Why I love the Quintanillas.

I feel like I’m getting ahead of myself but this year has been such a great time in regards to Selena releases. I’m not just talking about MAC, but for unheard Selena music. The big news this past couple of weeks has been the release of
“Oh No”. It’s a pretty raw recording but she nailed the song. To think that was just the rehearsal!  What a great find. It’s been in my head all hours of the day.

Also this past year they released a couple of her older songs from the early 80s that were incredibly rare- “Soy Feliz” and “El Super Frik”.  I was starting to think those songs were just myths or would never be recovered. You could not find them online nor have I ever seen those old 45s come up on Ebay. But now they are on regular rotation on Selena Radio. I love hearing those old songs. It’s such a great piece of her history.

And you know why this all came about? The Quintanilla’s.  They didn’t release these for any kind of financial gain or attention. They didn’t alert the media or send out a press release when this happened . They just quietly put “Oh No” on their website. I love that.  Most fans just spread the word via social media and from there, it’s been reported by ABC news, NBC, USA Today and many other big outlets.

I always wanted to keep this blog positive as much as possible but I want to address one thing that really gets to me. It’s when I read about people (sometimes even fans) criticising the family for not letting her “rest in peace”.  First off, there is nothing wrong with them continuing to release things and in the process, making some money from it.  I am all for it. Let’s remember they are all apart of the band. They all contributed to the success and it was a family affair.  I would rather them do things for her than some record company. You can tell  a lot of care and love is put into their projects and they are not just slapping her name and face on things.

They also go the extra mile with their relationship with the fans. I am so thankful they take the time to interact with us. They could of just disappeared off the radar and did their own things. If you go to the museum and get there at just the right time, Abraham is known for giving a more intimate and private tour. I didn’t have that particular honor when I went  however I did have an amazing opportunity to talk to Brian Moore (the Dinos music producer for many albums)  and listen to Enamorada De Ti  4 weeks before it was released. It was such an amazing experience listening to his stories as he knew Selena for years. Yes, he isn’t family but the fact that the people at Q Productions even take time out of their day to do this says a lot.  AB and Chris (not a Quintanilla but he’s apart of the family still!)  interact with fans via Facebook on a regular basis. Chris  has done countless meet and greets with his book. Suzette has done a couple of live online chats and keeps a regular presence on various social media sites. Abraham also answers questions on the Selena online radio chat  now and again.

Most importantly though, just a big thank you to them for keeping her spirit alive after all these years. They’ve done a phenomenal job.  If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have the movie, dvds, unheard music, or stories.  They don’t have to release anything but they do. They don’t have to share photos, videos or memories but they do.  They for sure don’t owe us a museum!  We are incredibly “lucky” as fans.  We don’t always get the releases we want or all our questions answered but they do an excellent job in keeping us involved in her legacy and keeping her relevant.

Thank you. Fans appreciate it more than you know!