Honoring Flaco Jiménez for his contributions to Texas music.

89(R) HR 1315 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

H.R. No. 1315

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Flaco Jiménez has long shone as one of the brightest

stars in the Texas music firmament; and

WHEREAS, Born in San Antonio in 1939 as Leonardo Jiménez, the

acclaimed Tejano accordionist, vocalist, and songwriter grew up in

a musical family; he began playing the bajo sexto at the age of

seven and often took the stage with his father, conjunto

trailblazer Santiago Jiménez Sr.; gravitating to the accordion, he

formed a band, Los Caporales, when he was 15; the group quickly won

a following with its recordings on a local label as well as weekly

appearances on a television variety show; his joyous, expressive

style, incorporating elements and influences from zydeco, blues,

rock and roll, and country, had made him a Texas legend by the early

1960s; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jiménez reached an even wider audience through

collaborations with Doug Sahm and Ry Cooder, leading to national

distribution for his own records; in 1988, his accordion skills

helped propel Dwight Yoakam's duet with Buck Owens, "Streets of

Bakersfield," to the top of the country chart; he went on to tour

with Mr. Yoakam and join forces with Mr. Sahm in a supergroup, the

Texas Tornados; after being signed to a major-label solo deal,

Mr. Jiménez released albums with guest turns by the likes of Linda

Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Los Lobos, and Mavericks frontman Raul

Malo, and he played on the 1994 Rolling Stones album
Voodoo Lounge
;

the following year, the Mavericks scored a massive country hit,

"All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down," fueled by Mr. Jiménez on

accordion; in 1998, he teamed up with Joe Ely and members of Los

Lobos in the aptly named Los Super Seven; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of a remarkable career spanning

eight decades, Mr. Jiménez has garnered worldwide fame and myriad

accolades, among them five Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime

Achievement Award, and a National Endowment for the Arts National

Heritage Fellowship; he was named a Texas State Musician, and he has

been inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the New

York City International Latin Music Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Popularizing Tex-Mex and conjunto music globally

while developing his own eclectic sound, Flaco Jiménez has

delighted countless fans and influenced innumerable other artists

in the Lone Star State and beyond; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas

Legislature hereby honor Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez for his

exceptional contributions to Texas music and extend to him sincere

best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

prepared for Mr. Jiménez as an expression of high regard by the

Texas House of Representatives.

Martinez Fischer

______________________________

Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 1315 was adopted by the House on June

1, 2025, by a non-record vote.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House