Johnny Hernandez and Chente Barrera working on collaboration, executive producer confirms

Chente Barrera and Johnny Hernandez, Courtesy photos

In recent days, rumors have been spinning about a possible collaboration between Tejano music legend Johnny Hernandez and Chente Barrera.

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The rumors are true, it’s definitely happening, and it’s coming very soon.

Executive producer Xavier A. Chavarrilla spoke exclusively with Tejano Nation to share details of the upcoming track. He says the idea to recreate a classic song from Hernandez started to come together about six months ago after speaking with the Tejano music legend.

“Johnny wanted to do it with Chente,” Chavarilla said. “We want to do it very different. We want to take away the ‘Familia’ sound, and let Chente put his own flavor into this classic.”

Barrera spoke to Tejano Nation sharing his initial hesitation to recreating a classic song, “I mean, you wouldn’t wanna re-do ‘Thriller’ right?”

“Once me and Johnny got to talking and he told me he wanted me to make it my own, then we really got the wheels turning,” added Barerra.

Chavarilla urged Tejano Nation that this track was going to be taken to another level.

In addition to the new collaboration, Chavarrilla has acquired the services of award-winning director, Efrain Gutierrez Jr., known for his work Trap Plane, to direct the music video alongside him.

While we can not release the name of the record at this time, Tejano Nation can assure that it is a very recognizable track from Johnny y La Familia.

Hernandez was part of the Chicano music movement with the Latinaires and Little Joe Y La Familia and author of The Cotton Picker – An Odyssey, a book that chronicles his life from the fields of Texas to performing at major venues across the country.

Barrera is a Grammy-winning singer and musician, who has spent over two decades in Tejano music and just released a live concert album 20 Años En Vivo.

The collaboration from Hernandez and Barrera is set to be complete within the coming weeks and will be released exclusively with Tejano Nation.

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