Jimenez passed away at the age of 86.
SAN ANTONIO — Conjunto legend Flaco Jimenez has died at the age of 86, his family posted on social media Thursday night.
Jimenez, a San Antonio native, continued to perform well into his 80s, including at local events like the Tejano Conjunto Festival. Flaco Jimenez was a Grammy award winner, a third-generation Conjunto musician, and a trailblazer of Conjunto and Tejano music with influence that spanned generations.
“Flaco was the person that, he never bragged about himself. He never did brag,” said legendary accordionist Santiago Jiménez Jr., Flaco’s younger brother.
Santiago spoke with KENS 5 reflecting on his big brother’s life.
“He started playing the accordion. And if I’m not mistaken, about 12 years old. He was 12 years old when I started recording with my dad on the banjo,” Santiago said.
A decade later, the two siblings recorded their first album together.
“I never thought that my brother would record with me. He never did say no. He had his band. He had huge recording sessions, but I never thought he was going to play with me.”
But Santiago couldn’t have been more excited.
“Man, I mean, I went crazy. I can’t believe I’m going to record with my brother,” Santiago said.
Just last year Jimenez was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. He made friends in the music industry, not just in his hometown of San Antonio but around the world. His favorite?
“Willie Nelson. They were very close friends,” Santiago said.
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center continues to honor his life and legacy with a special remembrance exhibition celebrating his remarkable contributions to music and culture.
“It includes magazine covers from Italy, from Japan, from different countries. It includes private, pictures of him at home and backstage,” Ramón Hernández, a community archivist said.
“He was the greatest ambassador of music worldwide, and really, nobody else in music was able to take this music to Europe, to Asia, and to create fans of the music over there,” Cristina Ballí, Executive Director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center said.
KENS 5 asked Santiago if he could say one more thing to the brother that meant so much to him, what would it be?
“I miss you, I love you, I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I’ll just try my very best,” Santiago said.
If you would like to pay tribute to the late Flaco Jimenez, you can come down to the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s Progreso Community Gallery from Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.