A.B. Quintanilla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A.B. Quintanilla III
Quintanilla in 2022
Born	Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III (1963-12-13) December 13, 1963 (age 61) Toppenish, Washington, U.S.
Other names	A.B. Quintanilla III A.B. Quintanilla 3 A.B. Quintanilla ABC Quintanilla III Abraham Quintanilla III Abe Quintanilla III Ibrahim L. Calderón DJ Ibrahim King of Kumbia King of Cumbia
Occupation	Record producer songwriter musician
Spouse(s)	Evangelina "Vangie" Almeida ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 2000)​ Heather Grein ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2004)​ Brenda Ramírez ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2009)​ Rikkie Leigh Robertson ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2017)​ Ángela Orellano ​ (m. 2019)​
Partner(s)	Summer Clary (1998–2000)
Children	7 Martika Quintanilla (b. 1989) Svani Quintanilla (b. 1990) Gianni Mio Quintanilla (b. 1999) Abraham Isaac Quintanilla IV (b. 2002) Elijah Jae Quintanilla (b. 2004) Elrey Quintanilla (b. 2005) Justin Quintanilla (b. 2007) Madison Ramírez (b. 2001) (stepchild 2004–2009)
Parent(s)	Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. (father) Marcella Ofelia Samora (mother)
Relatives	Suzette Quintanilla (sister) Selena Quintanilla (sister) Chris Pérez (brother-in-law)
Awards	See below
Musical career
Origin	Lake Jackson, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Cumbia Tejano Latin pop Reggae R&B
Instruments	Bass guitar guitar backing vocals
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Freddie Records (1981–1984) Cara Records (1985) GP Records (1986–1989) EMI Latin (1989–2009) Capitol Latin (2009–2012) Universal Music Latin Entertainment (2012–2016) DEL Records (2016–2024) D Luna Music (2024–present)

Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III (born December 13, 1963), known as A.B. Quintanilla III, is an American music producer, songwriter, and musician. He is often called the "King of Cumbia" because of his big impact on the cumbia music style.

A.B. is the older brother of the famous singer Selena, who was known as the "Queen of Tejano Music". He wrote and produced many of her hit songs. He also started the popular bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz, writing and producing their music and performing with them. He has also worked on songs for many other artists.

In 1980, A.B. joined the band Los Dinos with Selena, his sister Suzette, and their father Abraham. As a member of Los Dinos, A.B. played bass guitar and helped create hit songs for Selena like "Como la Flor", "Amor Prohibido", and "No Me Queda Más". After Selena passed away, he formed the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz.

Early Life

Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III was born on December 13, 1963, in Toppenish, Washington. He is the oldest child of Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. and Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla. He is the older brother of Suzette Quintanilla and the late Selena Quintanilla. Soon after he was born, A.B. and his parents moved to Lake Jackson, Texas. He grew up there, and his two younger sisters were born in that city.

Music Career

While living in Lake Jackson, Texas, A.B. learned to play the guitar and bass. He became a member of the successful band Los Dinos. He played alongside Selena, his sister Suzette, and their father, Abraham. A.B. also became Selena's music producer.

He helped write many of Selena's famous songs. These included "Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") and "Amor Prohibido" ("Forbidden Love").

Selena, A.B.'s sister, passed away on March 31, 1995. This was a very sad time for him. He helped produce the song "Como Te Extraño" ("How I Miss You") by Pedro "Pete" Astudillo. This song was written for Selena and Astudillo's grandmother. The song won an award for Best Song of the Year in 1996.

A.B. Quintanilla returned to music in 1999 by starting the band Kumbia Kings. This group mixed cumbia music with pop music. The Kumbia Kings traveled internationally and released several CDs. They also appeared on TV shows like El Show de Cristina. Quintanilla also produced music for other artists. These included Thalía, Alicia Villarreal, and Cristian Castro.

In 2004, he produced and arranged the album A.B. Quintanilla III Presents Joe Lopez. This album included songs like "Cuando Estoy Contigo" ("When I Am with You"). He co-wrote these songs with Luigi Giraldo.

A.B. Quintanilla left Kumbia Kings in mid-2006. He then started a new group called Kumbia All Starz in 2006. He was joined by new members and former Kumbia Kings members Chris Pérez and Pee Wee. This new group had hit songs like "Chiquilla", "Parece Que Va a Llover", and "Speedy Gonzales". The Kumbia All Starz became very popular in South America. They performed many concerts in Bolivia in 2014.

In 2016, A.B. Quintanilla signed with DEL Records. He changed the name of Kumbia All Starz to Elektro Kumbia. In 2017, they released a song called "Piña Colada Shot". Later in 2017, the band changed its name back to Kumbia All Starz.

On June 9, 2024, it was announced that A.B. Quintanilla signed with D Luna Music. Daniel Luna became his manager.

Personal Life

A.B. Quintanilla has been married five times. He is currently married to Ángela Orellano, an Argentine woman. They married on September 16, 2019.

Children

A.B. Quintanilla has seven children: six sons and one daughter. They were born between 1989 and 2007. He also had a stepdaughter during one of his marriages.

• Martika Quintanilla, born in 1989, and Svani Quintanilla, born in 1990, are his children with his first wife, Vangie Almeida.
• Gianni Mio Quintanilla, born in 1999, is his son with his ex-girlfriend Summer Clary.
• Abraham Isaac Quintanilla IV, born in 2002, and Elijah Jae Quintanilla, born in 2004, are his sons with his second wife, Heather Grein.
• Elrey Quintanilla, born in 2005, and Justin Quintanilla, born in 2007, are his sons with his third wife, Brenda Ramírez.
• Brenda's daughter, Madison Ramírez, born in 2001, was A.B.'s stepdaughter during their marriage.

His son, Abraham Quintanilla IV, appeared in the Kumbia Kings music video for "Insomnio" in 2003. He also appeared on the album cover for Kumbia All Starz's 2006 album, Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz.

Extended Family

A.B. Quintanilla has one granddaughter, Yvie Quintanilla, born in 2017. She is the daughter of his son Svani Quintanilla.

His sister Selena was married to Chris Pérez from 1992 until her death in 1995. Chris Pérez later joined A.B. in the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz.

His sister Suzette Quintanilla married Bill Arriaga in 1993. They have a son named Jovan Arriaga, born in 1998, who is A.B. Quintanilla's nephew. A.B. also has one grandnephew, Lincoln Arriaga, born in 2022, who is Jovan's son.

Discography

Albums with Selena

• Mis Primeras Grabaciones (1984)
• The New Girl In Town (1985)
• 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 A.B. Quintanilla III y Los Kumbia Kings (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

See Also

In Spanish: A.B. Quintanilla para niños

• Selena
• Los Dinos
• Kumbia Kings
• Kumbia All Starz
• Honorific nicknames in popular music
• Music of Texas
• Music of Latin America