Ricky Vela is an American songwriter who has written songs since 1986. Vela's credits includes written material for Selena y Los Dinos, Leones Del Norte, Mazz, Pete Astudillo, Thalía, Cristian Castro, David Lee Garza, and A. B. Quintanilla's band Kumbia Kings. Vela came to prominence as a songwriter after he was hired as the keyboardist for Selena y Los Dinos in 1986. His first songwriting credit was on "Dame un Beso", a collaborative effort with A. B. Quintanilla, for Selena's Alpha (1986) album. "Dame un Beso" was nominated at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards for Single of the Year and Song of the Year, and became Selena's first critically acclaimed single. "Dame tu Amor" was the first recording Vela co-wrote with the manager of Selena y Los Dinos, Abraham Quintanilla. The tracks "Dame un Beso" and "Dame tu Amor" received a resurgence in popularity in the 21st century. "Dame tu Amor" peaked at number 31 on the Hot Ringtones chart in 2006 following the release of Classic Series Vol. I. Following the release of Selena: The Series (2020–21), "Dame un Beso" peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Latin Digital Song Sales chart. Vela wrote "Quiero Estar Contigo" for Selena in 1988, it was later covered by Tejano music band Leones del Norte in 1992.

In 1993, Vela wrote "Tu Robaste Mi Corazon", a duet with Selena featuring Emilio Navaira for the singer's Selena Live! album. Vela also wrote "No Debes Jugar" for Selena Live!; the song peaked at number three on the Hot Latin Songs chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) which denotes 60,000 units consisting of sales and on-demand streaming. For Selena's Amor Prohibido (1994), Vela wrote or cowrote "El Chico del Apartamento 512", "Tus Desprecios", "Ya No", "Fotos y Recuerdos", and "No Me Queda Más". "No Me Queda Más" peaked at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart, it became the most successful US Latin single of 1995. Singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde initially prevented the band from releasing "Fotos y Recuerdos" after she found out it sampled her "Back on the Chain Gang" (1983) single. She eventually allowed the band to include it on Amor Prohibido after Vela provided an English-language translation of the track for Hynde. "Fotos y Recuerdos" peaked at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart following the shooting death of Selena on March 31, 1995. Vela remained an active presence in the music industry and provided songs he wrote to various artists, with his final songwriting credit "Contigo" which was written for Kumbia Kings in 2003. The track "Lo Dejo Solo" which was penned by Vela in 1986 was shelved and remained unreleased until 2006 on the posthumously released Classic Series, Vol. I.

Songs

+Key Indicates song written solely by Ricky Vela

+ Name of song, featured performers, writer(s), original release, and year of releaseSongArtist(s)Writer(s)AlbumYear "Amándote"ThalíaA. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaEn Extasis1995 "Always Mine"SelenaA. B. Quintanilla, Ricky Vela, Selena Quintanilla-PerezDulce Amor1988 "Contigo"Kumbia KingsA. B. Quintanilla, Jesse García, Humberto García, Ricky Vela42003 "Carino Mio"Selena Ricky Vela Preciosa1988 "Carino, Carino Mio"Selena Ricky Vela Dulce Amor1988 "Como Te Quiero"Selena Ricky Vela Preciosa1988 "Como Quisiera"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaPreciosa1988 "Cuando Despierto"Selena Ricky Vela Muñequito De Trapo1987 "Dame un Beso"SelenaA. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaAlpha1986 "Dime Porque"Kumbia Kings A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaShhh!2001 "Dime Quién"Kumbia Kings A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaAmor, Familia y Respeto1999 "Estúpido Romántico"Mazz Pete Astudillo, Ricky VelaSólo para Ti1995 "Esperandote" A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaEl Deseo de Oír Tu Voz1996 "El Tejano"SelenaManny Guerra, Ricky VelaAlpha1986 "El Chico del Apartamento 512"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaAmor Prohibido1994 "El Circo"Selena Ricky Vela Muñequito De Trapo1987 "Fotos y Recuerdos"Selena Chrissie Hynde, Ricky VelaAmor Prohibido1994 "Fuiste Mala"Kumbia Kings A. B. Quintanilla, Cruz Martínez, Ricky VelaAmor, Familia y Respeto1999 "Las Cadenas"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaEntre a Mi Mundo1992 "Lo Dejo Solo"Selena Ricky Vela Classic Series, Vol. I2006 "Me Estoy Muriendo"Kumbia Kings A. B. Quintanilla, Luigi Giraldo, Ricky VelaShhh!2001 "No Debes Jugar"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaSelena Live!1993 "No Llores Mas Corazon"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaDulce Amor1988 "No Me Queda Más"Selena Ricky Vela Amor Prohibido1994 "Pensando en Ti"Selena Roger Garcia, Ricky VelaAlpha1986 "Quiero Estar Contigo"Selena, Leones Del Norte A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky Vela Preciosa, Las Botas Rotas1988, 1992 "Quisiera Darte"Selena Ricky Vela Dulce Amor1988 "Sabes"Selena Ricky Vela Preciosa1988 "Si La Quieres"Selena Ricky Vela Ven Conmigo1990 "Soy Amiga"Selena Ricky Vela Alpha1986 "Tengo Ganas de Llorar"SelenaA. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaSelena1989 "Te Quiero, Te Amo" Ricky Vela Tour 981998 "Te Quiero a Ti"Kumbia Kings A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaAmor, Familia y Respeto1999 "Tus Desprecios"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaAmor Prohibido1994 "Tu No Sabes"Selena Ricky Vela And the Winner Is...1987 "Tu Robaste Mi Corazon"Selena featuring A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaSelena Live!1993 "Ven a Verme"Selena Roger Garcia, Ricky VelaAnd the Winner Is...1987 "Vuelvo"MazzRicky VelaLo Haré Por Ti1992 "Ya No"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaAmor Prohibido1994 "Yo Estaré A Tu Lado" Pete Astudillo, Ricky VelaComo Te Extraño1995 "Yo Te Sigo Queriendo"Selena A. B. Quintanilla, Ricky VelaEntre a Mi Mundo1992

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