Tejano Music Trailblazer, Flaco Jiménez, Dead at 86—Grammy Winner Collaborated With Bob Dylan & The Rolling Stones

Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, the iconic Tejano performer who collaborated with Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, has died at age 86.

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The Tex-Mex accordion legend’s family announced his death in a July 31 social media post.

“He was surrounded by his loved ones and will be missed immensely,” Jiménez’s family wrote. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends—those who cherished his music. And a big thank you for all of the memories. His legacy will live on through his music and all of his fans. The family requests privacy during this time of sadness and grievance.”

Jiménez’s career spanned seven decades, recording more than 100 albums both as a solo performer and with supergroups the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven. Between 1986 and 2015, he would win six Grammy Awards.

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Flaco Jiménez Taught Himself to Play the Accordion

Flaco Jiménez was quite literally born into conjunto music on March 11, 1939, in San Antonio, Texas. His father, Santiago Jiménez Sr., helped pioneer the genre, which blends traditional Mexican music with the accordion-heavy polka music brought to South Texas by German immigrants.

One day, a young Jiménez picked up his father’s accordion while Santiago was at work and began to play. And when Santiago Jiménez came home early, his reaction stunned Flaco.

“All of the sudden, he just opens the door. I said, ‘Oh man, I’m going to get it,’” Jiménez recalled during a 2014 interview with NPR. “The first thing he did, he went straight to me and gave me a big, big hug and then started crying. See, he was so proud of me self-taught, you know, playing.”

It was the start of an illustrious career. Outside his immense success in the Tejano domain, the Austin City Limits Hall of Famer also worked with mainstream musicians like Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, and Willie Nelson. In 1988, he played accordion on “Streets of Bakersfield,” a chart-topping collab between Dwight Yoakum and Buck Owens.

In 2021, the U.S. Library of Congress forever enshrined Jiménez’s 1992 album Partners in the National Recording Registry.

“People used to regard my music as cantina music, just no respect,” the “Father of Conjunto” said in an interview with the Library of Congress. “The accordion was considered something like a party joke…I really give respect to everyone who helped me out on this record and I’m flattered by this recognition.”

Featured image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Americana Music