The Recording Academy recently announced that conjunto musician Flaco Jiménez, best known for his accordion playing, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award as part of this year’s GRAMMYs. Born in 1939, Jiménez is a five-time GRAMMY award winner and 2012 recipient of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship. He is credited with bringing conjunto music to a broad and diverse public audience, far beyond his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Over the course of his long career, he has performed with musicians including The Texas Tornados, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Dr. John, and Ry Cooder. He also was a part of the Mexican-American supergroup Los Super Seven. Reacting to the news of his Lifetime Achievement Award to the San Antonio Express-News, Jiménez commented, "I've enjoyed every mile of it. I'm still enjoying it. If my health is OK, I'm going to keep on playing. That's my life."

Jiménez recorded the 2014 Smithsonian Folkways album Flaco & Max: Legends & Legacies with Los Texmaniacs musician Max Baca earlier this year. He also appears on Los Texmaniacs’ 2009 GRAMMY award-winning album Borders y Bailes. The other 2015 honorees include George Harrison, the Bee Gees, Buddy Guy, and the Louvin Brothers. Click here for a complete list of Smithsonian Folkways artists that are GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winners.