Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. He is known for playing Norteño,

Tex Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United ...

and

Tejano music Tejano music ( es, música tejana), also known as Tex-Mex music, is a popular music style fusing Mexican and US influences. Typically, Tejano combines Mexican Spanish vocal styles with dance rhythms from Czech and German genres – particular ...

. Jiménez has been a solo performer and

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, as well as a member of the

Texas Tornados Texas Tornados is a Tejano supergroup, composed of some of country music's biggest artists who modernized the Tex-Mex style including Flaco Jiménez, Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm, and Freddy Fender. Its music is a fusion of conjunto (German and N ...

and Los Super Seven. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he has received numerous awards and honors, including Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Grammys, Americana Music Awards,

Tejano Music Awards The Tejano Music Awards (TMA) is an accolade created by former arts teacher and musician Rudy Trevino in 1980. The accolade recognizes outstanding performers of Tejano music, a German polka-based Latin music genre recorded in Spanish or English-la ...

, and ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' magazine.

Early life

Jiménez, who is of Mexican descent, was born in

in 1939. He is descended from a line of musicians, including his father Santiago Jiménez Sr., and his grandfather Patricio Jiménez. He began performing at the age of seven with his father, a pioneer of

conjunto The term ''conjunto'' (, literally 'group', 'ensemble') refers to several types of small musical ensembles present in different Latin American musical traditions, mainly in Mexico and Cuba. While Mexican conjuntos play styles such as '' norteño' ...

music, and began recording at age fifteen as a member of Los Caporales. Jiménez's first instrument was the

bajo sexto Bajo sexto (Spanish: "sixth bass") is a Mexican string instrument from the guitar family with 12 strings in six double courses. A closely related instrument is the bajo quinto (Spanish: "fifth bass") which has 10 strings in five double courses ...

, but he later adopted the accordion after being influenced by his father and zydeco musician Clifton Chenier. He was given the nickname "Flaco" (which translates as "Skinny" into English), which was also his father's nickname.

Career

Jiménez performed in the San Antonio area for several years and then began working with Doug Sahm in the 1960s. Sahm, better known as the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet, played with Jiménez for some time. Jiménez later went to New York City and worked with

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

, David Lindley,

Peter Rowan Peter Rowan (born July 4, 1942) is an American bluegrass musician and composer. Rowan plays guitar and mandolin, yodels and sings. Biography Rowan was born in Wayland, Massachusetts to a musical family. From an early age, he had an interest ...

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, a ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. He appeared on Cooder's world music album ''

Chicken Skin Music ''Chicken Skin Music'' is Ry Cooder's fifth studio album, released in 1976, on the Reprise label. Reception Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Brett Hartenbach said: "Even more than usual, Cooder refuses to recognize borders -- geographical or ...

'' and was a guest musician on the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' ''

Voodoo Lounge ''Voodoo Lounge'' is the 20th British and 22nd American studio album by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released on 11 July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since th ...

'' album. These appearances led to greater awareness of his music outside of America. After touring Europe with Cooder he returned to tour in America with his own band, and on a joint bill with

. Jiménez, Rowan and Wally Drogos were the original members of a band called the Free Mexican Airforce. Jiménez appeared on the November 13, 1976 episode of '' NBC's Saturday Night'' with Cooder. Flaco Jimenez (musician) on stage at Farnham, U

Flaco Jimenez (musician) on stage at Farnham, U

In 1988, he performed on the hit country single " Streets of Bakersfield" by

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerabl ...

and

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

. The song reached number 1 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart in 1988. Jiménez won his first

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1986 for his album '' Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio'', whose title song was composed by his father. His third Grammy was for another song written by his father, " Soy de San Luis", recorded by the

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in t ...

fusion group

with

Augie Meyers August "Augie" Meyers (born May 31, 1940) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, performer, studio musician, record producer, and record label owner. He is perhaps best known as a founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet and the Texas ...

, Doug Sahm and

Freddy Fender Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta; June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006) was an American Tejano, country and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. He was best ...

. Starting in 1998, he was a member of Los Super Seven, a supergroup that won a Grammy Award for their eponymous album. Jiménez was one of the featured artists in the 1976 documentary film ''

Chulas Fronteras ''Chulas Fronteras'' is a 1976 American documentary film which tells the story of the norteño or conjunto music which is played on both sides of the Mexico–Texas border. It was directed by Les Blank. A CD soundtrack of the music played in t ...

'', directed by

Les Blank Les Blank (November 27, 1935 – April 7, 2013) was an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians. Life and career Leslie Harrod Blank Jr. was born November 27, 1935 in Tampa, Florida. He atten ...

. He also appeared as a band member in the 2000 movie '' Picking Up the Pieces'', with

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

and

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...

, and was also featured on the film's

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

. His music has been featured on the soundtrack for other movies, such as ''

Y Tu Mamá También Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

'',
El Infierno
', '' The Border'', '' Tin Cup'', ''Chulas Fronteras'', and ''

Striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exo ...

''. He was one of the artists featured in archival footage in the 2013 documentary film ''This Ain't No Mouse Music'' about

Arhoolie Records Arhoolie Records is an American small independent record label run by Chris Strachwitz and is based in El Cerrito, California, United States (it is actually located in Richmond Annex but has an El Cerrito postal address.) The label was founded ...

and its founder

Chris Strachwitz Chris Strachwitz (born July 1, 1931) is a German-born American record label executive and record producer. He is the founder and president of Arhoolie Records, which he established in 1960 and which became one of the leading labels recording a ...

. The

Hohner Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg. Since its foundation, and though known ...

company collaborated with Jiménez to create the Flaco Jimenez Signature series of accordions.

Personal life

His brother, Santiago Jiménez Jr., is also an accomplished accordionist and has recorded extensively. In March 2015, Jiménez suffered a broken hip and two rib fractures from two separate falls. By May of that year, he returned to performing and was one of the acts on closing night of the 34th annual Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio. Jiménez and his wife once owned a food truck in the San Antonio area, named Tacos Jimenez.

Discography

Flaco Jimenez y Max Baca sing a Buck Owens song @ Flamingo Cantina, Austin Tx (11618235323)

Studio albums

*''Una Sombra'', 1972, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''El Papa Del Caminante'', 1973, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''Mis Polkas Favoritas'', 1973, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''Corridos Famosos'', 1973, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''Clavelito Clavelito'', 1973, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''La Otra Modesta'', 1974, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''El Rey De Texas'', 1975, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''A Mis Amigos Cariñosamente'', 1976, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''El Principe Del Acordeón '', 1977, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''Flaco Jiménez Y Su Conjunto'', 1977,

*''Flaco ‘79'', 1979, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''Mis 25 Años'', 1980, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''El Sonido de San Antonio'', 1980, Arhoolie *''Polkas De Oro'', 1983, D.L.B. Records, San Antonio, TX *''Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio'', 1986, Arhoolie *''Flaco's Amigos'', 1988, Arhoolie *''Entre Humo y Botellas'', 1989,

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Ali ...

*''San Antonio Soul'', 1991, Rounder Records *''Partners'', 1992, Warner Bros. Records *'' Flaco Jiménez'', 1994,

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertain ...

*'' Buena Suerte, Señorita'', 1996, Arista *''Said and Done'', 1998,

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...

*''Arriba el Norte'', 1998, Sound Records *''Sleepytown'', 2002, Back Porch Records *''Squeeze Box King'', 2003, Compadre Records *''Ya Volvi De La Guerra'', 2009, Fiesta Records *''Flaco & Max: Legends & Legacies'', 2014,

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was foun ...

Live albums

*''One Night at Joey's (Live)'', 1999,

Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the ...

Compilations and re-releases

*''El Rancho de la Ramalada'', elease year unknown Joey Records *'' Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio y Más!'', 1990, Arhoolie *''Un Mojado Sin Licencia and Other Hits From the 1960s'', 1993, Arhoolie *''Flaco's First! (with Los Caminantes)'', 1995, Arhoolie *''15 Exitos'', 1995, Joey Records *''Best of Flaco Jiménez'', 1999, Arhoolie *''Ultimo Tornado'', 2001, Warner Bros. *''20 Golden Hits'', 2001, Hacienda Records *''Flaco's Favorites: 14 Fabulous Tracks'', 2002, Fab14 Records *''Contiene Exitos, Prieta Case Se Me Olvido Otra Vez'', 2003, Discos Ranchito *''Fiesta Del Rio'', 2006, Fiesta Records *''Melodias'', 2010, Joey Records *''Polkas y Mas...'', 2010, Joey Records

Featured on multi-artist compilation albums

*''Tex-Mex Conjunto Classics'', 1999, Arhoolie

Singles

Guest singles

Participations

* 2007 : "My Name Is Buddy" (

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, No ...

), by

, with

Paddy Moloney Paddy Moloney ( ga, Pádraig Ó Maoldomhnaigh; 1 August 1938 – 12 October 2021) was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was parti ...

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various film and television soundtracks. He is best known for his 1967 album ''Song Cycle'' and for his collaborations with ...

, Mike & Pete Seeger,

Bobby King Bobby King (born July 28, 1944, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States) is an American gospel-style, R&B and soul singer. He formed a singing duo with Terry Evans in the early 1970s. Since 1973, King has sung on most Ry Cooder albums. He wa ...

& Terry Evans,

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

Jon Hassell Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various ...

* 1989 : Plays accordion on "New Pony" on the Orchestre Super Moth EP ''The World At Sixes And Sevens''. Released on Rogue Records (12FMS 6–7).

Awards and honors

Between 1986 and 2015, Jiménez has won six Grammy Awards, including a

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award that is awarded by The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of ...

, plus an additional three nominations. In 1999, Jiménez was awarded the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2000, Jiménez won a Tejano Music Video of the Year award at the

for his song "De Bolon Pin Pon". In 2001, both Flaco and his brother

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

were included among the first group of recipients of the Texas Medal of Arts in the folk arts category. Jiménez was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 31st Tejano Music Awards ceremony in 2011. In 2012, he received a

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's ...

awarded by the

National Endowment of the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. In 2014, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist from the

Americana Music Association The Americana Music Association is a not-for-profit trade organization advocating for American Roots Music around the world. It is a network for Americana artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others with the goal of develo ...

. He received his plaque at the ceremony from longtime collaborator Ry Cooder, with whom he also performed at the event. Jiménez was one of five artists to receive the inaugural Distinction in Arts honor from the City of San Antonio in 2015. Also in 2015, his collaborative album with Max Baca titled ''Flaco & Max: Legends & Legacies'' won an award in the Latin Album category at the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards. In 2017, a photograph of Jiménez taken by Al Rendon in 1987 was added to the National Portrait Gallery of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

in Washington, D.C. Images in the Gallery "represent the numerous individuals who have made a significant impact on the history and culture of the United States". In 2018, the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' listed him as number 19 of the Greatest 50 Texas Musicians of all time. Jiménez received the Top of Texas Award from the Country Music Association of Texas in 2019. Earlier in the same year, he also received the History-Making Texas Award from the Texas State History Museum Foundation. In 2020, Jiménez received the

Legacy Award from the Arhoolie Foundation. In 2021, Jiménez's album ''Partners'' was selected as one of 25 works to be inducted into the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

's class of 2020, with the registry calling Jiménez "a champion of traditional conjunto music and Tex-Mex culture who also is known for innovation and collaboration with a variety of artists."

Grammy awards

, - ! scope="row" ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, '' Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio'' , Best Mexican-American Performance , , solo album , - ! scope="row" ,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, ''Flaco's Amigos'' , Best Mexican-American Performance , , solo album , - ! scope="row" ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, " Soy de San Luis" , Best Mexican-American Performance , , song by the Texas Tornados , - ! scope="row" ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, ''Zone of our Own'' ,

Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded from 1970 to 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: * In 1970 the award was known as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group * From 1971 to 19 ...

, , album by the

, - ! rowspan="2" ,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

, '' Flaco Jiménez'' , Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance , , solo album , - , "Cat Walk" , Best Country Instrumental Performance , ,

Lee Roy Parnell Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music and blues artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

song, featuring Jiménez , - ! rowspan="2" ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, '' Los Super Seven'' , Best Mexican-American Music Performance , , album by Los Super Seven , - , ''Said and Done'' , Best Tejano Music Performance , , solo album , - ! scope="row" ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, himself ,

, , , -

References

External links

* *
Audio interview with Flaco Jiménez, May 28, 1986, University of Texas at San Antonio: Institute of Texan Cultures: Oral History Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Flaco Living people 1939 births 20th-century accordionists 21st-century accordionists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American accordionists American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American musicians of Mexican descent Musicians from San Antonio Singer-songwriters from Texas Country musicians from Texas Tejano accordionists Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners National Heritage Fellowship winners Texas Tornados members Hispanic and Latino American musicians Arhoolie Records artists Arista Records artists Rounder Records artists Virgin Records artists