Governor's Heritage Award - Santiago Almeida

Santiago Almeida of Sunnyside, Washington, was born into a musical family in Skidmore, Texas, in 1911. He was one of the fathers of the style of music known as conjunto. The conjunto style originated during the 1920s and ’30s along the Texas-México border out of the interaction of Mexican music with styles brought to Texas by central European immigrants. The lead instrument is the Hohner button accordion, and the rhythm instrument, the bajo sexto, which he played, is similar to a guitar, but with twelve strings and a much lower bass. In 1935 Almeida and accordionist Narciso Martinez made the first recordings of conjunto, and became its most widely imitated musicians. During the 1950s Almeida and his family moved to Washington’s Yakima Valley. Although Almeida’s performance career ended then, he continued to teach and mentor younger musicians and played at informal gatherings. In 1993 Almeida received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Santiago Almeida passed away in 1999.