Fernández is always grito-worthy

Mexican superstar and horseman Vicente Fernández is known as “El Rey de la Ranchera” (The King of Ranchera music), but he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth as is the case with most royalty.

His roots are far more humble. He was born to a poor family in Jalisco, Mexico. And is perhaps why the beloved singer and movie star is known as “Chente” by his down-home fans.

It’s a far cry from the majestic image in his charro outfit, giant sombrero and with holster and gun — or the Grammy awards and star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for that matter.

“You don’t have to tell me about poverty. I lived with it for a long time. That’s why I really identify with the less fortunate,” Fernández, 69, told the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

“El Rey” rolls into the AT&T Center at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Fernández, who’s riding high with the new hit album “Necesito de ti,” made his name with Mariachi Águila, which was led by José Luis Águila.

The handsome singer often referred to Aguilar as his guardian angel.

“Ranchera music is my life,” Fernández said in the same interview. “It’s the oxygen that I need.”

One of his signature songs — songwriter Jose Alfredo Jimenez’s “El Rey” — was recently covered by another kingly figure, country music legend George Strait.