Selena and her family traveled across the U.S. and Texas in a trailer. They played at weddings and clubs, basically anywhere they could sing, play and get money. "If we got ten people in one place, that was great," said Selena. .
Abraham thought that they would be most successful if they played and sang Tejano, which is a Spanish-language blend of Tex-mex rhythms, pop- style tunes, and German polka music. There were two problems with his choice though, and those were that Tejano wasn't all that popular at the time, and Selena didn't speak any Spanish. So, she had to learn to speak Spanish from her dad through music. .
Selena went to West Oso Junior High in Corpus Christi, but, when she was in eighth grade she was forced to drop out because she was on the road so much with her family singing. So, she was taught home schooling by her parents. Selena was first recorded in 1985, for a small Texas recording company, when she was only 14. .
Once, when the Quintanillas were on the road, they ran into another singer named Johnny Canales. Abraham and Johnny knew each other from high school. Johnny later got a show on a Spanish language TV station called the "Johnny Canales Show". Selena appeared and played on his show many times over the years.
In 1986, Selena went to Mexico to see how they would react to her. Since she had learned English, then, learned Spanish to sing- the band wasn't sure how people would react, but, most people loved Selena. .
Selena's father managed the band, handled the bookings, and collected the money. All of his work paid off for Selena because in 1987, she won the Tejano Music Awards in San Antonio for female vocalist and performer of the year. Also, in 1989, Abraham signed a six-figure deal for the band to make a Spanish-English record for EMI. Selena and the band made six albums that were successful, the main one being Selena Live! This album earned a Grammy in 1994 for the best Mexican-American performance.
