News broke on Friday, August 1, that renowned Conjunto and Tejano musician Flaco Jiménez died at the age of 86. Now on Saturday, August 2, country star Dwight Yoakam took to Instagram to pay tribute to his late friend.
On an undated video of the two of them playing together, Yoakam wrote, “In fond and loving memory of the great Flaco Jimenez! It was an honor to know you and a profound privilege to have been able to work with you. Rest in sweet and lasting peace, my friend…
-Dwight.”
During his storied career, toting his Hohner accordion with him, Jimenez won five Grammy Awards for his work, both as a solo artist and with the band Texas Tornados. He also collaborated with such stars as Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Los Lobos and the Rolling Stones.
Jiménez was also honored with such awards as the National Heritage Fellowship, a National Medal of Arts, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Hohner accordion Jimenez recorded and performed with is currently on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. It is part of the museum’s exhibition “Sing Me Back Home: Folk Roots to the Present.”
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“Flaco Jiménez was a paragon of Tejano conjunto music — exemplifying not only its sound, but its culture-blending spirit with his richly melodic accordion playing,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement.
“Whether he was recording with Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt or the Rolling Stones, or working with his own supergroup, the Texas Tornados, Flaco drew millions of listeners into a rich musical world they might not have discovered on their own,” Young continued. “‘Streets of Bakersfield’ by Dwight and Buck wouldn’t have been the same without his sparkling touches. Neither will a music community that cherished his towering talent and open heart.”
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