HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DOUG SAHM! Born Douglas Wayne Sahm on November 6 1942 in San Antonio, Texas. He was a multiinstrumentalist and child prodigy in country music but became a significant figure in roots rock, Tex/Mex and other genres. He was the founder and leader of the 1960s rock band, the Sir Douglas Quintet. He would later co-found the Texas Tornados with Augie Meyers, Freddy Fender, and Flaco Jimenez as well as Los Super Seven. He began his musical career as Little Doug Sahm. He made his radio debut at the age five and released his first record A Real American Joe at age eleven. On December 19, 1952, still eleven years old, he played on stage with Hank Williams Sr. at the Skyline Club in Austin, Texas. It was Hank Williamss very last performance. Williams died on New Years Day of 1953, on the road to his next show in Canton, Ohio. Sahm is said to have been offered a permanent spot on the Grand Ole Opry, but his mother wanted him to finish junior high. Sahm formed his first band, the Knights, in 1957. He met Freddy Fender during 1958 and they remained life long friends. In 1965 he formed the Sir Douglas Quintet with childhood friend Augie Meyers. They chose the groups name in an effort to make the band seem British to benefit from the British invasion. This image had its problems, particularly Sahms Texas accent and that two of five band member were Hispanic. Some early publicity photos were shot in silhouette to hide this fact. The band had a top 20 US hit with Shes About a Mover and a lesser hit with The Rains Came,. The band broke up after a bust for marijuana possession in Corpus Christi, Texas. Sahm moved to San Francisco and formed the Honkey Blues Band, then later re-formed the Sir Douglas Quintet with a new lineup and they released the successful single and album Mendocino. Bob Dylan stated, Look, for me right now there are three groups: Butterfield, The Byrds and the Sir Douglas Quintet. In 1973 Sahm released his solo debut Doug Sahm and Band, an album featuring Bob Dylan, Dr. John, David Bromberg and Flaco Jiménez. Sahm continued recording both as a solo artist and with the Sir Douglas Quintet. During this period, Sahm also had a couple of minor motion picture roles. In 1972, he and the Quintet appeared with Kris Kristofferson in Cisco Pike and in 1979 he was featured in More American Graffiti. Sahm was also a sought-after session musician, appearing on releases of other artists, including The Grateful Dead. He sang backing vocals on Willie Nelsons 1977 gospel album, The Troublemaker. In 1990, Sahm formed the Tex-Mex supergroup, the Texas Tornados, with Freddy Fender, Augie Meyers, and Flaco Jimenez. The original group recorded seven albums and won a Grammy. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s Sahm also played and recorded with several other bands including The Sir Douglas Quintet, The Texas Mavericks and The Last Real Texas Blues Band. Sahm died of a heart attack in his sleep in a motel room in Taos, New Mexico, on November 18, 1999. Sahms son, Shawn Sahm, who appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine with his father in 1967, released his fathers posthumous album in 2000 and continues in his fathers footsteps. In October 2012, a group of musicians,including Dave Alvin, Steve Earle, Delbert McClinton, Flaco Jimenez and Boz Scaggs, performing under the name Doug Sahms Phantom Playboys, commemorated Sahms lasting impact on the Americana music scene by playing several of his songs live. Sahm appeared as a fictionalized character in the 2011 Stephen King novel 11.22.63. Heres the Sir Douglas Quintet performing Mendocino ......Enjoy!
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 17:23:36 +0000
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