Who Are Douglas Quintet
When Doug Sahm first performed on the radio, he was just five years old. He was a young prodigy who could play the steel guitar, mandolin, and violin. His preference for country music was inevitable given that he was raised in San Antonio, Texas. He appeared on stage with Hank Williams at the age of 11 in Austin, Texas, at what would turn out to be Williams’ final performance. When Sahm was 16 years old, he started his first band, The Knights.
Doug Sahm
Net Worth: $3 million
Sir Douglas Quintet was founded by Sahm and his old friend Augie Meyers in 1965. They wanted to take advantage of having a British-sounding name in whatever way possible because it was the height of the British Invasion. Unfortunately, the name didn’t quite fit Sahm’s Texas drawl and the band’s roster, which included two Hispanic players. Before splitting up, they did manage to create the smash song “She’s About A Mover”
British Invasion … from Texas?
They were a Texas band that changed their name to something British, moved to the West Coast, and helped create the San Francisco Sound in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
In hindsight, it was the ideal situation for a group that loved to experiment with music and mixed aspects of other genres like rock, Tex-Mex, and doo-wop to produce their own unique sound.
And it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that SDQ was a significant band. At their height, Bob Dylan was reported as saying, “For me right now there are three groups: [Paul] Butterfield, The Byrds and the Sir Douglas Quintet.” as reported in the book All Across the Telegraph: A Bob Dylan Handbook.
the San Francisco Sound and Tex-Mex
Sahm, who was already fusing many genres, left Texas for California after learning about the San Francisco Sound, a movement that originated from musical experimentation.
When Sahm’s old friend Augie Meyers relocated to San Francisco, the Honkey Blues Band, which Sahm had formed, was reactivated. They quickly published the album Mendocino, whose title tune turned became their second number-one smash.
In the early 1970s, SDQ were in high demand. They appeared in the 1972 film Cisco Pike alongside Kris Kristofferson. When Sahm released his first solo album, the band was still actively recording and performing, and among the guests were Dylan, Dr. John, and Flaco Jimenez, who Sahm would later reunite with in the supergroup Texas Tornadoes (which also featured Meyers and Freddy Fender) in the early ’90s. When it became evident that Sahm preferred to pursue a solo career, the band (amicably) broke up in 1972.
Legacy of SDQ
The band is best known in the music industry for effectively establishing a musical brand that combines rock, Tex-Mex, and Cajun influences. Additionally, elements of 1950s doo-wop, 1960s soul, and electric blues were incorporated into their music.
Although Sahm passed away after a heart attack in 1999, his solo records and those of his Sir Douglas Quintet have recently gained popularity thanks to catalog reissues. Since the band’s dissolution, SDQ has held a number of reunions with various combinations of its former members.
Best known songs:
“She’s About A Mover” (1965)
“The Rains Came” (1966)
“Mendocino” (1968)
“It Didn’t Even Bring Me Down” (1969)
“Dynamite Woman” (1969) (watch a 1994 concert performance)
“At The Crossroads” (1969)
“Nuevo Laredo” (1970) (watch a TV performance)
