Legendary accordionist Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez died July 31 at the age of 86.
Jiménez, a San Antonio native, learned his craft at a young age while on stage alongside his father Santiago and younger brother, Santiago Jr.
During his seven-decade-long career, Jiménez took the accordion and conjunto music — a Texas-Mexican genre of music with influences from German waltz and polka — to new heights. His discography includes performances with Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Dwight Yoakam, Los Super Seven, the Rolling Stones, and many, many more.
Jiménez won numerous Grammys, Tejano Music Awards, and global recognitions, but above all, Jiménez's career was marked by the love and respect of his peers and fans.
Musicians Max and Josh Baca of Los Texmaniacs were collaborators and friends of Jiménez. Josh spoke to TPR earlier this year about Jiménez's impact and legacy in the genre.
“Flaco introduced the Tex-Mex, Chicano sound to the country — to country music, to blues, to rock,” he said. “If Flaco got on stage, you heard it. You knew it was Flaco.”
Jiménez’s loss and influence has been felt particularly in his hometown of San Antonio. Fans and friends of Flaco Jiménez gathered last week to remember the Tejano and conjunto legend.
Juan Tejeda, the creator of the Tejano Conjunto Festival, shared a heartfelt goodbye during the celebration.
“While his accordion may be silenced, the music — and he left over 100 or more recordings in all different formats — will live with us forever,” he said. “He was one of the verdadera voces del pueblo Tejano.”
View a performance with Max Baca and Flaco Jiménez from an NPR Tiny Desk concert recorded in 2013 below:
