Doug Sahm | |
|---|---|
 Sahm in 1974 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Little Doug Doug Saldaña Samm Dogg Wayne Douglas |
| Born | Douglas Wayne Sahm (1941-11-06)November 6, 1941 San Antonio,Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 18, 1999(1999-11-18) (aged 58) Taos, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Genres | Tejano/Tex-Mex,Country,Rock,Blues,Rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician singer-songwriter bandleader |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar,steel guitar, fiddle,mandolin,bajo sexto,dobro, drums, piano |
| Years active | 1946–1999 |
| Labels | (Various)
|
Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, andmulti-instrumentalist fromSan Antonio, Texas. He is regarded as a keyTex-Mex music andTexan Music performer. San Antonio'sconjunto andblues and later thehippie scene ofSan Francisco[1] helped create his blend of music, with which he found success performing in 1970sAustin, Texas.
He made his recording debut as "Little Doug" in 1955. In 1965,Huey P. Meaux produced Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover."Atlantic Records signed Sahm and released his debut solo albumDoug Sahm and Band in 1973. In 1989, Sahm formed thesupergroup theTexas Tornados with fellow Tex-Mex musiciansAugie Meyers,Freddy Fender andFlaco Jiménez. The Texas Tornados toured successfully, and one of their releases earned aGrammy Award. In 1999, Sahm died during a vacation trip.
Doug Sahm was born inSan Antonio, Texas, on November 6, 1941, to Victor A. Sahm, Sr. and Viva Lee (née Goodman).[2] The Sahm family had migrated to the United States from Germany early in the 20th century, and settled initially inGalveston, Texas. Sahm's grandparents, Alfred and Alga, owned a farm nearCibolo, Texas. Alfred Sahm was a musician who played with the polka band The Sahm Boys. During theGreat Depression, Sahm's parents moved to San Antonio, where Victor worked atKelly Field Air Force base.[3]
Sahm began singing at age five, and took up thesteel guitar at age six. The same year, he appeared on San Antonio's radio stationKMAC and performed theSons of the Pioneers' "Teardrops in My Heart".[4] He was regarded as achild prodigy on the steel guitar.[5][6][7] His mother took him to a local music school, but his teacher turned him down soon after. His teacher explained he could not teach Sahm to readmusic, and the boy could alreadyplay by ear. Sahm often appeared at a local club, The Barn, which his uncle co-owned withCharlie Walker.[8] By the time he was eight, he could play thefiddle andmandolin, and he began to appear on theLouisiana Hayride as "Little Doug".[2] He also performed shows withHank Williams,Faron Young andHank Thompson. At age thirteen, he was offered a spot on theGrand Ole Opry that his mother declined, wanting him to finish school.[2] In 1953, Sahm metAugie Meyers while he purchasedbaseball cards at Meyer's mother's grocery store,[9] and the two became friends. Meyers and Sahm discussed forming a band, but nothing came of it as both played with different groups. Meyers mastered theaccordion,piano andrhythm guitar.[10] Sahm grew up on the East side of San Antonio, a predominantly black neighborhood. He listened from his home to the live performances ofT-Bone Walker and other blues artists who appeared at a nearby blues bar, the Eastwood Country Club.[8] Sahm's neighbor, Homer Callahan, introduced him to the records ofHowlin' Wolf,Lonesome Sundown,Fats Domino,Jimmy Reed, andAtlantic andExcello Records.[11]
In 1955, producer Charlie Fitch released Sahm's debut single on Sarg Records.[12] Cataloged with the number 113-45 on the label's releases, the pairing of "A Real American Joe" with "Rollin' Rollin'" was credited to Little Doug.[13] The same year, Sahm formed his first band, The Kings. A year later, one of his concerts in school was interrupted by the principal after Sahm started imitatingElvis Presley's gyrations. The students left the auditorium and headed to Sahm's house to continue listening to the band.[8] As he continued performing country music, fiddler J. R. Chatwell, who played with bandleaderAdolph Hofner, mentored him. The music ofLefty Frizzell, Howlin' Wolf, Lonesome Sundown, Elvis Presley,Little Richard, T-Bone Walker,Floyd Tillman, and San Antonio musicians Johnny Owen and Ricky Aguirre influenced him during his teenage years.[14][15][8]
Sahm enjoyed success performing in San Antonio nightclubs,[16] as he played a blend of music that consisted ofrhythm and blues with the addition of the West Side tenor saxophone player Eracleo "Rocky" Morales.[17] The "West Side Sound", characteristic of San Antonio, consisted of a blend of genres:country music,conjunto, rhythm and blues,polka androck and roll.[18][19][20] Meanwhile, Sahm performed on guitar six nights a week withJimmy Johnson's band.[8] Saxophonist Spot Barnett invited him to play at the Ebony rhythm and blues club.[9]
Sahm fronted three bands: The Pharaohs, The Dell-Kings and The Markays. He released the song "Crazy Daisy" (1959), and he had a local hit with "Why Why Why" (1960) on Renner Records.[21][22] Sahm graduated from high school the same year. He had another local hit with "Crazy, Crazy Feeling" (1961);[8] "Just A Moment" (1961) and "Lucky Me" (1963) followed.[23] By 1964, Sahm was dropped by the Renner label and he tried to convinceHuey P. Meaux to sign him. Meaux, the owner ofSugarHill Recording Studios, was enjoying success withDale and Grace andBarbara Lynn, and turned Sahm down.[7]
Meaux produced songs that appeared on the music charts in the 1960s, but because ofBeatlemania and theBritish Invasion, his records stopped selling well. Determined to find the reason for the commercial success ofThe Beatles sound, Meaux said he purchased several of their records and rented three rooms at the Wayfarer Hotel in San Antonio. According to his account, he drank a case ofThunderbird wine in the process.[24] Meaux felt the Beatles' songs shared a common ground with traditionaltwo-stepCajun music.[25] He called Sahm and asked him to write songs based on that style, and to let his hair grow.[24] Sahm and Meyers appeared withThe Dave Clark Five in San Antonio, where they were featured on the program, with their respective bands, as the opening acts. Sahm appeared with the Markays, and Meyers the Goldens.[26] Meyers attributed Meaux's interest in recording Sahm and himself to their performance at the concert.[27]
Sahm put together a band with Meyers (keyboard), Frank Morin (saxophone), Harvey Kagan (bass) and Johnny Perez (drums).[23] Based on The Beatles' "She's a Woman", Sahm wrote a song that integrated their style with the sounds characteristic oftejano music.[28] Sahm called his new composition "She's A Body Mover". Meaux purchased the song from him for $25 (equivalent to $300 in 2024), but he felt the title would not help it get airplay. Instead, he renamed it "She's About a Mover".[25] The song was released onTribe Records in 1965 and credited to theSir Douglas Quintet—an "English-sounding" name created by Meaux to capitalize on the success of the British Invasion.[29][7] The first publicity pictures of the band were taken in silhouette to conceal the appearances of Frank Morin and Johnny Perez, the Latino members of the band.[28] "She's About a Mover" peaked at number 13 on theBillboard Hot 100,[29] and reached number 15 on theUK Singles Chart.[30] The success of the song propelled the Sir Douglas Quintet to tour, and to become an opener for The Beatles andThe Beach Boys.[31] They appeared onHullabaloo, and hostTrini Lopez revealed the real origin of the band. The quintet toured the United States withJames Brown, and Europe with The Beach Boys and theRolling Stones.[32]
After meeting Sahm inNew York City in 1965,Bob Dylan said in an interview he felt the Sir Douglas Quintet would be a commercial success on radio. Dylan and Sahm met again inLondon while the Sir Douglas Quintet toured England.[33] During a stop inCorpus Christi, Texas, in December 1965, Sahm and Morin were arrested for possession ofmarijuana[34] upon their arrival at theCorpus Christi International Airport. The bond for the musicians' release was set at $1,500 (equivalent to $15,000 in 2024). Sahm got the money from his family in San Antonio.[35] The band pleaded guilty to the charge of "receiving and concealing marijuana without paying the required transfer tax". JudgeReynaldo Guerra Garza sentenced them to probation with supervision for five years in March 1966.[36] Meyers was forbidden from leaving Texas for the duration of his probation.[37] A series of appearances with the band in small towns around the state made Sahm unhappy. After his parole officer allowed him to leave Texas the same year, he decided to move toCalifornia with his wife and children.[38]
Sahm moved toSalinas, California, and became involved inSan Francisco's burgeoninghippie scene.[9] He gathered again with the musicians of the Sir Douglas Quintet, excluding Meyers, whose parole officer did not allow to leave Texas.[39] Sahm became acquainted with the music acts playing in theHaight-Ashbury district, and performed at venues includingThe Fillmore, theAvalon Ballroom, and The Ark in Sausalito.[9] Through audio engineerDan Healy, Sahm met and befriendedJerry Garcia. The Sir Douglas Quintet opened for theGrateful Dead inOakland, California,[40] and in October 1966 performed withBig Brother and the Holding Company featuringJanis Joplin.[41] Helped by lawyer Brian Rohan, who represented the Grateful Dead, Sahm was signed toMercury Records and its subsidiary labels.[41] In December 1968, Sahm appeared with his son, Shawn, on the cover ofRolling Stone magazine. His arrival in San Francisco with the other Texan musicians was covered in the feature "Tribute to the Lone Star State: Dispossessed Men and Mothers of Texas".[42] During the photo shooting, Sahm took his son and sat him on his lap to emulate a childhood photograph that had been taken of him with Hank Williams.[43] In 1969, Meyers joined Sahm in San Francisco for the recording ofMendocino.[9] The album's title track reached number 27 on theBillboard Hot 100.[44]
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Sahm left California in 1971 and returned to San Antonio.[45] He released an album entitledThe Return of Doug Saldaña with the Sir Douglas Quintet;Chicano musicians in San Antonio had given him the nickname "Saldaña".[28] A cover of "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" on the album helped to reignite the career of its original singer,Freddy Fender.[46] The same year,Rolling Stone featured Sahm on its cover again and ran his interview withChet Flippo.[8]
Sahm moved to Austin that year as the local hippie scene grew. He appeared at theArmadillo World Headquarters and the Soap Creek Saloon in Austin.[9] In 1972, he disbanded the Sir Douglas Quintet.[45] The same year, he made a cameo appearance in the filmCisco Pike, starringKris Kristofferson.[47] Sahm performed on the film's song "Michoacan", but radio stations refused to play it because of its references to marijuana.[46]
Jerry Wexler signed Sahm to the newly createdprogressive country division of Atlantic Records in 1972. In October 1972, he recordedDoug Sahm and Band in New York City with guest appearances by Bob Dylan,Dr. John,David "Fathead" Newman,Flaco Jimenez,David Bromberg andKenny Kosek.[48] The release garnered mixed reviews and sold poorly,[49] reaching number 125 onBillboard's Top LPs & Tapes.[50] In February 1973, he joinedWillie Nelson during the recording ofShotgun Willie in New York City and featured on the album with his own musicians.[51] Sahm also joined the Grateful Dead's recording sessions.[52] As he continued to enjoy success in Austin's venues, Sahm used material left over from his October 1972 sessions with Atlantic Records for his 1973 releaseTexas Tornado.[9] Atlantic folded its country music division in 1973.[53] The following yearWarner Records released his next album,[54]Groover's Paradise, featuringDoug Clifford andStu Cook, former musicians inCreedence Clearwater Revival.[9]Texas Monthly wrote the album captured Austin's "insouciant essence" as a "carefree hippie mecca".[55] As he toured to promote the album, Sahm made his debut performance atCarnegie Hall.[56]
Sahm's record sales continued to decline,[9] and he rarely performed concerts outside the Austin club scene.[57] In 1975, he produced former13th Floor Elevators front manRoky Erickson following Erickson's release from Rusk State Hospital.[58] In 1976, Sahm collaborated again with Meaux on the release ofTexas Rock For Country Rollers. Besides vocals, Sahm played lead guitar, fiddle and piano. Meyers also joined the project and performed on the piano and organ.[59] The same year, Sahm appeared on the fifth episode of the first season ofAustin City Limits.[60] In 1979, he made a cameo appearance in the filmMore American Graffiti.[61]
Sahm released two albums onTakoma Records: the solo recordHell of a Spell (1980), followed by a collaboration with the Sir Douglas Quintet onBorder Wave (1981).[4] Sahm reformed the band after it had gained momentum from the success ofnew wave music, and the use of organs featured byElvis Costello andThe Attractions.[46] Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet then signed a record deal with the Swedish labelSonet Records in 1983.[9] Their releaseMidnight Sun, became a success: It sold 50,000 copies in Sweden, another 50,000 copies in the rest ofScandinavia,[55] and reached number 27 on theTopplistan.[62] Its single "Meet Me in Stockholm" became a hit.[63]Midnight Sun, and their second release with the label,Rio Medina, were recorded in the United States. Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet toured Scandinavia and also played in theNetherlands.[55] By 1985, Sahm had moved toCanada after he visited friends inVancouver, but he returned to Austin every year to take part in theSouth by Southwest festival.[64] He formed the band The Texas Mavericks in Austin in 1987 with Alvin Crow (fiddle), Speedy Sparks (bass), John Reed (guitar), and Ernie Durawa (drums).[65] Sahm sang under the pseudonym "Samm Dogg", and he and the band performed wearingwrestling masks.[66] Meanwhile, in Canada, along withAmos Garrett andGene Taylor, he recordedThe Return of the Formerly Brothers. The release earned them theJuno Award forBest Roots and Traditional Album in 1989.[67] In September 1989, six years after his last record release in the United States, Sahm partnered with club owner and blues impresarioClifford Antone for the release ofJuke Box Music onAntone's Record Label.[68] By the end of the decade, Sahm often performed at the Austin night club Antone's.[69] He used the club's house band on the recording.[70]
In 1989, Sahm formed theTexas Tornados with Meyers (organ, vocals), Fender (guitar, vocals) and Jimenez (accordion, vocals). The group's songs featured the Tex-Mex sound—a mixture of rock, country music, conjunto and blues.[71][72] Warner Brothers signed the band to a recording contract, and in 1991 they releasedTexas Tornados.[73] The album charted at number five onBillboard'sTop Country Albums. Meanwhile, it earned theGrammy Award forBest Mexican/Mexican-American Album. A version of the album sung in Spanish entitledLos Texas Tornados was released at the same time.[74] The band appeared in Europe and Japan.[75] Along with Willie Nelson, the Texas Tornados were featured at thefirst inauguration of Bill Clinton.[46] The band performed at the America's Reunion onthe Mall event, as well as in other venues around Washington, D.C. during their stay.[76]
In 1994, Sahm and Meyers formed a new version of the Sir Douglas Quintet. It included Sahm's sons Shawn on guitar andShandon on drums.[77] The band released the albumDay Dreaming at Midnight.[78] Sahm then formed The Last Real Texas Blues Band with the musicians he performed with at Antone's. In 1995, the group, composed of Rocky Morales (tenor saxophone), Sauce Gonzalez (Hammond organ), Meyers (piano),Denny Freeman (guitar) and Derek O'Brian (guitar), recorded a studio album of their live performances. Antone's Record Label released it asThe Last Real Texas Blues Band Featuring Doug Sahm. The album included standards by T-Bone Walker andLowell Fulson.[69] It was nominated for theGrammy Award forBest Traditional Blues Album.[79]
Sahm and the Texas Tornados' song "A Little Bit is Better Than Nada" was featured in the 1996 filmTin Cup.[46] In 1998, Sahm collaborated withThe Gourds for the releaseS.D.Q. 98'.[9] The same year, he joined the Latino supergroupLos Super Seven.[80] By 1999, impressed by Dallas singer Ed Burleson, Sahm assembled a band that consisted ofBill Kirchen (guitar), Tommy Detamore and Clay Baker (steel guitars) and Alvin Crow (fiddle). Sahm booked the Cherry Ridge Studios inFloresville, Texas, and he assisted with the recording of Burleson's debut albumMy Perfect World. The album was the first release on Sahm's own label, Tornado Records. Using the same band, Sahm extended the booking at Cherry Ridge Studios for a series of recording sessions during July and August 1999.[81]
Sahm met Violet Morris at a Christmas party in 1961. At the time, Morris worked as an executive secretary at aMontgomery Ward department store. The couple married in 1963. Morris had three children from a previous marriage, and in 1964, she gave birth to Dawn Sahm.[82] As he was responsible for his wife and four children, Sahm was classified 1-Y on theSelective Service System.[83] His first son, Shawn, was born in 1965,[84] and Shandon in 1969.[85]
In 1973, during a visit to the Mexican restaurant La Rosa in San Antonio, Sahm was apprehended by police officers who searched him, his car, and his companions for drugs. As they searched the car, his fiddle was broken.[86] After being handcuffed, Sahm was beaten by the police officers as he continued to protest and move. He was arrested for public intoxication.[87] The case was dismissed at his trial in June 1973, and Sahm unsuccessfully tried to sue the city.[88] Violet had already been unhappy with the marriage because of Sahm's numerous affairs,[89] and after his arrest, they divorced.[90]
Sahm was a dedicated follower ofbaseball. He followed several teams and visited their training camps through the years. He often refused to attend rehearsals to watch games, and on one occasion, he rejected a tour to be able to watch theWorld Series.[9][91]
By the end of 1999, Sahm decided to take a vacation trip toNew Mexico. He planned to visit a friend inTaos, New Mexico, then continue to a cabin in theSangre de Cristo Range and finish the trip with a visit to Dan Healy in San Francisco.[92] Sahm left for New Mexico after a brief visit with his son Shawn inBoerne, Texas. During the trip, Sahm called his son to inform him he had been feeling ill and that he often had to pull over to vomit. Sahm checked into the Kachina Lodge Hotel inTaos, New Mexico. His son continued calling him over the next few days. Sahm's girlfriend, Debora Hanson, and Shawn offered to fly to New Mexico and drive him back to Texas. Sahm initially refused, but he agreed to drive himself toAlbuquerque, New Mexico, to meet Hanson there for the drive back to Texas.[93] As his condition worsened, he asked a clerk about local doctors who would do house calls. Sahm was advised to visit the local emergency room, but he did not do so.[94] On November 18, 1999, Sahm was found dead in his hotel room. Local authorities determined it to be a death bynatural causes, but an autopsy was ordered.[95][96] The results of the autopsy determined that Sahm died ofarteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, described as a heart attack.[97] TheAustin Music Network aired a three-hour tribute to Sahm, whileKUT dedicated an episode of one of its shows to his music. A memorial concert was announced to take place at Antone's in December 1999.[98]
On November 23, 1999, Sahm's funeral took place at the Sunset Memorial Home in San Antonio.[98] Loudspeakers were placed outside of the funeral home for the service to be heard by the estimated one thousand mourners in attendance. According to theAustin American Statesman, the crowd consisted of people "across all lines of age, race, and social standing".[99] The viewing lasted an hour and a half, as the mourners passed Sahm's casket and left keepsakes. Freddy Fender chose not to attend the funeral to avoid distracting the crowds with his presence.[99] Bob Dylan,Bruce Springsteen,[98] then-Texas governorGeorge W. Bush, and Willie Nelson reached out to the family to express their condolences.[100] A planned tribute by a local radio station had to be called off, as the viewing took longer than expected, and the station's programming moved to the broadcast of the weather report.[101] Sahm was buried in a private ceremony at Sunset Memorial Park in San Antonio, next to his mother and father.[101][2]
In July 2000, the songs recorded at the Cherry Ridge Studios sessions the previous year were released on the posthumous albumThe Return of Wayne Douglas.[81]
His long hair and sideburns, his use of sunglasses and his preference for western attire including cowboy hats and boots characterized Sahm's look.[102][69][26][8] His music style encompassed country music, blues, rock and roll, Cajun music, rhythm and blues,doo-wop and tejano music.Psychedelic music during his time in San Francisco,jazz and the compositions of Bob Dylan later influenced him.[9][103][104][105] Sahm's presence was described as "impulsive, restless and energetic" byTexas Monthly,[70] while his way of talking was characterized by a "rapid-fire" style and the use of hippiejargon.[70][106] Amulti-instrumentalist, Sahm mastered the steel guitar, mandolin, fiddle, electric guitar, electric bass,dobro,bajo sexto, drums and piano.[97][107][108][109]
Rolling Stone wrote that "Lone Star music, at its best, in every form, was religion to Sahm."[110] The magazine ranked him at number 60 on their 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time in 2017.[111] ToBillboard, Sahm was a "central figure in the world of Tex-Mex".[97]New Musical Express considered him "an unpaid PR man for the state of Texas and all things Texan".[112] TheNew York Times saw Sahm as "a patriarch of Texas rock and country music".[113]Lone Star Music Magazine called him "the Godfather of San Antonio rock 'n' roll".[114] TheAustin Chronicle commented: "If Texas had such designation, Douglas Wayne Sahm would be the State Musician of Texas."[115]AllMusic deemed the singer "a highly knowledgeable and superbly competent performer of Texan musical styles".[116]
Sahm was featured in the 1974 mural "Austintatious" at theDrag portion of Guadalupe street in Austin.[117] He was inducted into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame with the 1982–1983 class.[118] In 2002, theAmericana Music Association gave him thePresident's Award.[119] On October 13, 2002, San Antonio's mayorEd Garza declared the date "Doug Sahm Day" in the city.[120] In 2008, Sahm was an inaugural inductee to the Austin Music Memorial.[121] On April 10, 2008,Austin City Council approved the motion to rename the spiral hill in Butler Metro Park to Doug Sahm Hill, in recognition of his "great talents in the music industry".[122] The 35-foot (11-metre) hill is the highest point in the park, with a 360° view of Austin's skyline.[123] In November 2009, artist David Blancas completedLa Música de San Anto for theSan Anto Cultural Arts Community Mural Program. Located on the west side of San Antonio, the 141-by-17-foot (43-by-5.2-metre) mural features San Antonio musicians including Sahm.[124] Blancas restored the mural in 2020.[125]Federico Archuleta also painted two murals in Austin depicting Sahm.[126]
In 2009, a tribute album recorded by San Antonio musicians,Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm, was released.[110] On Sahm's birthday, November 6, 2010, a plaque was added to the top of Doug Sahm Hill. The plaque features a caricature of Sahm byKerry Awn and a short biography written byAustin Chronicle's music columnistMargaret Moser.[127] Also in 2010, Shawn Sahm and the Texas Tornados released the album¡Está bueno!. Sahm's son and the surviving members of the group toured promoting the album.[128] In 2015, Sahm was inducted to the South Texas Music Walk of Fame.[121] The same year, music writer Joe Nick Patoski premiered his documentary on SahmSir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove at the South by Southwest festival.[129] Patoski started a petition to induct Sahm into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[130] The film was re-released in 2022, and a special screening in San Antonio featured a Q&A section that included original Sir Douglas Quintet members Meyers and Jack Barber.[131] Music producer Kevin Kosub established a small museum featuring memorabilia from Sahm's career.[132]
OnRecord Store Day 2023, a 1971soundboard recording of Sahm during a live performance at theTroubador in Los Angeles was released on vinyl LP under the nameTexas Tornado Live: Doug Weston's Troubadour, 1971.[133] The Same year,Son Volt releasedDay of the Doug, a tribute album to Doug Sahm. It features 12 songs that span Sahm's career as a solo artist as well as his work with Sir Douglas Quintet and the Texas Tornados. The Intro and Outro tracks consisted of phone messages that Sahm leftJay Farrar over the years.[134]
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