A lone star of Texan music, where he has glowed with radiance all his own for a little more than four decades, “Flaco” Jimenez has now become an integral part of the history of border culture in the United States. This simply means that without the clear and electrifying sounds of its accordion it would be very difficult for any of us to understand the enormous recognition garnered in the last decade by groups that interpret Tex-Mex melodies on this side of the Rio Bravo.

The son of a humble family of Mexican origin who, like many other, had to emigrate to this country, “Flaco” Jimenez was a young man who grew up listening to the music of the groups that played at parties organized by his father- of whom he learned the art of playing the accordion –and his friends.

Out of the pleasant memories of those long, unforgettable evenings arose his love, his enthusiasm, as well as a passion that has ever since not withered in the least with the accordion in the hands of “Flaco” Jimenez.

Supported by such admirable feelings, “Flaco” Jimenez covered all cardinal points of the contemporary music geography; a fact confirmed by the recordings he made with artists of such caliber as the Rolling Stones, among others. In more than one occasion courted by fame, he has preferred to remain faithful to his roots. It is for that reason that he still enjoys playing his polkas, his “corridos,” and his cherished norteño love songs at a bar in some faraway little town by the border, and that in a week and a half will be presented here, at the Skirball Cultural Center of Los Angeles.