Songs santiago jimenez jr biography

“I play the two-row button accordion. I play my father’s style.” Sounds simple, but coming from the mouth of 78-year-old Santiago Jimenez, Jr. in his studio in the heart of San Antonio, Texas, this is a summary of generations of history, and a defiant present-tense statement. As is the title of his brand-new album Still Kicking!, featuring ten tracks of traditional Tex-Mex conjunto and a pure introduction to the genre for anyone unfamiliar.

The songs on Still Kicking! are built around arpeggiated and extended accordion melodies, rounded out on the low end with tololoche, the traditional Mexican upright bass, and bajo sexto, an acoustic low-register guitar. The lyrics are romantic, wry, tragicomic at times, and always delivered within the tight range of Santiago’s still uncracked baritone. The accompaniment is expertly played by Max Baca on bajo sexto and Noel Hernandez on tololoche, both from roots-heavy Tejano band Los Texmaniacs.

Even if you don’t know Spanish, intense emotion radiates from any good conjunto tune, whether it’s a brisk polca or a slow-dance waltz. You can dial into that on every track of Still Kicking!

The history of the Jimenez family is an integral part of the history of conjunto itself. Santiago’s grandfather, Patricio, was born in the border town Eagle Pass, Texas, and later moved to San Antonio, where Santiago Jimenez, Sr. was born in 1913. Patricio Jimenez was the first in their barrio in San Antonio to pick up the accordion, according to a 1982 interview with Santiago Sr. published in the definitive book on the genre, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s Puro Conjunto. Patricio Jimenez played a one-row button accordion manufactured by German instrument maker Hohner, which he learned by going to dances in the nearby German settlement of New Braunfels. He never recorded.

Don Santiago—as Santiago Jimenez, Jr. respectfully refers to his father—started playing himself around age 10. In 1933, when he was 20

Santiago “Jimmy” Jimenez Jr. hails from a long lineage of groundbreaking musicians. His legendary father, Santiago Jimenez, Sr. is credited as the “Father of Modern Conjunto Music” and his brother, two-time GRAMMY-award winning Flaco Jimenez, has taken the traditional accordion Conjunto Music making it contemporary by adding in saxophone and guitar for artists like Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.

Santiago, Jr. has recorded for dozens of legendary Texas record labels over the years — storied labels such as Disco Grande, Lira, Corona, D.L.B. and, most recently, Shotgun House. Jimmy’s first recording session dates back to around 1960 with Disco Grande. In fact, the label owner and producer, Mel Moran was the first to market him as “Santiago Jimenez Jr.” “People said I played like my father, that I had his style,” he recalls. “That’s why they started calling me Santiago Jimenez Jr.”

After 60 years of writing and recording thousands of songs in San Antonio, a 2015 National Medal of Arts Award presented to him by then-President Barack Obama, and two Grammy nominations, it is hard to fathom which roads, or “calles,” Santiago Jr. has yet to travel down. For his new album, 'Still Kicking,' El Chief (as he is also known) selected a few songs dating back to the early days of his career. One that he recorded at the age of 16 during his first recording session with Moran at the TNT studio, “Que Chulos Ojos,” is by legendary songwriter Juan Gaytan.

The debut single, “Al Mirar Tu Cara,” is a song popularized by his father, Don Santiago Jimenez, the original El Flaco. Although Don Santiago never recorded the song, it was in his repertoire during his live performances. “My dad would play it at his dances, it was a great song I remember him singing, it’s a song about seeing a pretty face that you cannot forget.” It wasn’t until 1978 that Jimmy decided to put the song on wax as his first recording session for Salomé Gutierrez. It was released under a tiny demo label named Ak

Santiago Jiménez Jr. (aka Santiago Henriquez Jiménez) (born April 8, 1944) is a folk musician who received a National Heritage Fellowship in 2000 for lifetime achievement in traditional Tex-Mex/folk music, and a National Medal of Arts in 2016. He has been nominated for three Grammys.

His father, Santiago "Flaco" Jiménez Sr. was a pioneer of conjunto music and pioneered the use of stringed bass (tololoche) in his work. His older brother Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez is considered by many the greatest and most famous Tejano accordionist ever. Santiago recorded his first album with his brother Flaco at age 17. Unlike Flaco, who is noted for mixing his music with many styles outside the Tejano mainstream, Santiago has emulated his father and stuck with the formulas of accordion, guitar, and vocals.

Santiago has recorded over 700 songs on numerous labels. He also founded his own label, Chief Records. Santiago has performed on multiple continents and at many festivals. In 2012, Santiago and Flaco played together at the Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio, the first time they were on the same stage since 1982.

President Obama awarded Santiago a 2015 National Medal of Arts on September 22, 2016 for his contribution to American music.