Column | Chente personified everything about Mexicans, and he related to them all

Vicente ‘Chente’ Fernández – who died early this morning at the age of 81 – personified everything Mexican in those of us blessed with bloodlines to the land of the Aztecs.

The iconic singer ranks up there with Pedro Infante, José Alfredo Jiménez, Jorge Negrete, Javier Solís and Juan Gabriel as the greatest singers México has produced.

It’s no hyperbole when you say Chente was one of a kind. The king of rancheras. The soul of the common man.

Don’t believe me?

This is what he said at one of his concerts: “I have always believed in this world that we have two kinds of people: The rich who are very poor, and the poor who are very rich.”

No one sang better of heartbreak, courtship, horses, drinking, found love, rodeos and life’s ups and downs.

He did it with passion, fire and 100% commitment.

He was charismatic. Just a flash of his smile was enough to create frenzy at a concert venue.

He was determined. He worked as a painter, bricklayer, restaurant cashier and cabinetmaker … in his teenage years!

He was loyal to his fans, performing in smaller venues as well as large arenas.

Chente did not need flashy fireworks, or high-tech stages, to please his fans. His velvety voice was all they desired.

He was macho, perhaps too much by a fault after women complained recently that he was too hands-on during photo opportunities.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a teen or a retiree, his music was your soundtrack.

I grew up in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez region, where Chente’s music became a regular staple on the radio. Since then, I’ve admired Fernández’s resilience as the music world traveled from albums to cassette tapes to CDs to streaming.

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His audience never shrank. In fact, it grew at a time when hip-hop, reggaeton and other genres began to seep into – and find success in – the Spanish-language scene.

He has recorded hundreds of songs that have yet to be released, which means his music will continue to last.

Someone on Twitter mentioned that everyone has a Chente story.

True.

Here’s mine from 2002, when Fernández earned his first Grammy Award despite decades of success.

He was so happy to meet the press after getting the award, that he actually tapped me on my shoulder while he grinned from ear to ear as he made his way into the media room.

Despite classics like ‘Volver, Volver’ (Return, Return) and his version of the Jiménez classic ‘El Rey’ (The King) which made him the most consequential ranchera singer of his generation, a Grammy Award as the only thing that eluded him.

Why?

“I have always said that I had been nominated for many years and it seemed like they only wanted to use the Vicente Fernández name,” Chente told us. “I believe right now that it remains very clear that the public wanted Vicente Fernández to receive what the public has given him.”

He had his suspicions about the Grammy.

“Sometimes they commit an injustice solely because the one who deserves it can’t attend the ceremony because he is performing somewhere and they just give the award to someone else … and that is not just.”

True to his fans, Chente said an award “is worth absolutely nothing if one didn’t have the support, the love and the applause of you.”

Today, those fans are applauding his gift of music.

Juan Esparza Loera is editor of Vida en el Valle. Send comments to: jesparza@vidaenelvalle.com