A.B. Quintanilla III Presents Kumbia Kings

They’re already one of the most influential groups in Latin music, having pioneered the urban Latino genre and spawned imitator after imitator. With FUEGO, A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS are destined to remain Latin music standard-setters and will reach an even broader international audience. .. It’s a title that everyone can understand – one simple word that tells us what A.B. Quintanilla III & Kumbia Kings are bringing on this album – FUEGO. The fire of this EMI LATIN release spreads to retail on October 5. .. The first single from FUEGO is the title track – an irresistible call to the dance floor that features intense vallenato accordion, funky guitar, and beats that will get everything shaking within a two-block radius. .. To get the FUEGO started across the Americas, A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS will soon be kicking off their tour, hitting over 20 cities in the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico. .. Produced by A.B. QUINTANILLA III and CRUZ MARTINEZ, FUEGO is the result of a great deal of hard work, creative inspiration, and cutting-edge savvy. .. FUEGO is an album that continues the group’s internationalization – since 1998, Kumbia Kings have been one of the most exciting and popular groups on the regional Mexican scene with their fusion of cumbia, hip-hop, reggae and other rhythms. In the last two years, thanks to its remix albums and collaborations with artists such as Aleks Syntek and Juan Gabriel, the group has made itself known in the Latin pop world and on the club scene. .. Showing an unprecedented musical maturity, the group has incorporated a broad variety of influences and slamming beats. The 11 songs of FUEGO comprise a complete album – it’s not one of those records that only goes one or two hits deep. FUEGO is a lot of fun and is meant to bring together romantics and dancers, and people of all races. .. A.B. QUINTANILLA III and CRUZ MARTINEZ maintain their roles as leaders of the group, as they have since its inception. Meanwhile, other elements of the lineup have been retooled – the 2004 incarnation of KUMBIA KINGS includes Abel, Nando, Pangie and Peewee on vocals and Nino B rapping and dancing. .. The new members represent the best young talent that Latin music has to offer, and audiences who’ve seen them in action are thrilled about the new look. .. Here’s a preview of FUEGO… .. Producers A.B. QUINTANILLA III and CRUZ MARTINEZ once again prove that their musical tastes run the gamut, and that there’s no way they can be pigeonholed. They’ve recorded a pair of interesting covers – “Y Ella Sabe,” a seductive remake of Steely Dan’s 1972 smash “Do It Again.” They’ve also revived a tongue-in-cheek classic, “Pass the Dutchie,” the 1983 hit by Musical Youth whose lyrics will surely cause knowing smiles among those who enjoyed Kumbia Kings’ 2002 version of “La Cucaracha.” “Pass the Dutchie” is one of two cuts in English, along with the R&B track “If You Leave.” .. NOEL SCHAJRIS, of the soulful duo Sin Bandera, wrote “Parte de mi Corazón,” and he duets with the group on the song’s ballad and cumbia versions. A.B. QUINTANILLA III’s production talent makes both versions stand on their own. .. The lovely 15-year-old Spanish-Mexican singer-actress BELINDA adds a socially conscious contribution to FUEGO, dulcetly harmonizing with the Kings’ Peewee González on the acoustic-framed “QUIEN,” which deals with the plight of street children. .. KUMBIA KINGS smoke out the haters on the techno-cumbia “Bla, Bla, Bla,” featuring MC JAPON. He’s the leader of LA PURA NETA, a new group produced by A.B. that we’ll be hearing more from shortly. .. Other cuts from FUEGO include “Viento,” “Ay Amor,” “Perdóname” and “Na, Na, Na (Dulce Niña).” .. A.B. QUINTANILLA III, THE TOP ‘KING .. A.B. QUINTANILLA III founded Kumbia Kings in 1999; taking them to unprecedented heights of success in the Latin music world. They’ve sold millions of albums and won awards and nominations from the American Music Awards, Latin Grammys, Tejano Music Awards, Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro and Billboard Latin Music Awards, among others. .. The group’s visionary outlook springs from the creative force of A.B. QUINTANILLA III. He’s the only producer, composer and musician who’s in demand in genres as diverse as regional Mexican, Latin pop, tropical, and Tejano. His influences, meanwhile, range from R&B, pop, hip-hop, reggae and rock to rap, techno-funk, acid, and house. .. A.B. QUINTANILLA III, the oldest child of Marcela and Abraham Quintanilla II, was born in Toppenish, Washington. A few years later, the Quintanilla family moved to Lake Jackson, Texas, where his sisters Suzette and Selena were born. .. When the family moved again, to Corpus Christi, the kids’ lives took a 180-degree turn – they were surrounded by Hispanic culture for the first time. It was a culture shock, but a positive one. A.B. quickly absorbed the influences and in 1984 became musical director of the Tejano group Selena y Los Dinos. .. By 1990, Selena y Los Dinos had signed with EMI LATIN and were becoming known as one of Tejano’s most exciting young groups. The dues-paying was finally bearing fruit. A.B. was producing and co-writing songs that were becoming legendary in the voice of the immortal Selena. Among them were sweet, quirky gems like “La Carcacha” and “El Chico del Apartamento 512” whose beats got audiences dancing and whose lyrics painted perceptive vignettes of daily life. .. In 1994, A.B. QUINTANILLA III won a Grammy as producer of SELENA LIVE. He also won the first of what would be many awards from the songwriters’ organization BMI. .. On March 31, 1995, grief struck the Quintanilla family and the entire music world, when Selena’s life was tragically cut short at age 23. Her death made a mark on her brother A.B.’s musical personality, and left a permanent scar on his soul. It would be more than a year before he could think about making music again. .. But he’d promised Selena that he’d keep going, no matter what, and he gradually recovered the strength and inspiration needed to return to his calling. In 1997, A.B. QUINTANILLA III worked with the Mexican pop princess Thalía, producing her hit “Amándote.” Soon after, he was back in the game, working with a diverse group of Latin music stars, including Verónica Castro, Cristian Castro, Olga Tañón, Paulina Rubio and Ricky Martin. .. In 1999, A.B. QUINTANILLA III made his long-awaited return to live performing as producer, songwriter, musical director and bass player of Kumbia Kings. Initially an eight-member band, the group debuted with Amor, Familia y Respeto, which featured such guest artists as Sheila E, tropical-cumbia sax man Fito Olivares, Nu Flavor, the Puerto Rican rapper Vico-C, and the funkmeister Roger Troutman, in one of his last performances before his untimely death on April 25, 1999. .. Featuring such hits as “Azucar” and “Fuiste Mala,” Amor, Familia y Respeto has gone on to sell over ONE MILLION UNITS in Mexico and the United States. .. In February 2001, Kumbia Kings returned with Shhh!, which remained on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart for nearly 100 consecutive weeks and produced hits “Boom Boom” and the title track. .. The group released its first remix album, All Mixed Up: Los Remixes, in October 2002. It featured “La Cucaracha” and sold over 200,000 units. .. Featuring cuts in Spanish and in English, Kumbia Kings’ groundbreaking studio album 4, released in March 2003, was critically hailed and expanded the group’s prestige internationally with hits like “No Tengo Dinero” and “Insomnio.” .. Truly a step forward, 4 fused styles such as pop, reggae, hip-hop and vallenato, and featured great guest artists representing the spectrum of Latin music – talents such as Juan Gabriel, Aleks Syntek, El Gran Silencio and Ozomatli. .. 4 earned A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS the following nominations: .. * 2004 Premios De La Gente – Artist of the Year, Overall Artist of the Year, Duo or Group * 4th Annual Latin Grammy - Best Pop Album By A Duo Or Group With Vocal * 2003 American Music Awards - Favorite Artist - Latin Music * 2004 Billboard Latin Music Awards 1) Hot Latin Track of the Year, Vocal Duet - "No Tengo Dinero" 2) Hot Latin Track of the Year, Vocal Duet - "Mi Gente" * 2004 Tejano Music Awards 1) Song of The Year 2) Album of the Year - Group 3) Showband of the Year 4) Tejano Crossover Song of the Year .. 4 also garnered the group the following awards: * 2004 Premio Lo Nuestro (Univision) 1) Group or Duo of the Year 2) Song of the Year * 2004 Billboard Latin Music Awards 1) Latin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group .. Previous to the trophies for 4, A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS have also won four Billboard Latin Music Awards, 17 Tejano Music Awards, four Premios Furia Musical (México), one Premio de La Gente, two awards from the music-store chain Ritmo Latino and one Premio lo Nuestro, among others. .. The group released a career retrospective, La Historia, in October 2003. The album debuted at No. 1 on the SoundScan sales chart for the week ending November 1, 2003, making it the week’s best-selling Latin album in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. .. DJs and clubbers received another treat in April 2004 with the release of Los Remixes 2.0. This album provided a preview of the group’s international style and new lineup, with the addition of vocalists Peewee González, Frank Pangelinan, Jacob Ceniceros and Abel Talamantez. .. The album’s promotional single, a cover of Menudo’s “SABES A CHOCOLATE,” has been nominated in the PREMIOS JUVENTUD (Youth Awards) 2004 in the “CANCION ROMPEHIELO” (Icebreaking Song) category.