Santiago Jiménez Jr. (aka Santiago Henriquez Jiménez) (born April 8, 1944) is an American folk musician who received a National Heritage Fellowship in 2000 for lifetime achievement in traditional Tex-Mex/folk music,[1] and a National Medal of Arts in 2016. He has been nominated for three Grammys.[2]

Jiménez in 2000

His father, Santiago "Flaco" Jiménez Sr. was a pioneer of conjunto music and pioneered the use of stringed bass (tololoche) in his work.[1] His older brother Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez[3] is considered by many the greatest and most famous Tejano accordionist ever.[4] Santiago recorded his first album with his brother Flaco at age 17.[5] 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.[1][6]

Santiago has recorded over 700 songs on numerous labels. He also founded his own label, Chief Records.[1] Santiago has performed on multiple continents and at many festivals.[1] 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.[7]

President Obama awarded Santiago a 2015 National Medal of Arts on September 22, 2016 for his contribution to American music.[8]

In 2021, Jiménez released Still Kicking, a collection of traditional conjunto songs produced by San Antonio musician Garrett T. Capps.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Santiago Jiménez, Jr.: Tejano Accordionist". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  2. ^ Cespedes, Alvaro (March 15, 2017). "Santiago Jimenez Jr Fights to Keep Conjunto Alive". Reporting Texas.
  3. ^ Kingsbury, Paul; Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame and (2004-11-17). The encyclopedia of country music: the ultimate guide to the music. Oxford University Press US. pp. 107–. ISBN 978-0-19-517608-7. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  4. ^ Deming, Mark. "Flaco Jimenez". All Music.
  5. ^ Staff (2000). "Santiago Jimenez, Jr". Masters of Traditional Arts.
  6. ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Santiago Jimenez Jr". All Music.
  7. ^ Cohen, Jason (May 12, 2012). "Flaco Jimenez and Brother Santiago Reunited". Texas Monthly.
  8. ^ "2015 recipients of the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal". Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  9. ^ Dansby, Andrew (June 10, 2022). "At 78, conjunto legend Santiago Jimenez Jr. says his new album is also his best". Houston Chronicle.
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