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Beto Quintanilla | |
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| Born | Norberto Quintanilla Minion May 23, 1948 Reynosa,Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Died | March 18, 2007 (age 58) Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Resting place | Panteón Valle De La Paz in Reynosa, Tamaulipas |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Spouse | Blanca Alicia Reyes |
| Relatives | Perla Quintanilla (niece) Chuy Quintanilla (brother) |
Norberto "Beto"Quintanilla Iracheta (May 23, 1948 – March 18, 2007) was aRegional Mexican singer and songwriter. He was known as "El Mero León delCorrido" (The Top Lion of the Corrido)
Beto Quintanilla was originally fromReynosa, a small town inTamaulipas. The date of his birth is unknown, but was some time around 1948. As a child, Quintanilla composed poems or odes to his mother, his teacher, his school, and his country. He left school after only a year of secondary education in order to work in fields alongside his father and his five brothers. His extended family also included three male relatives and two women. The farm was not enough to support the entire family and when he was 13 years old, young Beto relocated toReynosa, Tamaulipas, where he had found a job milking cows. He did this for a year, and then worked with an aunt in a clothing store for several years.
Quintanilla never had any formal musical training. Although he had always written poetry and songs, musical instruments and musical training were scarce, and he knew few musicians. However, at some time during his life on the ranch, he did meet a pair of musicians who playedbajo sexto andaccordion. He began writing songs for them, and then songs for other groups. Eventually he came to the attention of Ruben Polanco, the artistic director of a record company, and Polanco encouraged him to sing his songs himself. Apparently Quintanilla initially objected that he did not know how to sing and felt out of place when he sang. Polanco told him not to waste time [with excuses], that he (Polanco) wanted to sign artists like Quintanilla, and that he (Quintanilla) had a unique style and presence.
Quintanilla died inReynosa on March 18, 2007. The cause of death was a heart attack, said to be related to a drug overdose.[1]
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