Ricky Vela is an American songwriter who has written songs since 1986. Vela's credits includes written material for Selena y Los Dinos, , 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