On: May 8 at 10:35 AM
Above illustration by Rick Hudock / 209Vibe
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story also appears in the May edition of the 209Vibe newspaper. To find out where you can pick up a copy, click here.)
You know what’s harder than tracking down an internationally recognized music star for an interview?
Tracking down a king.
Vicente Fernandez has been hailed as “El Rey” (The King) of mariachi — the musical soul of Mexico — for four decades.
“He’s like Elvis Presley,” said Jose “Dinamita” Rodriguez, operations manager of Stockton-based Spanish radio station La Poderosa, KSTN 107.3 FM.
Fernandez has been compared to great mariachi stars of the past, including Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete, and on May 11, he’ll perform at Stockton Arena.
Only 100 of 11,500 tickets for the concert were unsold by late April, making it the biggest event held at the arena since it opened in 2005. The previous record for arena ticket sales, 9,847, was also held by Fernandez, for his 2007 concert.
I’ve had the chance to explore his fame in my quest to interview him, which has been unsuccessful so far. I also found out how difficult he is to interview: Fernandez only granted two interviews during his 2007 U.S. tour of 11 venues, and his management and other promoters repeatedly said he doesn’t talk with the media.
“It’s just seems that (family and management) are very protective of him,” said Fred Godinez, the Stockton promoter behind Fernandez’s Stockton Arena concert. They go to great lengths to protect El Rey, even using look-alikes to distract the attention of fans when he leaves hotels.
But the security efforts are warranted. In 1997, Fernandez’s son Vicente Fernandez Jr. was kidnapped by a gang. The gang amputated two of the son’s fingers and held him for four months in Mexico until a ransom was paid.
In March, the Mexican attorney general announced that eight of 17 gang members had been sentenced to 50 years in prison. The others each faced sentences of 13 years.
Through it all, Fernandez has continued to show tons of love for his fans. In most performances, he sings for three or four hours with no predetermined set. Instead, he takes requests from the audience, helping to build a tight rapport with his followers.
One Stockton media outlet had a chance encounter with Fernandez recently.
Rodriguez said he was outside Fernandez’s hotel in Southern California several months ago and happened to catch El Rey for just enough time to record a seconds-long promo for La Poderosa.
“It was by chance,” Rodriguez said. “It was just one of those things when he was in a relaxed mood.”
