Flaco Jimenez, Music Giant of San Antonio and Pioneer accordionist, died at 86 years old

Jimenez’s death was announced Thursday evening by his family on social networks. He was surrounded by his family members when he died in the house of San Antonio of his son Arturo Jimenez.

“Papa was at peace when he left. He started saying his farewells several days before. He said he was proud of him for what he had done and that he is just giving memories so that the public could take advantage of it. He said he was ready to leave,” Arturo Jimenez told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Friday.

Arturo Jimenez said that a cause of death had not yet been determined. His father had been hospitalized in January after obtaining a blood clot in his leg. Doctors then discovered that he had vascular problems.

Born Leonardo Jimenez in 1939, he was known to his fans by his nickname Flaco, which means skinny in Spanish.

He was the son of the pioneer of Conjunto Santiago Jimenez. Conjunto is a musical genre from southern Texas and mixes different genres and cultural influences.

According to the Butler School of Music of the University of Texas in Austin, the development of Conjunto “began more than a century ago when the Texans of the Mexican heritage (Tejanos) were interested in the accordion music of the accordion, accompanied by Czech immigrants. With work in agricultural fields.

Jimenez refined his Conjunto musical skills by playing in the salons and dance halls of San Antonio. He began to perform in the 1960s with his native compatriot of San Antonio, Douglas Sahm, the founding member of the Sir Douglas quintet. Jimenez would play later with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Ry Cooder and the Rolling Stones.

Throughout his career, Jimenez has added other influences in Conjunto music, including country, rock and jazz.

“He always wanted to try to incorporate the accordion in all kinds of different genres and how to make the accordion mix. It was always a fascination with his and he was able to do it,” said Arturo Jimenez.

In the 1990s, Jimenez was part of the Tejano supergroup Les Texas Tornados, which included Sahm, Augie Meyers and Freddy Fender. The group won a Grammy in 1991 for the song “Soy de San Luis”.

Jimenez also won another Grammy in 1999 as part of another supergroup, Los Super Seven.

Jimenez won five grammys and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement prize in 2015.

He was also inducted into the temple of national Hispanic renown and the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was appointed musician of Texas State in 2014.

Arturo Jimenez said that his father was a humble man who had never wanted to be a showman and focuses on music for his fans.

“I saw where the fans were approaching him and they literally cry and they thank my father for all good music and how dad’s music was there for them in several situations, happiness or sadness,” said Arturo Jimenez.

When Jimenez was appointed recipient of the National Arts Medal in 2022, the White House said it was honored to have “exploited the heritage to enrich American music” and that by “mixing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano’s music with the blues, rock n ‘roll and pop music, he sings the soul of southwest of America”.

“We appreciate the gift of your musical talent, which brought joy to countless fans. Your death leaves a void in our hearts,” said Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum in an article on social networks.

Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum of Nashville, Tennessee, said that Jimenez “was a paragon of music by Tejano Conjunto” which “attracted millions of listeners in a rich musical world that they might not have discovered alone.”

Jimenez lived his life in San Antonio, a city “very close to his heart,” said his son.

“They call it” El Hijo de San Antonio “and my father has always been proud of it,” said Arturo Jimenez, citing a Spanish sentence which means the son of San Antonio.

His family plans to have a private funeral service followed by a celebration of his life with the public.