Flaco Jimenez, music giant San Antonio and accordionist trailblazing, dies at 86

Jimenez’s death was announced on Thursday’s action of his family on social media. He was surrounded by family members when he died in San Antonio’s home his son Arturo Jimenez.

“Dad was calm when he left. He started to say goodbye a few days before. He said he was proud of what he did, and just leaving memories of the public. He said he was ready to go,” Arturo Jimenez said in a telephone interview on Friday.

Arturo Jimenez said that he has not yet been determined because of his death. His father was hospitalized in January after he got a blood clot in his leg. The doctors then found that they had some vascular problems.

Leonardo Jimenez was born in 1939 and was known to his fans with his nickname Flaca, which means thin in Spanish.

He was the son of a pioneer Conjunto Santiago Jimenez. Conjunto is a musical family that original in southern Texas and mixes various genres and cultural influences.

According to Butler School of Music at the University of Texas in Austin, the development of Conjunto “began more than a century ago when Texans from Mexican heritage (Tejanos) were interested in the music of the accordion of German, Polish and Czech immigrants.

Jimenez improved his conjuno musical skills by playing in San Antonio Saloons and Dance Halls. He started to perform at the age of 60. Jimenez would later play with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Ry Coder and Rolling Stones.

During his career Jimenez added more influences to Connuno Music, including country, rock and jazz.

“He always wanted to try to integrate the accordion into all the magic of different genres and how to mix the accordion.

At the age of 90, Jimenez was part of Tejano Supergroup The Texas Tornados, including Sahm, Augie Meyers and Freddy Fender. The group won Grammy in 1991 for the song “Soy de San Luis”.

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

Jimenez won five grammy and won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

He was also called into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named Texas a state musician in 2014.

Arturo Jimenez said that his father was a modest man who never wanted to be a showman and focused on playing music for his fans.

“I have seen where the fans come to him and they literally cry and those who are your dad for all good music and how the music was dad in more situations, either happiness or sadness,” said Arturo Jimenez.

When Jimenez was appointed National Medal of Art 2022, the White House said he was honored for “using heritage to enrich American music” by “mixing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music with Blues, Rock N ‘Roll and Pop Music, Singing the soul of America.”

“We will approve the gift of your musical talent that B3wer Joy for countless fans. Your passage leaves the emptiness in our hearts,” said Texas Connuno Music Salt of Fame and Museum.

Kyle Young, CEO of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, said that Jimenez “was a paragon of Tejano Conjunto Music”, “attracted millions of listeners to a rich music world that may not have been discovered.”

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

“They call him” El Hijo de San Antonio “and my dad has always been proud of it,” said Arturo Jimenez, quoting the Spanish phrase that 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.