Flaco Jimenez

Flaco Jimenez

In the landmark reference book, “The Billboard Guide to Tejano and Mexican Music”, written by San Antonio Express-News music reporter Ramiro Burr and published by the prestigious Billboard Books, Flaco was given one of his highest compliments:

“What B.B. King is to the blues, or George Jones is to traditional country, Grammy-winning accordionist Flaco Jimenez is to the world of Tex-Mex Conjunto. Jimenez was universally recognized as a leading exponent of the authentic South Texas Conjunto. While there are many masters of the accordion along the Texas-Mexican border, none have toured Europe, Japan and other points overseas or recorded with as many pop, rock and country artists as Jimenez. By all accounts, Jimenez was an international icon for the accordion-fueled Conjunto genre.”

Flaco Jimenez, the pioneering icon of Conjunto and Tejano music, was destined to be a great musician. He grew up in the barrios of San Antonio listening and learning his famous father’s trade.

Flaco’s father, Santiago Jimenez, Sr., was labeled the “father” of Conjunto music. He was a forerunning artist in his own right. At age seven, Flaco was already performing with his father on stage in front of live audiences. He had acquired a love for the music and would make a career out of it.

By the time he was 15, he was in the studios making records as a member of the group Los Caporales and soon thereafter was given his father’s nickname of “Flaco”, which means skinny or thin. After playing the local saloons and dance halls in San Antonio for years, he acquired a solid reputation as a unique musician and stylist. In the 1960’s he teamed up with a fellow musician Douglas Sahm, the founding member of the famous rock band The Sir Douglas Quintet, and then went on to New York to jam with Bob Dylan and Dr. John. From there, he played for mostly Anglo audiences with Peter Rowan and then traveled the world with Ry Cooder and David Lindsey, receiving international acclaim for his contributions to Cooder’s landmark album, Chicken Skin Music.

For Booking Information Visit: The Flaco Jimenez Web Page