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Vicente Fern谩ndez by Rgr Mariachi from
Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Vicente Fern谩ndez
Vicente Fern谩ndez popular as Chente was a renowned Mexican singer and songwriter. You probably have heard one or two of his songs in either weddings or even birthday celebrations. He put his mark as a cultural icon yet he only started as a busker in his early career strides.
He sold over 50 million copies worldwide which put him right at the top of bestselling regional Mexican artists of all time. With over 100 albums under his catalog and contributions to over thirty film shows, he won a Grammy and various Latina awards.
He later chose to retire from live performance but continued creating and publishing more of his work. We, unfortunately, lost the great talent on 12 December 2021.
Here are the top 10 interesting truths about Vicente Fern谩ndez.
1. Vicente Fern谩ndez grew up in Tijuana though born in Huentitan El Alto
Vicente Fern谩ndez, Mexican folk singer and actor by Luis Fujarte from
Vicente Fern谩ndez was born on 17 February 1940 in the little village of Huentitan El Alto. Vicente was born into a family of ranchers. His father managed the ranch and his mother was a housewife.
According to Vicente’s accounts, his early unforgettable memories were his mother taking him to the theatre to watch the famous Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete movies. His first introduction to the theatre world was when he was about 7 years. He remembered telling his mother he wanted to be like the film stars.
At age 8 his music passion grew when he was gifted a guitar. He started practicing the guitar while learning folk music. He finished elementary school and his family had to move due to financial difficulties. They moved to the new Tijuana city.
Tijuana is where he spent a lot of his teenage years. He worked various jobs as a bricklayer, painter, and cabinetmaker. He worked and usually sang afterward which made him get a lot of jobs. Especially those that were construction related, they enjoyed his singing after a day’s strenuous work.
2. Vicente Fern谩ndez got a guitar that ignited his musical talent
Vicente began his musical career when he got his first guitar and as he was practicing he was also studying fork music. Then later in his teenage age when he began working he also doubled as a musician.
When he was fourteen he began to take singing seriously and even joined a couple of mariachi bands. The mariachi band included Mariachi Amanecer de Pepe Mendoza and Mariachi de Jos茅 Luis Aguilar.
Afterward, he participated in radio programs that formed his local fan base. His debut on screen was a television show called La calandria musical. This was his first paying show.
3. Vicente’s son was born the same year his mother died
Vicente married his wife Maria de Refugio on 27th December 1963. They had their first son who was born premature and had to be incubated at home due to Vicente’s inability to pay the hospital bill. That year was bitter and sweet because it was the year his son was born and also the same year his beloved mother died.
4. Vicente Fern谩ndez moved to Mexico City to fulfill his musical ambition
Vicente Fern谩ndez by Eustaquio Ochoa from
Vicente had to move to Mexico City to chase his music dream. This was in 1965 when he attempted to seek an offer from the record companies in Mexico. The first few attempts were not successful. The prominent singer Javier Solis was at his height of stardom and so newcomers like Vicente were not highly regarded.
Fern谩ndez managed to get an opportunity at one radio show, the XEX-AM which was the biggest radio program in the country back then. A few days after receiving the opportunity Javier Solis the popular singer died unexpectedly in April 1966.
Javier’s death led to Vicente getting an offer with CBS Mexico which was a recording label in the Mexican department. This offer led to the production of Vicente’s first album. It was packed with songs like Tu Camino y El M铆o and Perd贸name which were a commercial success.
5. Vicente’s music success came in the 1970s
His music career started to take off after a decade of years of working on his music. With the death of music icons in the ranchera genre, people started to recognize him and his work in the industry.
During this period, he released albums like La Voz Que estabas Esperando and El Rey, El Hijo del pueblo, and Para recorda which went on to sell over a million copies.
1976 was one of his favorite and most successful years. It was the year when he released the Volver Volver song which was written in 1972. This was the song that pushed him to stardom.
The song was not only famous in Mexico but also in America based on the sales it brought. The song was so popular that it had over twenty covers by successful musicians like Nana Mouskouri.
6. Vicente entered the ranchera music genre starting in 1980
Vicente Fern谩ndez by Petruss from
Vicente in1980 switched the style of music he did. He went from churning out bolero ranchero to ranchera that focused on migration. The song Los Mandados explains Mexican migration to the United States of America. In the same year, he was able to build his ranch which later became the center of his music production.
In the year 1983, he released an album that was the first to sell over a million copies. The following year he hosted the first concert that held almost 54000 people. In 1987 he sold his first outside concert in the United States of America.
7. Vicente Fern谩ndez’s son was kidnapped in 1998
The year 1998 was probably one of the worst years for the singer. His fame led to the kidnapping of Vicente Jnr by the macho dedos. They demanded a ransom for the son to be released. The singer paid slightly over half and later his son was realized after 121 days outside his family ranch.
The most surprising bit was he continued performing with his son to depict that everything was normal while he was trying to get back his son from the kidnappers. He was able to negotiate with them without the help of the police. But in 2008 justice prevailed as the kidnappers were jailed for 50 years.
8. Vicente’s acting career lasted about 20 years
Vicente contributed to over 30 films in his career. His first appearance in acting was in 1971. His last film role was in 1991 before he decided to devote himself only to his music career. During his time as an actor, he was able to work alongside other film greats.
9. Fern谩ndez Vicente retired due to health challenges
Vicente Fern谩ndez by Julio Enriquez from
In the year 2012 Vicente announced his retirement from live performance due to various health conditions. He continued to create and publish his albums.
10. He received many awards
Vicente was one of the cultural legends of the world. He had over 65 million sold records that consisted of 800 albums and more than 300 songs. This led him to win various awards like 9 Latin Grammy awards and four Grammy awards and 11 Lo Nuestro Awards. He was celebrated as a model on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Vicente Fern谩ndez was one of the greatest Mexican musicians to ever live. Besides the awards to appreciate his outstanding work, his songs remain international tunes. The Volver Volver song is one such. Many of his songs will keep his legacy alive for generations because they’re ever playing in celebrations even today.
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