My Story "Selena is my favorite female vocalist and I feel a very deep sorrow for her family. I hope to one day visit her gravesite in Corpus Christi, Texas where she lies peacefully. I also hope to meet her parents just to say, "thank you" for bringing such a marvelous talent and gorgeous young lady into this world to give hope to so many latinos all over the world." -- Vince Gibbs I remember it was March 31, 1995. I was performing at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas with a band called "Parti Gras." I was sharing a double room with our drummer, Lafayette Waters. I like to sleep during the morning and late afternoon. It was somewhere in the afternoon when I was awakened by my friend's voice in the next room saying, "Man!...Vince!....Come in here and look at this woman!.....She is FINE!" I immediately rose up and ran in there because it's not like me to pass up looking at a fine woman. When I got in there and looked at the TV, there she was......my first glimpse of Selena. I didn't have a clue as to who she was. She was performing on stage wearing that nice fitting purple outfit when Lafayette said, "Man, she got a nice butt on her! It's perfect." I couldn't agree more.They were saying that she had been shot earlier that day and was dead. I said, "Dead? What they mean dead? How can a woman that fine be dead?" Somehow, I immediately felt cheated. Well, at that point, I had no clue whether Selena could actually sing or perform. All I knew was that since Janet Jackson, Selena was the finest woman I had ever seen on TV. I went back to bed, but I just kept thinking about this woman named Selena who was so fine yet she was dead. It's like the two just didn't fit together. I wanted to know more so I decided I was gonna watch the news later on and try to catch some more of that story. The rest of the day, I saw other newscasts reporting the same story and I kept getting a glimpse of that magnificent BODY this woman had. It was unreal. Finally, a woman who was tasteful and knew what men really liked and wasn't afraid to show it, but she was dead. WHY? I really wanted to know more. Well, some days passed and soon I forgot all about Selena. I mean, until that day, I had never even heard of a Selena (whatever-her-last-name-was). I soon started to write her off as just some fine "wanna-be" latina entertainer who was just like all the rest of 'em to me. Nothing more than mediocre. I just never cared for latin entertainers. A few months later when I had returned home from Taipei, Taiwan, I was talking with my girlfriend and she asked me if I had heard about this singer named Selena who got shot earlier that year. Of course I told her the only thing I knew about Selena which was, "Yeah, I heard about it. Man, that woman was FINE!" She told me she had a book telling Selena's story and that the book touched her in a special way. She kept reading that book over and over. Everyday when I would talk to her, she was always reading that book. I thought she was becoming obsessed with this Selena stuff and it wasn't healthy. I thought she needed to get a serious grip. Was she turning lesbian on me or something? One day I called her house and she was crying. I said, "What you crying about?" She said, "It's that Yolanda Saldivar! I HATE HER! I HATE HER! I HATE HER!" I told her to tell me who was that and why did she hate her. This is when it started slowly affecting me. She started to reveal Selena's story to me and I thought it was so tragic to say the least. Selena seen here with Yolanda Saldivar before that tragic day of March 31, 1995. After hearing Selena's story, I began acting like my girlfriend. I was so angry! How could Yolanda Saldivar shoot Selena when Selena's back was turned? What a coward! What a betrayer! What a low down dirty shame! (No pun intended) I told her to tell me everything about Selena she could think of. Wow, I couldn't believe it. What a sad story. I thought about Selena's story for days on end after that, but there was nothing I could do. I felt the same way my girlfriend did at that point. I HATED Yolanda Saldivar for what she did. It was so unnecessary! I wanted to do something to Yolanda, but what could I do? She was already in jail convicted of murdering Selena and sentenced to life in prison. I felt so helpless for Selena. At this time, I still had not even really heard Selena sing. I was still hooked on her beauty alone. One day I heard this lovely song on the radio. It was "I Could Fall In Love With You." I had no idea who was singing it, but the singer's voice had me hooked, whomever she was. Yeah, that became one of my favorite ballads that year and I had no clue who was singing it. The 1 year anniversary of Selena's death was soon approaching. I didn't remember exactly when it was. I just knew it was getting close. Anyway, on March 31, 1996, I was watching TV and just switching channels when I passed by the Spanish channel and I saw this beautiful young lady singing in Spanish. She had on a white blouse with some black shorts that looked kinda like a skirt. She was very entertaining and her voice was very good. I had no clue whom she was but her talent was so impressive that I found myself glued to the TV set. When she finished singing and they went to a commercial, the title said, "Siempre Selena!" Was it her? Could it be her? YES! It was her! I was estatic because now I could finally see the real deal. I wanted to check her out for myself because I am a serious musician/entertainer and I don't give compliments very easily. You really got to earn 'em. Well, I popped in a videotape and started taping when Selena came back on, all-the-while I was checking out her talent and trying to get a glimpse of that perfectly round shaped butt too, ya know. hehehe... Man! This girl really had it! Her voice was so sweet and pure. She was so smooth with her performing and dancing. She was so loving and kind with her audience, kissing and hugging everyone and she never missed a note. I was amazed, truly amazed. I watched and taped that entire "Siempre Selena" special. And then they were playing "I Could Fall In Love With You." Oh my God! You mean that was Selena singing my favorite song? Wow! I had been a fan of hers really and didn't even know it! As it went on, I got to know more and more about Selena's personality. They showed her doing interviews speaking English and speaking Spanish. She was so friendly and she belted out a laugh that filled up a room with joy. She looked so good too. She made you want to look at her forever. When the special was over, I was so happy that I had taped it. I played it again and was really enjoying myself when all of a sudden it hit me.......this girl is dead. It seemed impossible. She seemed so much alive on those videotapes. It's like, as long as I watched the tapes, Selena was alive to me. How could she be dead? I was just really getting INTO her! I mean, I was hooked at this point. No one better say anything bad about Selena to me. She had proved herself to me more than enough. Her talent was not raw at all. Selena was the product of years of training, hard work, performing rigorously on the road and constant practice. You could tell. She was just TOO GOOD. Selena was as good as any American entertainer and in my book, Selena was the best......my heart became filled with sadness when I came to that realization. How could Yolanda Saldivar rob me, rob us, rob the entire world of such a tremendous talent and basically just a GREAT person? Selena was so down to earth. You could tell in her interviews. One thing rang true LOUD and CLEAR after watching all that videotape. Selena was no joke. She was for real. There is no doubt in my mind that had Selena lived, she would have been the next major crossover megastar. She would have been in the same category as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, however I really believe that Selena would have taken it to a higher level and surpassed all of them. Why? Because Selena is the only one out of all the female vocalists in the top 10 who had it ALL. Selena could sing with the best of 'em, she could dance with the best of 'em and there is no doubt that Selena was more beautiful than all of them combined. I can just cry when I think of what the world lost out on. It's just not right. If anyone out there is interested in knowing more about Selena's life, there is a great movie out simply called, "Selena" starring Jennifer Lopez in the lead role. I am so glad they picked Jennifer to play Selena. Jennifer did an excellent job in her portrayal of Selena. Jennifer is a fine mama too, but sorry Jen.....for me, there is still no comparison. The main thing that worried me when they were auditioning girls is were they gonna get a woman with a flat behind to play Selena. Man, that would have ruined it for me. It's no secret that Selena had a trademark tush and any actress trying to portray her who "didn't" have one would totally miss the mark. I must say that Jennifer has it going on in the "booty" department though, hehehe. I have my own personal copy of the "Selena" movie and I have watched it more times than I can remember. I would like to visit Corpus Christi one day. I want to see Selena's gravesite and the hotel where she was killed. I want to meet some people who knew her. I want to see where she grew up. I want to experience as much in Corpus Christi as I can. Then I will come home and post pictures and relay stories of my experiences in Corpus Christi here on my website. This is Selena's real funeral. People are passing by peacefully on this picture, however, soon everyone became frustrated because Selena's casket was closed. Selena's father finally had to open the casket to prove to everyone that Selena was really dead. "Rest in peace Selena and may God bless your soul." "We love you." "Dreaming Of You" by Selena is playing in the background. MIDI Sequence by Marcel Gonzalez. Back To Top
"Selena is my favorite female vocalist and I feel a very deep sorrow for her family. I hope to one day visit her gravesite in Corpus Christi, Texas where she lies peacefully. I also hope to meet her parents just to say, "thank you" for bringing such a marvelous talent and gorgeous young lady into this world to give hope to so many latinos all over the world." -- Vince Gibbs I remember it was March 31, 1995. I was performing at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas with a band called "Parti Gras." I was sharing a double room with our drummer, Lafayette Waters. I like to sleep during the morning and late afternoon. It was somewhere in the afternoon when I was awakened by my friend's voice in the next room saying, "Man!...Vince!....Come in here and look at this woman!.....She is FINE!" I immediately rose up and ran in there because it's not like me to pass up looking at a fine woman. When I got in there and looked at the TV, there she was......my first glimpse of Selena. I didn't have a clue as to who she was. She was performing on stage wearing that nice fitting purple outfit when Lafayette said, "Man, she got a nice butt on her! It's perfect." I couldn't agree more.They were saying that she had been shot earlier that day and was dead. I said, "Dead? What they mean dead? How can a woman that fine be dead?" Somehow, I immediately felt cheated. Well, at that point, I had no clue whether Selena could actually sing or perform. All I knew was that since Janet Jackson, Selena was the finest woman I had ever seen on TV.
I went back to bed, but I just kept thinking about this woman named Selena who was so fine yet she was dead. It's like the two just didn't fit together. I wanted to know more so I decided I was gonna watch the news later on and try to catch some more of that story. The rest of the day, I saw other newscasts reporting the same story and I kept getting a glimpse of that magnificent BODY this woman had. It was unreal. Finally, a woman who was tasteful and knew what men really liked and wasn't afraid to show it, but she was dead. WHY? I really wanted to know more.
Well, some days passed and soon I forgot all about Selena. I mean, until that day, I had never even heard of a Selena (whatever-her-last-name-was). I soon started to write her off as just some fine "wanna-be" latina entertainer who was just like all the rest of 'em to me. Nothing more than mediocre. I just never cared for latin entertainers.
A few months later when I had returned home from Taipei, Taiwan, I was talking with my girlfriend and she asked me if I had heard about this singer named Selena who got shot earlier that year. Of course I told her the only thing I knew about Selena which was, "Yeah, I heard about it. Man, that woman was FINE!" She told me she had a book telling Selena's story and that the book touched her in a special way. She kept reading that book over and over. Everyday when I would talk to her, she was always reading that book. I thought she was becoming obsessed with this Selena stuff and it wasn't healthy. I thought she needed to get a serious grip. Was she turning lesbian on me or something?
One day I called her house and she was crying. I said, "What you crying about?" She said, "It's that Yolanda Saldivar! I HATE HER! I HATE HER! I HATE HER!" I told her to tell me who was that and why did she hate her. This is when it started slowly affecting me. She started to reveal Selena's story to me and I thought it was so tragic to say the least.
After hearing Selena's story, I began acting like my girlfriend. I was so angry! How could Yolanda Saldivar shoot Selena when Selena's back was turned? What a coward! What a betrayer! What a low down dirty shame! (No pun intended) I told her to tell me everything about Selena she could think of. Wow, I couldn't believe it. What a sad story. I thought about Selena's story for days on end after that, but there was nothing I could do. I felt the same way my girlfriend did at that point. I HATED Yolanda Saldivar for what she did. It was so unnecessary! I wanted to do something to Yolanda, but what could I do? She was already in jail convicted of murdering Selena and sentenced to life in prison. I felt so helpless for Selena.
At this time, I still had not even really heard Selena sing. I was still hooked on her beauty alone. One day I heard this lovely song on the radio. It was "I Could Fall In Love With You." I had no idea who was singing it, but the singer's voice had me hooked, whomever she was. Yeah, that became one of my favorite ballads that year and I had no clue who was singing it.
The 1 year anniversary of Selena's death was soon approaching. I didn't remember exactly when it was. I just knew it was getting close. Anyway, on March 31, 1996, I was watching TV and just switching channels when I passed by the Spanish channel and I saw this beautiful young lady singing in Spanish. She had on a white blouse with some black shorts that looked kinda like a skirt. She was very entertaining and her voice was very good. I had no clue whom she was but her talent was so impressive that I found myself glued to the TV set.
When she finished singing and they went to a commercial, the title said, "Siempre Selena!" Was it her? Could it be her? YES! It was her! I was estatic because now I could finally see the real deal. I wanted to check her out for myself because I am a serious musician/entertainer and I don't give compliments very easily. You really got to earn 'em. Well, I popped in a videotape and started taping when Selena came back on, all-the-while I was checking out her talent and trying to get a glimpse of that perfectly round shaped butt too, ya know. hehehe...
Man! This girl really had it! Her voice was so sweet and pure. She was so smooth with her performing and dancing. She was so loving and kind with her audience, kissing and hugging everyone and she never missed a note. I was amazed, truly amazed. I watched and taped that entire "Siempre Selena" special. And then they were playing "I Could Fall In Love With You." Oh my God! You mean that was Selena singing my favorite song? Wow! I had been a fan of hers really and didn't even know it! As it went on, I got to know more and more about Selena's personality. They showed her doing interviews speaking English and speaking Spanish. She was so friendly and she belted out a laugh that filled up a room with joy. She looked so good too. She made you want to look at her forever.
When the special was over, I was so happy that I had taped it. I played it again and was really enjoying myself when all of a sudden it hit me.......this girl is dead. It seemed impossible. She seemed so much alive on those videotapes. It's like, as long as I watched the tapes, Selena was alive to me. How could she be dead? I was just really getting INTO her! I mean, I was hooked at this point. No one better say anything bad about Selena to me. She had proved herself to me more than enough. Her talent was not raw at all. Selena was the product of years of training, hard work, performing rigorously on the road and constant practice. You could tell. She was just TOO GOOD. Selena was as good as any American entertainer and in my book, Selena was the best......my heart became filled with sadness when I came to that realization. How could Yolanda Saldivar rob me, rob us, rob the entire world of such a tremendous talent and basically just a GREAT person? Selena was so down to earth. You could tell in her interviews. One thing rang true LOUD and CLEAR after watching all that videotape. Selena was no joke. She was for real.
There is no doubt in my mind that had Selena lived, she would have been the next major crossover megastar. She would have been in the same category as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, however I really believe that Selena would have taken it to a higher level and surpassed all of them. Why? Because Selena is the only one out of all the female vocalists in the top 10 who had it ALL. Selena could sing with the best of 'em, she could dance with the best of 'em and there is no doubt that Selena was more beautiful than all of them combined. I can just cry when I think of what the world lost out on. It's just not right.
If anyone out there is interested in knowing more about Selena's life, there is a great movie out simply called, "Selena" starring Jennifer Lopez in the lead role. I am so glad they picked Jennifer to play Selena. Jennifer did an excellent job in her portrayal of Selena. Jennifer is a fine mama too, but sorry Jen.....for me, there is still no comparison. The main thing that worried me when they were auditioning girls is were they gonna get a woman with a flat behind to play Selena. Man, that would have ruined it for me. It's no secret that Selena had a trademark tush and any actress trying to portray her who "didn't" have one would totally miss the mark. I must say that Jennifer has it going on in the "booty" department though, hehehe. I have my own personal copy of the "Selena" movie and I have watched it more times than I can remember.
I would like to visit Corpus Christi one day. I want to see Selena's gravesite and the hotel where she was killed. I want to meet some people who knew her. I want to see where she grew up. I want to experience as much in Corpus Christi as I can. Then I will come home and post pictures and relay stories of my experiences in Corpus Christi here on my website.
"Dreaming Of You" by Selena is playing in the background.
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