Originally part of a traveling theater company, Aceves began recording for the first time in 1938 with the trio Los Porteños.

He was the first Mexican folkloric singer to travel around the American continent with world tours, accompanied by the Mariachi Vargas of Tecatitlán.

His fame took him in a tour to Spain where he filmed two movies with the great actress and singer La Faraona Lola Flores.

He was noted for composing such songs as El Pescado Nadador and Oh, Gran Dios, even though his forté was primarily as a singer in his own right.

In 1945, Aceves began dedicating himself solely to singing and, following the deaths of Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete, ventured into the world of cinema.