Vicente Fernández

Vicente Fernández, the undisputed king of rancheras, is making a comeback – of sorts.

Fernández, or "Chente" (short for Vicente), never really went away. The 68-year-old from Huentitán, Jalisco, México is enjoying a resurgence as two of his albums, Historia De Un Ídolo and Para Siempre, sit in the top 10 of the Billboard Latin Albums chart. Released late last year and written by fellow Mexican ranchera legend Joán Sebastian, Para Siempre celebrates Chente’s 40 years in music. Both the title track and Estos Celos have given Fernández – who has released over 50 albums – two of his biggest hits in recent history.

Beloved by fans for passionate live performances that sometimes stretch over three hours, Fernández's rise to fame is a true rags-to-riches story. A former shoe shine boy and waiter, Fernández became "Mexico’s greatest living mariachi singer" with songs like Volver, Volver and De Que Manera Te Olvido. But his anthem, undoubtedly, is El Rey, an ironic, boastful track that verges on the tragic and has closed down parties for decades:

Money or no money, I always do what I want and my word is the law.
I don’t have a throne nor a queen, or anyone that understands me, but I'm still the king.

More than forty years into his career, Fernández, father of ranchera and pop singer Alejandro Fernández, isn't ready to pass the torch to his handsome son just yet. Referring to himself in the third person, he assures his loyal fandom: "Tienen Chente para rato, porque hasta que ustedes lo quieran su Chente les seguirá cantando."