Legendary San Antonio conjunto artist Flaco Jimenez performs on his accordion. Credit: Jaime Monzon

Legendary San Antonio musician Flaco Jiménez was hospitalized Sunday to deal with an unspecified “medical hurdle,” his family stated in a social media post.

The 85-year-old accordion wizard and six-time Grammy winner is in good spirits and “on the road to recovery,” according to a message posted on his Facebook page.

“While this was a private family matter, word has gotten out, and we wanted to confirm the hospitalization,” the family said. “Per Flaco’s and the Jiménez family[‘s] request, this is the only page you will find accurate updates.”

Last fall, Jiménez received the National Medal of Arts from President Joe Biden. However, prior to the ceremony, the musician revealed that one of his sons would accept the award for him due to “ongoing health issues,” the Express-News reports.

Born into musical Alamo City family that included not one but two pioneering accordion players — father Santiago Jiménez Sr. and grandfather Patricio Jiménez — Flaco Jiménez became a legendary conjunto bandleader in his own right and one of the Tex-Mex music’s top global ambassadors.

By the early ’60s, Jiménez had become a dancehall draw across the Lone Star State and pioneered a broader version of the accordion-driven conjunto sound by incorporating elements of country and blues.

In the ’70s, Jiménez worked on groundbreaking collaborations with Texas roots legend Doug Sahm and slide guitarist Ry Cooder, and he continued to collaborate with artists including Linda Ronstadt, the Rolling Stones, Emmylou Harris and Los Lobos well into his career.

Jiménez joined forces with Sahm again in the late ’80s Tex-Mex supergroup the Texas Tornados, winning his first Grammy for the song “Soy de San Luis.” The Texas Tornados releases became some of the best selling of Jiménez’s career and introduced legions of fans to South Texas’ musical melting pot.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

This article appears in Jan 8-21, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...