Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. He is known for playing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music. Jiménez has been a solo performer and session musician, as well as a member of the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he has received numerous awards and honors, including Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Grammys, Americana Music Awards, Tejano Music Awards, and Billboard magazine. Early life Jiménez, who is of Mexican descent, was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1939. He is descended from a line of musicians, including his father Santiago Jiménez Sr., and his grandfather Patricio Jiménez. He began performing at the age of seven with his father, a pioneer of conjunto music, and began recording at age fifteen as a member of Los Caporales. Jiménez's first instrument was the bajo sexto, but he later adopted the accordion after being influenced by his father and zydeco musician Clifton Chenier. He was given the nickname "Flaco" (which translates as "Skinny" into English), which was also his father's nickname. Career Jiménez performed in the San Antonio area for several years and then began working with Doug Sahm in the 1960s. Sahm, better known as the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet, played with Jiménez for some time. Jiménez later went to New York City and worked with Dr. John, David Lindley, Peter Rowan, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan. He appeared on Cooder's world music album Chicken Skin Music and was a guest musician on the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge album. These appearances led to greater awareness of his music outside of America. After touring Europe with Cooder he returned to tour in America with his own band, and on a joint bill with Peter Rowan. Jiménez, Rowan and Wally Drogos were the original members of a band called the Free Mexican Airforce. Jiménez appeared on the November 13, 1976 episode of NBC's Saturday Night with Cooder. In 1988, he performed on the hit country single "Streets of Bakersfield" by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens. The song reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1988. Jiménez won his first Grammy award in 1986 for his album Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio, whose title song was composed by his father. His third Grammy was for another song written by