Flaco Jimenez, famous Tejano music star, visits Fresno man

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Flaco Jimenez and his accordion helped fuel the popularity of Tejano music. This week Jimenez visited Frank Bonilla at his Fresno home after PuebloFest.

"He's friendly, humble. He's just a nice guy. He's not, oh, I'm a five-time Grammy award winner. You wouldn't know it."

Frank and his wife were there in Hollywood in 2015 when Jimenez received his Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.

The 78-year old is so popular Jimenez's even worked with the Rolling Stones when they sought that Tex-Mex sound.

"He's played with Santana, with Willie Nelson, with Bob Dylan, Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, Linda Ronstadt," said Frank.

Bonilla's friendship with Jimenez started with a Facebook post about casinos and music five years ago. His wife Letty chatted with a woman named Raquel who turned out to be Jimenez's daughter.

"The next thing you know we're in Las Vegas and there's Flaco, her, and her husband Javier and Leonard and that started our friendship," said Frank.

The Bonillas even went to San Antonio for a concert and hung out with the Jimenez family.

"It was awesome-- really awesome. I never dreamed I'd wind up there partying in Flaco's backyard. It was really cool," said Frank.

A few years ago Frank bought a painting of Jimenez, "Just Tuesday Flaco autographed it for me which was pretty neat."

Bonilla even recorded video of Jimenez in his living room just in case people didn't believe him.

"We have the real Flaco Jimenez. How about that? How's everybody out there."

The Bonillas picked up Jimenez and his family from LAX before the concert and then dropped them back off for their return trip to Texas on Tuesday.