums, and A.B. playing the bass.
From the start, he was active as a singer and songwriter. He started producing songs and writing some excellent Trejano-inspired songs for Selena.
They started their music career by performing in their family restaurant, Papagayos, during dinner time. Eventually, the restaurant cum diner closed and the band started touring abound Texas.
As the band grew popular, the band’s name changed to Selena y Los Dinos with more focus on Selena. But, A.B. continued to be the background artist who kept the whole music going on.
A.B. Quintanilla’s Career after Selena’s Success
A.B. Quintanilla later got exposure to the studio and recording sector when the band signed up with Cara Level under Bob Grever. At that time, A. B. realized his initial calling for writing and producing songs. He produced the hit single “Dame un Beso” in collaboration with Ricky Vela.
Later he wrote songs “Como la Flor, Amor Prohibido, No Me Queda Mas. All of which became timeless songs with the magical voice of Selena.
Besides songwriting, A. B. Quintanilla also decided to become a producer for his sister and their band. In an interview, Pete Astudillo, the singer, and songwriter, once said that A. B. convinced their father to allow Pet and keyboardist Joe Ojeda in Selena y Los Dinos. He said, “We built a really good friendship with all of the band, but there was a really good connection with A.B.,… Little by little, he started to convince his father to get Joe and me to join the band.”
Astudillo and A. B. co-wrote singles like “Como la Flor”,”Amor Prohibido” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”.
A.B became the producer of Selena and was working as a full-time producer when Selena released the hit album Ven Conmigo in 1990.
Selena openly praised her brother to Patoski, “And now I guess since my brother has proven himself, he’s able to handle everything on his own.”
After their huge success in the 90s, A. B. became serious about working as a producer and boosting Selena’s career. In 1993, he established his own production house and music studio alongside Pete Astudillo.
His first release was “Dreaming of You”, the posthumous music album of Selena in 1995 after Selena was killed by Yolanda Saldivar.
A. B. Quintanilla’s Life After Selena’s Death
The untimely and unfortunate death of Selena shook A.B. Quintanilla to the core. He went into depression and even decided to quit music. He could not bring himself to get a comeback after the tragedy.
After her death, A. B. got many tattoos dedicated to his sister. He became desperate to cope with the tragic event. He also thought that he lost a reason to live after Selena died.
A.B. Quintanilla said in an interview, “I wasn’t planning to come back… Then I bumped into these two ladies at a restaurant in Corpus Christi. They told me to keep fighting and to continue the family dream. What those ladies told me that day resonated.”
His Comeback
After taking a break for nearly four years, A.B. Quintanilla decided to reappear in the music industry. He decided to resume his career as a producer cum singer, and songwriter. In his own words, his initial reason was to take forward the legacy left behind by his beloved sister.
In 1999, A.B. created a Mexican-American cumbia music group, “Kumbia Kings”, and continued to perform till 2006. The group was disbanded then. At that time, A.B. again donned the hat of a music producer for a few years. He produced numerous hits for Cristian Castro and Latin Pop star Thalia.
He again returned actively as a musician in 2016 and formed a new music group Elektro Kumbia and released a single, “Pina Colada Shot,” in 2017. The musical group signed contracts with DEL Records for future releases.
On April 16th, 2020, A.B. Quintanilla announced a music concert Selena XXV Tribute on May 9th, 2020. The music performance was announced to be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio. He later live-streamed the music concert due to the covid pandemic.
Awards Won By A.B. Quintanilla
Being a talented lyricist and musician, A.B. has won accolades throughout his music career. Here is a short glimpse of his awards and nominations, by Year-
2000
Premio Lo Nuestro in Category Regional Mexican NEW Artist of the Year alongside Kumbia Kings
Latin Billboard Music Awards in the Pop Album of the Year, New artist Section
2002
Latin Billboard Music Awards in the category Pop Album of the Year for Groups
2004
Premio Lo Nuestro in the category Regional Mexican Guo of the year and Regional Mexican Song of the Year.
Latin Billboard Music Awards for the best Latin Pop album of the year(duo/group)
2005
Latin Billboard Music Awards for the song “Fuego” in the category Latin Pop Album of the Year
2006
Latin Grammy Awards
He also has eight Grammy nominations in his long career.
Albums Written and Produced by A.B. Quantanilla
Albums for Selena and Los Dios
- 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 in Association 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 (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)
Personal Life of A. B. Quintanilla
He married Evangelina Almeida in 1988 and fathered two sons with her. The couple later divorced in 2000. In 2002, he married actress Heather Grain. They had a short-lived two-year marriage. They are still in touch in a friendly manner and often co-parent their two songs together.
Later, he married Brenda Ramirez in 2004. But, nothing much is known about their marriage, and they also divorced shortly.
In 2011, A. B. Quintanilla married model Rikki Leigh Robinson. In 2016, the couple got a messy divorce, which Rikki described as “Ugly”.
As per recent sources, A.B. was married to Anjelag Quintanilla in September 2019. The couple often posts pictures on Instagram. In his own words, A.B. has finally found peace with Anjelah and openly tells how she had changed his life for the better.
A. B. Quintanilla: Children
A.B. Quintanilla has six boys and two girls, totaling eight children from his five marriages. Svani(aged 17years) and Gianni(aged 8) are his most famous children who have liked music. He also has a granddaughter, who is the daughter of Svani.
A. B. Quintanilla’s Relationship with the Quintanilla family
Even after the death of his sister Selena, A.B. Quintanilla continues to have a close bond with his father, A.B. Quintanilla II, and his sister Suzette. They often meet and pose for pictures together while on a mission to preserve a short and eventful life of Selena.
A. B. Quintanilla Net Worth
AB has not openly stated his net worth. The Quintanilla family remains tight-lipped about their weather. But, A. B. Quintanilla has amassed quite a fortune due to his successful career as a singer, songwriter, and music producer. He has a reported net worth of nearly $5 million nm.
On top of that, he also manages Selena’s estate, a trust named after singer SELENA.
He collaborated with MAC to launch an exclusive Selena makeup line in 2016.
Ending Notes
Being a protective and Loving older brother A.B. Quintanilla III suffered a lot due to the tragic death of his sister Selena Quintanilla Perez. He even thought of quitting music and went into a long bout of depression. But, he eventually found strength and inspiration again to return as a musician to preserve the legacy his little sister left behind. He still continues to make music and tackle the baton of Tejano music after Selena.
