UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, April 7, 1995
7A
Singer Selena gunned down before she could achieve mainstream fame
Associated Press
As millions of Hispanics in this country and abroad mourned Selena's death, most of the American public still was wondering who she was.
"It's language. It's always been language. That's been the only barrier in the last five years," said Ramiro Burr, a syndicated music columnist for the San Antonio Express-News.
But Stern, in mocking Selena and her music, suggested on his morning talk show there was more than a language barrier.
How could this young star, an idol of Hispanic women and heartthrob of young men, be so famous abroad but almost completely unknown in mainstream America?
“Spanish people have the worst taste in music,” he said as played Selena's Tejano tunes — a lively mix of traditional Mexican and German polka — with mock gunfire in the background.
This week, shock jock Howard Stern added to the grief of the Tejano music queen's fans by ridiculing her bouncy style of Tex-Mex music on his nationally syndicated show.
"Her death didn't permit her to break that barrier. But I sincerely think she would have done that easily as soon as she had gotten that album out in English," said Johnnie Canales, considered the Dick Clark of the Latin music scene. "As soon as she made the Letterman or Leno show, everybody would have known who she was."
Regardless of Stern's take on Tejano music, the Latin market has proven lucrative among its own, as major, international record companies have discovered during the past five years.
Linda Ronstadt, a pop star who is one-quarter Mexican, began crossing the cultural barrier when she recorded two Spanish language
Outside the Hispanic community, only a few groups have succeeded in mainstream American music — Julio Iglesias, Los Lobos, and now the latest, Luis Miguel.
Selena, who at age 23 already had won a Grammy award, wanted to be the next Gloria Estefan. She had recorded four songs in English for her new compact disc when she was gunned down a week ago. Her personal assistant, Yolanda Saldivar, was indicted on a murder charge yesterday.
albums, the first in the late 1980s.
Record companies, including Sony and Arista, have been expanding their Latin divisions, signing new, young artists who blend traditional Mexican sounds with modern elements of pop and rock. Selena was one of them.
"Linda and Los Lobos made it cool to say you eat beans and eat tacos and listen to Mexican music," Burr said.
Selena's death has led to a first for People magazine — its first split-run cover. It's putting her on the front of its April 17 issue for copies printed in Dallas and available in 11 states from New Mexico to Mississippi. Other copies will show the cast of TVs "Friends."
Part of her appeal, too, was that she wore skimpy black outfits and strutted suggestively on stage — though friends describe her as deeply family-oriented.
"From Tejano, she went to Salsa style. She would do songs with mariachis," Canales said. "She became an all-around star, like an all-around athlete who can play baseball, football, box and play tennis."
She became the first Tex-Mex act to cross out of Texas into the Latin markets of California, the East Coast and abroad — quite an accomplishment among Latin music lovers who are loyal mainly to the regional music they grew up with.
In Texas and California, nearly 20 percent of the population is Hispanic. Nationwide, Hispanics represent 9 percent of the total population, according to the 1990 U.S. Census.
cent of the population is Hispanic — the No. 1 radio station is Spanish-language KLAX. Two Spanish TV stations carry shows that at times draw larger audiences than prime-time shows, including Canales' program.
In Los Angeles — where 38 per-
Selena grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, speaking English and broken Spanish. By age 13, she had appeared on Canales' show, singing Spanish ballads.
Selena even had a bit part in the new movie, "Don Juan De Marco," starring Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. In it, Selena serenades Marlon Brando.
Burr said he doubled Tejano music or any Spanish language music would ever become mainstream in the United States. But individual artists will do for Latin music what Garth Brooks has done for country.
"You have an artist or two who are homogenized enough that they are accepted on the pop charts. The successful ones keep one foot in each camp." Burr said.
"There's no recipe for this. It's hard to duplicate. But Selena had everything to make it happen. She had the looks, the talent and a solid team behind her," she said.
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