Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez is San Antonio music royalty. Known as “El Rey de Texas” for his mastery of the accordion, the 82-year-old comes from a pioneering family of conjunto, the soul music of South Texas Mexican Americans. His father, Santiago, was among the first conjunto accordionists to record in the mid-1930s. The musicians of the Jiménez family, including Flaco’s grandfather, Patricio, developed their sound by listening to the bands at German, Polish, and Czech dances around San Antonio and New Braunfels in the early 20th century. They interpreted what they heard into something completely different. Three of Flaco’s brothers, Santiago Jr., Eddie, and Ruben, are also accomplished accordionists.
Flaco, a lifelong San Antonio resident, was a young lion of conjunto, picking up the accordion at age 7 and making his…
