Vicente Fernández’s Legacy Continues With New Album ‘Le Canta a los Grandes Compositores’

The posthumous album includes 20 of 200 songs that the artist left recorded.

The musical legacy of Vicente Fernández continues to grow two years after his passing. In the years prior to his death, the greatest exponent of ranchera music recorded 200 songs that will be published in a series of albums starting this Thursday (Aug. 10), when Vicente Fernández Le Canta a Los Grandes Compositores is set to be released under Sony Music Mexico, Billboard Español has learned.

The first installment includes 20 songs by great Mexican songwriters of the 20th century. Ten of them are classics recorded for the first time by the Charro de Huentitán, as Fernández was also known, including “La Media Vuelta,” “Tú, Sólo Tú” and “A la Orilla de un Palmar.” One of them — “Amor de Los Dos” by Gilberto Parra, which Fernández had already recorded — is a gem rescued from a vinyl album originally released in 1975 that, after being discontinued, never appeared on another record until now.

Known for classics such as “Volver Volver,” “El Rey,” “Por Tu Maldito Amor” and “Estos Celos,” among many others, Fernández passed away on December 12, 2021 at the age of 81 after suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Over the course of his career, Fernández recorded more than 100 albums and had 40 entries on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, 26 of them in the top 10 and six at No. 1. On Hot Latin Songs he had 65 total entries, including 20 top 10s and one No. 1 (“El Último Beso” from 2009, which led for a week). He also holds the records for most entries in Hot Latin Songs for a regional Mexican solo artist, with 65; most entries on Regional Mexican Albums for a solo artist with 54 and most No. 1s for a Regional Mexican solo artist in that same list, with 17.

“I have many songs recorded and they are saved, one day my company will release them,” Fernández said repeatedly, according to a press statement shared with Billboard.

Below, the complete list of songs included inVicente Fernández Le Canta a los Grandes Compositores, with the name of their respective author. (With * the songs recorded for the first time by the singer).

1. * “La Media Vuelta” – José Alfredo Jiménez
2. * “Échame a Mí la Culpa” – José Ángel Espinosa “Ferrusquilla”
3. * “Tú, Sólo Tú” – Felipe Valdez Leal
4. “Qué de Raro Tiene” – Martín Urieta
5. * “Nunca, Nunca, Nunca” – Ignacio Fernández Esperón
6. “Por Si No Te Vuelvo a Ver” – María Grever
7. “La Muerte de un Gallero” – Tomás Méndez
8. “Parece Que Fue Ayer” – Armando Manzanero
9. “De Qué Manera Te Olvido” – Federico Méndez
10. * “A la Orilla de un Palmar” – Manuel M. Ponce
11. “La Diferencia” – Juan Gabriel
12. * “Te Parto el Alma” – Cuco Sánchez
13. “Amor de los Dos” – Gilberto Parra
14. “Un Millón de Primaveras” – Joan Sebastian
15. * “Un Viejo Amor” – Alfonso Esparza Oteo
16. * “Aunque Tengas Razón” – Consuelo Velázquez
17. “Señora de Tal” – Roberto Cantoral
18. “Sabrá Dios” – Álvaro Carrillo
19. * “Golondrina Aventurera” – Víctor Cordero
20. * “Aquel Amor” – Agustín Lara

By Tere Aguilera

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for LARAS