The famous singer and composer of Texan and accordionist teacher Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez has died. He was 86 years old.
Jiménez's family shared the news of the musician's death on his official Facebook page on Thursday night. A cause of death was not revealed.
“It is with great sadness that we share tonight the loss of our father, Flaco Jiménez. It was surrounded by his loved ones and we will miss him greatly,” his family wrote. “Thanks to all their fans and friends, those who appreciated their music. And a great thanks for all memories. His legacy will live through his music and all his fans. The family requests privacy during this moment of sadness and grievance.”
During his more than seven decades in the music industry, the native of San Antonio won six Grammy Awards, received a national medal of arts from President Biden and settled as a virtuous pioneer accordion that helped nationalize the popularity of Texan and Music team in the United States.
Jiménez is perhaps better known for his work with the Musical Supergroup of Texan Texas Tornados, which included the talents of Freddy Fender, Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers. Texas Tornados won the Mexican/Mexican-American Grammy in 1990 for his song “I am from San Luis”. The band's Spanglish style is in its entirety in its most popular song “(Hey Baby) what happened?”
In 2022, the Hispanic Caucus of Congress, led by Texas Representative Joaquin Castro, included the success of 1989 in his list of nominees to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, in an effort to increase Latin representation in the United States.
Castro, a native of San Antonio, shared a statement on Facebook about the death of Jiménez.
“The death of the musical legend of San Antonio Leonardo 'Flaco' Jiménez,” he wrote. “He was a pioneer in the Music of Rinth, receiving an achievement for life Grammy, the National Medal of Arts and a place in the National Recording Registry for his work. Texas is proud of his legacy. May he rest in peace.”
Jiménez's album in 1992, “Partners”, was included in the National Recording Registry in 2020.
“People used to consider my music as canteen music, simply without respect,” Jiménez told the Library of Congress. “The accordion was considered something like a party joke … I really respect everyone who helped me on this album, and I feel flattered for this recognition.”
His skills in the “party joke” of an instrument were so well recognized that the famous German musical instrument manufacturer Hahner collaborated with Jiménez in 2009 to create an exclusive line of accordions.
“The world of music has lost a true legend. Flaco Jiménez was a world-class team ambassador, bringing its vibrant sound to the public around the world,” Hahner wrote in a publication on social networks after Jiménez's death. “His passion and virtuosity for the three -row accordion inspired generations of musicians in cultures and continents. Since 1976, Flaco was a proud Hohner partner, a relationship based on mutual respect and a love shared by music. It was an incredible honor to work with such a talented, humble and funny artist.”
Jiménez was born on March 11, 1939 in San Antonio, to a family with musical background. He began acting at age 7 with his father, Santiago Jiménez, who was a pioneer figure in the joint movement. At 15, Flaco appeared in his first recording with the Los Caporales musical group.
He went from local fame to a modest international recognition in the folk scene when the musicologist Chris Strachwitz recorded it for his Arhoolie seal, and after appearing in a 1974 blank movie about Border Music Texas Mexican.
Then, in 1976, Ry Cooder took advantage of him to be a member of his chicken leather magazine. Jiménez worked with Cooder in several projects, including the soundtrack of the 1982 film “The Border”, starring Jack Nicholson.
He won the first of his three Grammy Awards for the best Mexican-American performance in 1986 for his album “Oh I leave you in San Antonio” and the last in the category in 1999 for his work with the supergroup The Super Seven. Grammys also won for his solo albums “Flaco Jiménez” in 1994 and “Said and Done” in 1999, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
The list of artists with whom Jiménez collaborated is whenever he distinguished himself and includes Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Dwight Yoakam and Linda Ronstadt.
Jiménez touched the accordion in “Sweethearts Together” by The Rolling Stones, a ballad with Tex-Mex infusion of his 1994 album, “Voodoo Lounge”.
Jiménez's success and recognition far exceeded everything he could have imagined for himself, he told The Times in 1994.
“I thought I was always going to be something local. I would only listen to my father and other groups in San Antonio, or even here only in the neighborhood,” he said. “I think the audience began to change when I started 'bilingual' many things and started playing rock 'n' roll and with a little country. Then, the reaction of the people, not only the Chicanos but the Anglos, was stronger.”
Talking to The Times in 1996, Jiménez said he was delighted that the crossover with the country would have helped carry the distinctive sound of acordin -based Texan music to a broader audience.
“It is more respected and more listened to than ever. I am satisfied. At the level, Texan or Music set is now, we can communicate with the mainstream,” he said.
Reflecting on how far the joint reach had come, Jiménez recalled one of his oldest and most shocking memories that introduced the genre worldwide.
“The music of Sex-Mex was not known at all. We went on tour to Switzerland, and when I arrived in the concert hall there was only one microphone and a chair. They thought I was going to give a concert with pure accordion, only the accordion,” he said.
“I said: 'Hey, where is the rest of the amplifiers and whatever?' And they managed to get a battery, so we did ours.
Times staff writer, Fidel Martínez, contributed to this report.
