Doug Sahm

Douglas Wayne Sahm (1941–1999), musician in several popular genres, was born to Viva Lee and Victor A. Sahm, Sr., on November 6, 1941, in San Antonio. Sahm was a musical prodigy who, at an early age, began playing with a local band. He was singing on the radio at the age of five and was so gifted that he could play the fiddle, steel guitar, and mandolin by the time he was eight years old. Around this age, he appeared on the Louisiana Hayride, and before he was a teenager, Little Doug Sahm, as he was known, had played on stage with such greats as Hank Thompson, Faron Young, and Hank Williams. When he was thirteen he was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, but had to decline so he would not miss school. Growing up in a predominantly African-American section of San Antonio, Sahm's early influences also included such blues and rock pioneers as T-Bone Walker, Bobby Bland, Howlin' Wolf, and Fats Domino. As a youth, Sahm released a number of local singles, including "A Real American Joe" for Sarg Records.  Sahm's career spanned over four decades and encompassed a variety of musical styles, including German polkas, blues, rock, and Tejano.  In the 1970s he moved to Austin and became a member of the "Cosmic Cowboy" scene, along with Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker. He was signed by Atlantic Records in 1973. With help from his friends Flaco Jimenez, Bob Dylan, and Dr. John, Sahm released the album Doug Sahm and Band, which included the song "Is Anybody Going to San Antone?" Later In 1989 Sahm teamed up with Freddie Fender, Flaco Jimenez, and Augie Meyers to form the Texas Tornados. The group produced a soulful mix of country music, blues, ballad singing, Texas rock-and-roll, and conjunto.   Sahm also has been honored in the South Texas Walk of Fame, and in 2008 he was an inaugural inductee into the Austin Music Memorial. In 2008 the city of Austin approved the naming of Doug Sahm Hill, the highest point of a park near Lady Bird Lake, in Sahm's honor. (“Sahm, Douglas Wayne” by James Head and Laurie E. Jasinski. Excerpted from the Handbook of Texas Online - www.tshaonline.org © Texas State Historical Association.)