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" (or "King of Cumbia") due to his influence and impact on the cumbia music genre, 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][5][6][7][8][A]
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.[15]
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 would reform and rename Kumbia All Starz to a new band called Elektro Kumbia in 2016.[16] In 2017, they released a single called "Piña Colada Shot".[17] The band would change the name back from Elektro Kumbia to Kumbia All Starz in late 2017.
On June 9, 2024, it was announced A.B. Quintanilla had signed with D Luna Music to be his music label and Daniel Luna will be his manager.[18]
A.B. Quintanilla has been married five times.[19][20] Quintanilla married his first wife, Evangelina Almeida, born in February 1966 and is better known as Vangie Almeida, on April 17, 1988, in Corpus Christi, Texas, when he was 24 years old. They separated in the late 1990s. Their divorce was finalized in 2000.[19][20] Quintanilla married his second wife, Heather Grein, who was born on October 14, 1984, on April 20, 2002. They divorced in September 2004. Heather Grein remains on good terms with Quintanilla and his family.[19][20] Quintanilla married his third wife, Brenda Lee Ramírez, who was born on July 26, 1982, in Edinburg, Texas, on December 31, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 3, 2005, it was announced Quintanilla and Brenda Ramírez were getting divorce.[21] They reconciled after she gave birth to Quintanilla's sixth child later that month and they had one more child in September 2007 but they would separate again. Their divorced finalized in 2009. Brenda Ramírez now lives in Houston, Texas.[19][20] Quintanilla married his fourth wife, Rikkie Leigh Robertson, who was born on March 14, 1988, on November 4, 2011, in Corpus Christi, Texas, whom he dated for two years.[22] Rikkie Robertson appeared in the music video for "Solo", which was released on November 12, 2012. On January 5, 2013, it was announced that Quintanilla and Rikkie Robertson had separated and were divorcing after a year of marriage.[23][24][25][26][27] They later reconciled and did not proceed with the divorce.[28] They separated again in May 2016 and Quintanilla announced that he and Rikkie Leigh were getting divorced. The divorce was finalized in September 2017. A.B. Quintanilla and Rikkie Robertson did not have children together.[19][20] A.B. Quintanilla married his fifth and current wife, Ángela Orellano, also known as Anjelah Orellano, an Argentine woman, on September 16, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada. A.B. Quintanilla and Ángela Orellano currently do not have children together.[19][20]
A.B. Quintanilla has also been in romantic relationships with other women such as Summer Clary, born in June 1978, with whom he has a son named Gianni Quintanilla and was with her in 1998 after his separation from first wife Vangie but before their divorce was finalized,[29][30][31] Elizabeth Olsen, an American model of Swedish descent who lived in Chicago, Illinois and appeared in his January 2008 music video "Por Ti Baby", whom he met in Puerto Rico on September 15, 2007, and were together until they broke up on September 9, 2008 (they were together after Quintanilla's separation from his third wife Brenda Ramírez in 2007 but before the divorce was finalized in 2009),[32][33][34][35][36] and Susie De Los Santos, born on November 6, 1988, a DJ, beauty pageant model and Nuestra Belleza Latina contestant, who he dated in 2013 during his first separation from his fourth wife Rikkie, and maintains a good friendship with Quintanilla and spoke positively about him during his 2017 court case against his ex-partner Summer.[37][38][39][40][41][42]
Children
A.B. Quintanilla has seven children, six sons and one daughter, born between 1989 and 2007, and had a stepdaughter during his third marriage.[32][43][44][B] He has a daughter, Martika Quintanilla, born on September 21, 1989, and a son, Svani Quintanilla, born on November 27, 1990, with his first wife Vangie Almeida.[32][43][44] He has a son Gianni Mio Quintanilla, born in April 1999, with his ex-girlfriend Summer Clary.[32][43][44] He has two sons, Abraham Isaac Quintanilla IV, born on October 14, 2002, and Elijah Jae Quintanilla, born on May 25, 2004, with his second wife Heather Grein.[32][43][44] He has two sons, Elrey Quintanilla, born on November 15, 2005, and Justin Quintanilla, born on September 4, 2007, with his third wife Brenda Ramírez.[32][43][44] Brenda has a daughter from a previous relationship, Madison Ramírez, born on May 20, 2001, who was A.B. Quintanilla's stepdaughter during his marriage to Brenda.[32][43][44] His third son, Abraham Quintanilla IV, appears in the Kumbia Kings music video for their 2003 single, "Insomnio", from their 2003 album 4, and on the album cover for Kumbia All Starz 2006 album, Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz.[45]
Extended family
A.B. Quintanilla has one granddaughter. Svani Quintanilla and Chatty Celeste Cave, born on July 9, 1988, Svani's girlfriend at the time, have a daughter, Yvie Quintanilla, who was born on September 20, 2017.[46][47]
A.B. Quintanilla has two brothers-in-law and a nephew through his sisters. Selena Quintanilla and Chris Pérez, born on August 14, 1969, were married on April 2, 1992. Chris and Selena would remain married until Selena's death on March 31, 1995.[48] Quintanilla's brother-in-law, Chris Pérez, would join to him in the bands created by Quintanilla, Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz. Pérez would perform with Kumbia Kings on their albums and some concerts from 1998 to 2003 before joining as a full-time member in 2003 until 2006, when the Kumbia Kings disbanded. Pérez then joined Kumbia All Starz in 2006, when the band was created, and would remain until 2010. Suzette Quintanilla and Bill Arriaga were married on September 12, 1993.[49] Bill and Suzette have a son, Jovan Arriaga, who was born on March 5, 1998, and is A.B. Quintanilla's nephew.[49] A.B. Quintanilla has one grandnephew. Jovan Arriaga and Mallory Smith, born in 1997 and Jovan's girlfriend, have a son, Lincoln Arriaga, who was born on October 26, 2022.[50]
^King of Kumbia is also spelled as King of Cumbia. Cumbia is the correct spelling of the music genre while Kumbia is the stylization used by A.B. Quintanilla III.
^A.B. Quintanilla III has seven biological children. Some media outlets report on A.B. Quintanilla having six sons and two daughters. This stems from his 2008 interview with People en Español magazine where he talks about his children. During that time, A.B. Quintanilla was legally married to Brenda Ramírez who has a daughter named Madison Ramírez from a previous relationship. Madison was A.B. Quintanilla's stepdaughter during his marriage to Brenda and he included her in his list of children. In a 2017 interview during his child support court case, A.B. Quintanilla mentioned having seven children from his previous relationships.
^"A.B. Quintanilla's All Starz Gran concierto en Cochabamba" [A.B. Quintanilla’s All Starz Great concert in Cochabamba]. Opinión Bolivia (in Spanish). April 10, 2011. El Rey de la Cumbia. Después de tres años A.B. Quintanilla está de regreso a los escenarios del mundo musical y su primer impulso fue salir de gira por Latinoamérica para complacer a sus fans. Bolivia es uno de los países privilegiados y sus segui. [The King of Cumbia. After three years A.B. Quintanilla is back on the stage of the musical world and his first impulse was to go on tour in Latin America to please his fans. Bolivia is one of the privileged countries and its followers.]
^Salas, Sonia (December 23, 2016). "AB Quintanilla en Esta Navidad es Otra Onda" [AB Quintanilla in This Christmas is Another Wave]. Univision (in Spanish). Sonia Salas entrevista el Rey de la Cumbia AB Quintanilla y habla sobre su nueva banda Elektro Kumbia, nuevo álbum y próximo concierto en Dallas el 31 de diciembre en Reliant Lights. [Sonia Salas interviews the King of Cumbia AB Quintanilla and talks about his new band Elektro Kumbia, new album and upcoming concert in Dallas on December 31 at Reliant Lights.]
^Maldonado, Paloma (September 19, 2022). "Así se ve el elenco de 'Selena' a 25 años de su estreno: una de las actrices falleció" [This is how the cast of 'Selena' looks 25 years after its premiere: one of the actresses died]. Univision (in Spanish). "El Rey de la Kumbia", A.B. Quintanilla, fue interpretado por Jacob Vargas en 'Selena'. En la película se pudo ver cómo era su relación con la cantante, además de su evolución profesional al ser integrante de la banda conformada por la familia Quintanilla. [“The King of Kumbia”, A.B. Quintanilla, was played by Jacob Vargas in 'Selena'. In the film it was possible to see what his relationship with the singer was like, in addition to his professional evolution as a member of the band made up of the Quintanilla family.]
^Mercedes, Villa (December 22, 2022). "AB Quintanilla visitó la Casa de la Música" [AB Quintanilla visited the House of Music]. Agencia de Noticias San Luis (in Spanish). El "Rey de la Kumbia" se mostró asombrado por las instalaciones y comentó "muchas gracias a los integrantes de Casa de la Música por este tour que me brindaron, esto es un diamante escondido aquí en Villa Mercedes, San Luis". El músico estuvo más de dos horas recorriendo las instalaciones y habló con los técnicos y autoridades de Casa de la Música. [The “King of Kumbia” was amazed by the facilities and commented “many thanks to the members of Casa de la Música for this tour they gave me, this is a hidden diamond here in Villa Mercedes, San Luis.” The musician spent more than two hours touring the facilities and spoke with the technicians and authorities of Casa de la Música.]
^"Valentina Márquez grabó un videoclip con un guión generado por inteligencia artificial" [Valentina Márquez recorded a video clip with a script generated by artificial intelligence]. www.lavoz.com.ar (in Spanish). La Voz. May 22, 2023. A.B. Quintanilla III, también conocido como "El Rey de la Kumbia", fue creador, líder y productor de los grupos musicales Kumbia Kings y Kumbia All Starz. [A.B. Quintanilla III, also known as “The King of Kumbia”, was the creator, leader and producer of the musical groups Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz.]
^"A.B. Quintanilla se divorcia tras un año de matrimonio" [A.B. Quintanilla will divorce after a year of marriage]. TVNotas (in Spanish). January 5, 2013. El hermano de la fallecida Selena, A.B. Quintanilla reveló que tras un año de matrimonio con la modelo Rikkie Robertson, de 24 años, la relación ha llegado a su fin. [The late Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla revealed that after a year of marriage to model Rikkie Robertson, 24, the relationship has come to an end.]
^ abcdefgVargas, Oscar (March 23, 2008). "A.B. Quintanilla: 'Pasó por una etapa excelente en mi vida' Junto con sus Kumbia All Starz, estrenó su producción 'Planeta Kumbia' con el sencillo 'Por ti baby'" [A.B. Quintanilla: 'I went through an excellent stage in my life' Together with his Kumbia All Starz, he premiered his production 'Planeta Kumbia' with the single 'Por ti baby']. Furia Musical (in Spanish).
^"Pelean 'Starz' en TV de EU" ['Starz' Fight on US TV]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). March 31, 2008. Y mientras el escándalo lo sigue, A.B. dejó claro que en el amor está feliz al lado de una rubia, su novia de nombre Elizabeth. [And while the scandal follows him, A.B. made it clear that in love he is happy with a blonde, his girlfriend named Elizabeth.]
^Mangal, Mayra (August 2, 2017). "Ex de A.B. Quintanilla habla de sus problemas con la justicia: "[Él] se encargará y lo manejará, ya es un hombrecito"" [Ex of A.B. Quintanilla talks about his problems with justice: "[He] will take care of it, he's a big boy"]. People en Español. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Susie de los Santos, ex concursante de Nuestra Belleza Latina, habló de su ex, el músico A.B. Quintanilla, quien es buscado por la policía en Texas. [Susie de los Santos, former contestant of Nuestra Belleza Latina, spoke about her ex, the musician A.B. Quintanilla, who is wanted by police in Texas.]
^Thatiana Diaz and Mayra Mangal (August 3, 2017). "Ex-Girlfriend Defends Selena Quintanilla's Brother Amid Legal Drama". People. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Although critics on social media attacked Quintanilla's character, Susie De Los Santos, ex-girlfriend and close friend of the 53-year-old, told People Chica that Quintanilla is "a man of his word" and will fulfill his obligations. "I don't know what's going on; he hasn't spoken to me about it, but I'm pretty sure he'll take care of it. He's a big boy," the former beauty queen said.
^Medina, John Henry (August 5, 2017). "Ex-Girlfriend defends A.B. Quintanilla in child support case". Tejano Nation. The 28-year-old model and DJ, rose to fame in 2016 after participating in the beauty pageant reality show Nuestra Belleza Latina on Univision. Although their relationship ended four years ago, she says they still have a strong friendship. "We are very, very good friends. We're almost like family," she said.
^ abcdefSauceda, Isis (April 2008). "A.B. Quintanilla Renovado" [A.B. Quintanilla Renewed]. People en Español (in Spanish).
^ abcdefBlanco y Negro [Black and White] (Album). Universal Music Latin, Siente Music. September 17, 2013. A.B. Quintanilla III list his children in the Blanco y Negro (2013) album booklet liner notes.
^Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz [Yesterday Was Kumbia Kings, Today Is Kumbia All Starz] (Album). EMI Latin. October 3, 2006.
