Born on 17 February 1940 in the suburb of Huentitan El Alto in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Fernandez spent his early years on his father Ramon's ranch on the outskirts of Guadalajara. He also worked at a young age as a waiter, dish washer, cashier, and finally manager of his uncle's restaurant. "Chente", as he was known to all, became fond of the idyllic ranch lifestyle. His mother often took him to see the films of Pedro Infante; he has said of these films' significance: "When I was 6 or 7, I would go see Pedro Infante's movies, and I would tell my mother, 'When I grow up, I'll be like him.'

In the spring of 1966, Javier Solis, Mexico's most popular traditional singer, died. Discos CBS, the recording label in the Mexican department of CBS Records International, offered Fernandez a recording contract. He released his first recording, "Perdoname", with the company in 1966; Fernandez still records for the label, which is now Sony Music Latin of Sony Music Entertainment.  He branched into acting with the 1971 film Tacos al Carbon. His first hit movie, for which he did the soundtrack, was 1974's La Ley del Monte. He stopped acting in 1991. Maintaining the ranchera tradition, Fernandez always performs wearing the charro, an embroidered suit and sombrero.  In 1970, just as Fernandez was about to go onstage, his father died. Overwhelmed by the tragic news but determined not to let the crowd go without a show, Fernandez went onstage and performed. By the end of the night the critics were comparing him to other famous ranchera artists like Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Jorge Negrete, and Javier Solis. Since then his music has expanded rapidly. In 1998, he continued to tour despite the kidnapping of his oldest son. (He was released 4 months later when ransom was paid.)  Fernandez has recorded more than 50 albums in 35 years and claims to have recorded 300 more songs, making another 30 albums possible even if he retires. When he records an album, he spends 12-13 hours in the studio recording up to 18 songs; he takes a day off, then returns for another marathon session of recording another 15 or more songs. From this accumulation, he and his producer choose 12 tracks. Fernandez's greatest hit was "Volver, volver," released in 1972; his first million-selling album was 1983's 15 Grandes con el numero uno. In 1987 he launched his first tour outside the United States and Mexico when he traveled to Bolivia and Colombia. On April 16, 2016 Vicente Fernandez performed for the last time in his career at Estadio Azteca effectively announcing his retirement.

Ask a question about this article.
What happened with Vicente Fernandezes Breathrough?