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A Beer For All

Seasons...

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True story of America’s first Chicano Rock’n’Roll Star and his eight monts of fame and music before his tragic death February 3, 1959.

Learn about the woman who brought every American together for one breif moment in history through her music.

Journey back and remember one of music’s greatest and inspirational idols.

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Born Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941, in Pacoima (near Los Angeles), California, Ritchie Valens made history as rock music’s first Latino star.

His promising career, however, was cut short by tragedy. Valens died in a 1959 plane crash while on tour, along with Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson.

Growing in Pacoima, Valens developed a love of music early on and learned to play a number of different instruments. But the guitar soon became his passion.

And he found inspiration from various sources, ranging from traditional Mexican music to popular R&B acts to innovative rock performers like Little Richard.

At 16, Valens joined his first band, the Silhouettes. The group played local gigs, and Valens was spotted at one of these performances by Bob Keane, the head of the Del-Fi record label. With Keane’s help, the young performer was about to have a career breakthrough.

Career Highlights Valens auditioned for Keane’s record label in May 1958. And before long, he had his first single out on Del-Fi. The song, “Come On, Let’s Go,” became a minor hit. Keane also encouraged the young singer to shorten his last name to “Valens” to make it more radio friendly. Valens had even greater success with his second single, which featured “La Bamba” and “Donna.” “Donna,” an ode to his high school girlfriend Donna Ludwig, became a popular ballad, eventually climbing as high as the number two spot on the pop charts. While not as big a hit, “La Bamba” was a revolutionary song that fused elements of a traditional Mexican folk tune with rock and roll. Valens was not a native Spanish speaker and had to be coached on the all-Spanish-language song.

Only 17 years old when he died, Valens left behind a few recordings. His first, self-titled album was released shortly after the accident and did well on the charts. A live recording was later released as Ritchie Valens in Concert at Pacoima Junior HIgh. And his life story was memorialized on the big screen in the 1987 hit La Bamba, which introduced a new generation of music fans to the pioneering Latino performer. Lou Diamond Phillips played Valens, and the band Los Lobos recorded the soundtrack.

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The first Hispanic rock star, Ritchie Valens will forever be known as one of the two musicians (along with the Big Bopper) who perished with Buddy Holly in 1959, when their private plane crashed in the midst of a Midwest tour.

At the time, Valens had only recently established himself as one of the most promising young talents in rock & roll, just barely missing the top of the charts with “Donna,” a number two hit, and pioneering a blend of rock and Latin music with the single’s almost equally popular flip side, “La Bamba.” Like many rock stars who died prematurely, it’s difficult to assess his unrealized potential; he was only 17 at the time of his death, and had just barely begun to make records. Nevertheless, Valens’ music has endured for decades.

By the end of 1958, Valens had quit high school in order to focus on his career, which had skyrocketed after his second single, “Donna,” climbed to number two. Also enjoying a good amount of popularity was the single’s innovative flip side, “La Bamba,” a rocked-up Mexican folk song performed entirely in Spanish. “La

Billed as “the Winter Dance Party,” the tour was originally scheduled to hit 24 Midwestern cities over the course of three weeks. The musicians all shared a single bus, whose heater broke several days into the tour, worsening the long drives between each show. By the time the Winter Dance Party rolled into Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, Buddy Holly had grown tired of the chilly conditions and decided to book a plane in order to fly to the show’s next stop. After that evening’s show at the Surf Ballroom, Holly boarded the plane along with Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The aircraft crashed several minutes after takeoff, though, instantly killing pilot Roger Peterson along with all three of his passengers. Ritchie Valens was 17 years old.“Come on Let’s Go,” which climbed to number 42 on the national charts.

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La Bamba is the story of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll rage Ritchie Valens (born Ricardo Valenzuela), played herein with gusto and credibility

by Lou Diamond Phillips. The film follows 17-year-old Ritchie as he strolls from one end of his California barrio to the other, guitar in hand.

We meet Ritchie’s colorful Mexican/ American family, who react to his fame with varying degrees of pride and envy. And we meet the ladies in his life: his ambitious mother Connie Valenzuela (Rosana De Soto), his half-sister Rosie Morales (Elizabeth Pena), and blonde classmate Donna Ludwig (Danielle von Zerneck), who inspired Ritchie’s first hit “Donna.”

Both this song and “La Bamba” are given con brio interpretations by Lou Diamond Philips and by the contemporary group Los Lobos, who appear in the film as the Tijuana band. Also making cameo appearances are the real-life Mrs. Connie Valenzuela and Bob Morales, Richie’s halfbrother (played in the film by Esai Morales). Those familiar with The Buddy Holly Story (1978) don’t need to be reminded what happens after Ritchie, Holly (Marshall Crenshaw)

The film also focuses on Ritchie’s aviophobia (fear of flying), triggered by a recurring dream he has as a result of a midair collision between two planes that actually occurred directly over Ritchie’s school, in which Ritchie’s best friend was crushed to death by one of the fallen aircraft (Ritchie was absent from school that day to attend his grandfather’s funeral). At first, Ritchie manages to avoid flying to his concerts and appearances; but he must eventually conquer his fear when invited to perform his song “Donna” on American Bandstand.

Ritchie’s record producer and manager, Bob Keane (Pantoliano), helps him by giving him a little vodka to calm his nerves during the flight to Philadelphia for the Bandstand appearance.

As Ritchie becomes more famous, his responsibilities change, and eventually he must join the ill-fated Winter Dance Party tour with Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw) and “The Big Bopper” (Stephen Lee) after “La Bamba” and “Donna” reach the top of the Billboard charts.

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The film also focuses on Ritchie’s aviophobia (fear of flying), triggered by a recurring dream he has as a result of a midair collision between two planes that actually occurred directly over Ritchie’s school, in which Ritchie’s best friend was crushed to death by one of the fallen aircraft (Ritchie was absent from school that day to attend his grandfather’s funeral). At first, Ritchie manages to avoid flying to his concerts and appearances; but he must eventually conquer his fear when invited to perform his song “Donna” on American Bandstand. Ritchie’s record producer and manager, Bob Keane (Pantoliano), helps him by giving him a little vodka to calm his nerves during the flight to Philadelphia for the Bandstand appearance.

As Ritchie becomes more famous, his responsibilities change, and eventually he must join the ill-fated Winter Dance Party tour with Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw) and “The Big Bopper” (Stephen Lee) after “La Bamba” and “Donna” reach the top of the Billboard charts.

Films like these - and ‘’La Bamba’’ parallels ‘’The Buddy Holly Story’’ very closely, since Valens and Holly had similar temperaments and died in the same accident - are better admired for their innocence and simplicity than faulted for their lack of sophistication.

They don’t make excessive claims for the people being profiled, concentrating if anything on the ordinariness the characters rose above. They don’t attempt any more complex trajectory than the thrilling rise to fame, followed by the terrible irony of life cut off in its prime. They are made in the same eager, admiring spirit that marked their heroes’ or heroines’ love of popular music. At their best, they bring that music to life all over again. ‘’La Bamba,’’ which opens today at the Plaza and other theaters, is the

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Born on April 16, 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, Selena Quintanilla made her recording debut in the ‘80s, going on to become an awardwinning recording artist in the Latin music scene with albums like Amor Prohibido and Selena Live. In 1995, she was murdered by the founder of her fan club. Her last album, Dreaming of You, was released posthumously in 1995.

Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas.

Selena was considered the “Queen of Tejano,” a type of Mexican music that incorporated other styles, such as country. She was also sometimes referred to as the “Mexican Madonna” for her sexy outfits and dance moves. Selena began performing as a child.

Around the age of 10, Selena became

in their native Texas.

The band featured her brother Abraham on bass guitar and her sister Suzette on the drums. Her father, Abraham, a former musician, managed and produced the group. Selena grew up speaking English, but her father taught her to sing in Spanish so she could resonate with the Latino community. She learned the lyrics phonetically at first, and eventually learned to speak Spanish fluently.

Selena became very popular with Tejano music fans, and at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards, she won both “Best Female Vocalist of the Year” and “Performer of the Year.” Her 1990 album, Ven Conmigo, was the first Tejano record to achieve gold record status, meaning it sold more than 500,000 copies. In 1992, Selena took enough of a break from her hectic schedule to marry Chris Perez, the band’s lead guitarist, that April.

Her recordings continued to have strong sales, and she won the Grammy Award (best MexicanAmerican album) in 1993 for her album Live. In 1994, she and the

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The latino singer Selena QuintanillaPerez was born in Lake Jackson, Texas on April 16. 1971; Easter Sunday. Her parents, Marcella and Abraham Quintanilla Jr. were delighted to have a new addition to their family which already had two children; Abraham Quintanilla III (A.B.) then 8, and Suzette then 4.

Selena grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she began her musical career. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., was a singer with the original Los Dinos from 1957-1972, and nurtured the burgeoning musical talent of his children. Selena, her brother Abe III (bass), and their sister, Suzette (drums), were a second generation of Los Dinos. Its other two members who started in the band were Ricky Vela on keyboards and Roger Garcia on guitar..

When Selena was just 3 years old, she demanded to know why her father was leaving her out of the music. Abraham simply said she was too young. Right then Selena showed him she was not too young, she showed him her own instrument, her voice. Abraham couldn’t believe what a beautiful sound she heard. By the time Selena was 6, she was already singing like a pro in English and in Spanish, even though she didn’t speak the language, alongside her brother, sister, and father.

When Selena was 9, her father started the group Selena Y Los Dinos (Selena and The Guys). The group’s first performances were in Papagallos, the Quintanilla family’s restaurant opened in 1980. Everyone who saw her, even at that young age, knew she was going to be a star someday. Soon the restaurant fell and the Quintanilla family went bankrupt, they were out on the streets without a roof over their head.

The family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where they piled into an old bus with all their musical equipment. They played everywhere they could, on streets, at weddings... Soon all the hard work paid off. Selena recorded her first album in 1984 under the Freddie label. This album

The latino singer Selena QuintanillaPerez was born in Lake Jackson, Texas on April 16. 1971; Easter Sunday.

Her parents, Marcella and Abraham Quintanilla Jr. were delighted to have a new addition to their family which already had two children; Abraham Quintanilla III (A.B.) then 8, and Suzette then 4.

Selena grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she began her musical career. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., was a singer with the original Los Dinos from 1957-1972, and nurtured the burgeoning musical talent of his children. Selena, her brother Abe III (bass), and their sister, Suzette (drums), were a second generation of Los Dinos. Its other two members who started in the band were Ricky Vela on keyboards and Roger Garcia on guitar.. When Selena was just 3 years old, she demanded to know why her father was leaving her out of the music. Abraham simply said she was too young.

Right then Selena showed him she was not too young, she showed him her own instrument, her voice.

Abraham couldn’t believe what a beautiful sound she heard. By the time Selena was 6, she was already singing like a pro in English and in Spanish, even though she didn’t speak the language, alongside her brother, sister, and father.

When Selena was 9, her father started the group Selena Y Los Dinos (Selena and The Guys). The group’s first performances were in Papagallos, the Quintanilla family’s

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The film begins on February 26, 1995, with American Tejano music singer Selena (Jennifer Lopez) performing to a sold out concert at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.

Flashing back to Corpus Christi, Texas in 1961, a young Abraham Quintanilla Jr. (Edward James Olmos) and his band, Los Dinos, are rejected for an audition by the restaurant owner due to their MexicanAmerican ancestry. Crushed, Abraham gives up his music career.

In the 1980s, Abraham is now married to Marcella (Constance Marie) and has three children, A.B. Quintanilla (Jacob Vargas), Suzette Quintanilla (Jackie Guerra), and Selena. One day Selena finds her father playing music and sings along. Enchanted by his daughter’s talent, Abraham decides to start a band with Selena as lead vocalist, A.B. on bass, and Suzette on drums, despite Suzette’s protests that “girls don’t play drums”. He names the band Selena y Los Dinos. The band performs often at the Mexican restaurant the family opens, and receive a positive reception from the diners. Eventually, the business goes bankrupt, and the family moves to Corpus Christi.

The actions moves ahead to 1989, where Selena y Los Dinos are playing a concert at a fair. Abraham is shocked when Selena peels off her jacket and performs in a

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her jacket and performs in a beaded bra.

He confronts Selena on the band’s bus, but she points out that her mother helped her make it, and that other fashionable female musicians such as Madonna and Janet Jackson are wearing bustiers too. Abraham relents, and Selena begins to design more and more of her band’s attire.

When the band needs a new guitarist, A.B. recommends Chris Pérez (Jon Seda), and auditions him to his father. However, Abraham is hesitant to hire Chris because of his tough-guy, heavy metal image, but A.B. points out that “It’s just musician stuff ”. Abraham agrees to hire Chris if he will cut his hair. Chris restyles his hair and joins the band. The touring band stops off at a roadside diner, where Suzette hears a radio announcement that “Como la Flor” has reached number one on the music charts. The band and family celebrate.

Selena and Chris begin to have romantic feelings for each other. Selena’s mother is supportive, but Abraham angrily fires Chris when he finds them hugging on the tour bus. Selena tearfully objects, but a furious Abraham threatens to disband the group if she continues to see him.

Chris and Selena continue to see each other behind Abraham’s back. Selena tires of having to hide their love, and goes to Chris’ hotel room. She persuades him to elope, saying it’s the only way her father will ever leave them alone.

They marry secretly on April 2, 1992.

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Famed singer, songwriter and musical innovator Prince was born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents were John Nelson, a musician whose stage name was Prince Rogers, and Mattie Shaw, a jazz singer who performed with the Prince Rogers Band. He became interested in music at a young age and taught himself how to play the piano, guitar and drums. His parents broke up when he was about 10, and he and his sister split their time between their parents’ homes. He eventually ran away and moved in with neighbors, the Anderson family. In high school, Prince formed his first band Grand Central (later known as Champagne) with André Anderson (who later changed his name to André Cymone) and Morris Day. In 1978, Prince was signed to Warner Bros. Records. In a 2009 interview with Tavis Smiley, Prince revealed that when he was a child, he suffered from epileptic seizures and that he was teased in school.

He told Smiley: “... Early in my career I tried to compensate by being as flashy and as noisy as I could.”

In 1978, Prince dropped his debut album, For You, which was followed by Prince (1979). He played practically all of the instruments on the albums, and the sophomore release contained his first top 20 pop hit, the easygoing “I Wanna Be Your Lover.” The critically acclaimed Dirty Mind dropped in 1980, consisting of material that was graphic in its exploration of sexuality and fantasy.

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With his band the Revolution, Prince went on to create the classic album Purple Rain (1984), which also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name, grossing almost $70 million at the U.S. box office. Co-starring Apollonia Kotero and Day, the movie garnered an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. The melancholy title track “Purple Rain” reached no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the hits “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” both reached no. 1. While “Crazy” readily joined the pantheon of wild, electrifying rock songs, “Doves Cry” had one-of-a-kind signatures, displaying an otherworldly meld of electronic and funk elements without a traditional chorus. The soundtrack offered two other hits: “I Would Die 4 U” and “Take Me With U.” Prince simultaneously became a well-known visual icon with his trademark curls, flowing jackets and ruffled attire with punk embellishments.

“Darling Nikki” was another tune from Purple Rain that incited controversy due to its explicit visuals. After senator Al Gore’s wife Tipper Gore bought the album for their daughter and listened to the track, she eventually pushed for albums to sport labels specifically geared toward parents warning of graphic lyrics.

1985 saw the release of Around the World in a Day, which had the top 10 tracks “Raspberry Beret,” a whimsical mid-tempo ditty, and “Pop Life.”

The record continued to feature

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After the disbanding of the Revolution, Prince was able to consolidate various shelved projects into what ultimately became the double album Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987), with the title track reaching no. 3 on the pop charts and no. 1 in r&b. The album was known for its stark commentary on social issues yet also contained fun jams like “U Got the Look,” a raucous duet with Scottish singer Sheena Easton that reached no. 2 pop. (He had previously penned the lasciviously charged pop/r&b hit “Sugar Walls” from her 1984 album A Private Heaven.) Sign was easily among Prince’s most critically acclaimed albums, yet its sales lagged in the U.S., finding more of an audience in Europe, where the artist launched a successful tour.

Maintaining a prodigious output, Prince released Lovesexy in 1988, known for its album cover featuring a photo of the artist in the nude as well as the top 5 uptempo r&b hit “Alphabet St.” By the time he released his 11th studio album, the soundtrack to Batman, in 1989, Prince had become one of America’s most commercially successful pop artists, continually making waves on the charts. Batman offered up the no. 1 romp “Batdance” as well as the top 5 r&b hit “Partyman.” The video for “Batdance” famously featured Prince in split-effect makeup and costuming meant to symbolize both the film’s shadowy hero and his crazed nemesis, the Joker.

The early 1990s marked the launch of the New Power Generation, Prince’s latest band that featured a blend of contemporary r&b, hip-hop, jazz and soul along with the vocals of Rosie Gaines.

The group was first called out in the soundtrack to Graffiti Bridge, a 1990 sequel to Purple Rain that didn’t fare well at the box office yet still yielded the top 10 track “Thieves in the Temple.” With the NPG’s artistic contribution, Prince

Prince also worked on specific album tracks for performers like Khan, Madonna, Tevin Campbell, Kate Bush, the Time, Martika, Patti Labelle and Janelle Monae. He was behind the girl group Vanity 6, lead by singer/actress Vanity, and their no. 1 dance hit “Nasty Girl.” And he sent a song to the allwomen’s band the Bangles that they would record to great effect, having a no. 2 hit with the lush ode to a stressful workday, “Manic Monday.”

In 1992 Prince and the New Power Generation released Love Symbol Album. Though embraced by some critics, sales did not fare as well as Diamonds. Love only managed to have one top 10 hit, the transcendent single “7,” though “My Name Is Prince” and the carnal “Sexy MF” garnered some attention as well. The following year Prince released the compilation box set The Hits/The B-Sides, which had an array of popular songs as well as the newly released “Pink Cashmere,” a tender number sung in falsetto.

The lack of success for Love Symbol Album created tension between Prince and his record label Warner Bros. Over the ensuing years, the singer’s career went through a roller coaster of ups and downs. Turned off by feeling controlled by his label, Prince changed his name to the unpronounceable glyph O(+> in 1993, a fusion of female and male astrological symbols which he used until 2000. During that time, he was more frequently referred to as “the artist formerly known as Prince,” and his new symbol was not embraced by most fans.

He also started making appearances with the word “SLAVE” drawn on the side of his face, meant to convey the great disdain he had for his label. Prince did release the 1995 album The Gold Experience during this time of duress,

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Top Selena Y Los Dinos - Como la Flor

Disturbed - Haunted

Ritchie Valens - Come on Let’s Go

Prince - Purple Rain

Queen - Seven Seas of Rhye

Disturbed - Sound of Silence

Queen - Killer Queen

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Hits

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One Republic - Secrets

Motorhead - King of Kings

The Eagles - Hotel California

Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell

Iron Maiden - Trannsylvania

Godsmack - Serenity

Godsmack - Bad Religion

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20 Def Leppard - Pour Some Suger on Me

ACDC - Highway to Hell

The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil

Iron Maiden - The Trooper

The Doors - House of the Rising Sun

Iron Maiden - Phantom of the Opera

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Entertainment for the Whole Family 23 selena magazine.indd 23

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Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Writes Your Story

Coming to the Fabulous Fox Theatre selena magazine.indd 24

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