A.B. Quintanilla
Quintanilla in 2022
Born	Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III (1963-12-13) December 13, 1963 (age 60) Toppenish, Washington, U.S
Other names	A.B. Quintanilla III A.B. Quintanilla King of Kumbia
Occupations	Record producer songwriter musician
Spouses	Evangelina "Vangie" Almeida ​ ​ (m. 1988⁠–⁠2000)​ Heather Grein ​ (m. 2002⁠–⁠2004)​ Brenda Ramírez ​ (m. 2004⁠–⁠2009)​ Rikkie Leigh Robertson ​ ​ (m. 2011⁠–⁠2017)​ Angela Orellano ​ (m. 2019)​
Partner	Summer Clary (1999–2000)
Children	7 2 with Vangie Almeida: Martika Quintanilla (b. 1989) Svani Quintanilla (b. 1990) 1 with Summer Clary: Gianni Quintanilla (b. 1999) 2 with Heather Grein: Abraham Isaac Quintanilla IV (b. 2002) Elijah Jae Quintanilla (b. 2004) 2 with Brenda Ramírez: Elrey Quintanilla (b. 2005) Justin Quintanilla (b. 2007) 1 stepchild with Brenda Ramírez: Madison Ramírez (b. 2001)
Parent(s)	Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. (father) Marcella Ofelia Samora (mother)
Relatives	Suzette Quintanilla (sister) Selena Quintanilla (sister) Chris Pérez (brother-in-law) Bill Arrigara (brother-in-law)
Awards	See below
Musical career
Origin	Lake Jackson, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Cumbia Tejano Latin pop Reggaeton R&B
Instrument(s)	Bass guitar guitar backing vocals
Years active	1982–present
Labels	EMI Latin (1989–2009) Capitol Latin (2009–2012) Universal Music Latin Entertainment (2012–2016) DEL (2016–present)
Member of	Kumbia All Starz
Formerly of	Los Dinos Kumbia Kings
Musical artist
Website	www.abquintanilla3.com

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.^[1][2] Called the "King of Kumbia", he is the older brother of singer Selena, known as the "Queen of Tejano Music", having produced and written many of her hit songs throughout her career, is the creator and founder of the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz, also having produced and written their hit songs as well as performing as a member of both, and has contributed, produced and written many songs for other artists.^[3][4]

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" ^[5] After Selena's death, he would create the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz.

Early life

Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III was born on December 13, 1963, in Toppenish, Washington.^[6] 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.^{[7][8][9][10]} 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.^[11]

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 formed Elektro Kumbia in 2016.^[12] In 2017, he released a single called "Piña Colada Shot".^[13]

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

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 September 21, 1989) and a son Svani Quintanilla (born November 27, 1990) with his first wife Vangie Almeida.^[14] He also has one grandchild.^{[citation needed]}

He married Rikkie Leigh Robertson on November 4, 2011.^[15] On July 5, 2016, he announced after a concert that he was getting divorced from his wife.^{[citation needed]} The divorced finalized in September 2017. They have no children together.

Quintanilla married Angela Orellano, also known as Anjelah Orellano, an Argentinian woman, on September 16, 2019, in Las Vegas.^[16]

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 (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