Santiago Jiménez, Jr. was heir to a rich family tradition of button accordion playing. His grandfather Patricio Jiménez played the accordion, and he would take his son Santiago to hear German polka bands. Santiago, Sr. became one of the seminal figures in the rise of the conjunto, being one of the first accordionists to add the string bass (tololoche), make phonograph recordings, and appear on the radio in the 1930s. Santiago, Jr."s brother, Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez, has become one of the most widely known Tejano accordionists. Santiago Jiménez, Jr., winner of a National Heritage Fellowship for lifetime achievement in traditional Tex-Mex music, has long preferred to model himself more closely on his father"s lively melodic style, a style that is identified with the roots of the tradition. Viva Seguin is a classic album from 1961 featuring a young Santiago on the accordion, with brother Flaco Jimenez on bajo sexto, and Toby Torres on bass. One of the few recordings in existence of the Jimenez brothers performing together.