A.B. Quintanilla III

• Genre: Cumbia

About

As Selena's elder brother and chief songwriter, A.B. Quintanilla has been in the music business longer than many guys his age -- and he's seen a lot of change. He forsook music altogether for some time after his sister's death, and slowly re-entered the field as a songwriter for some of the biggest names in the business. But he found he missed playing music live and crafting a cohesive sound, so he founded the Kumbia Kings in 2000. The band shot to the top of the charts with hits like "Sshhh" and "No Tengo Dinero," but internal disagreements took their toll on the band. After the Kumbia Kings' acrimonious dissolution, A.B. Quintanilla licked his wounds and started again with the Kumbia All Starz, a group of young musicians who seem happy to bow to Quintanilla's musical will. Maintaining the boy-band-meets-cumbia vibe of the Kumbia Kings, the Kumbia All Starz have also invited fresher sounds like reggaeton into their musical stable.

- Sarah Bardeen