Giveaway: “Texas Tornado” Doug Sahm Bio
The fine folks at the University of Texas Press have cleared us a couple copies of this new bio for two (2) lucky Rising Storm readers. This is the first biography of the legendary Doug Sahm, a great read which I previously reviewed here. (Back to albums soon I swear it.)
To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment below (with your email address) listing your favorite Doug Sahm tune. If you don’t got one, how about any old Country, Rhythm & Blues, Tex-Mex, Conjunto, or otherwise related groove you think we ought to hear.
Two (2) winners will be selected at random in a week or two and get free books mailed to them! Good luck and thanks for reading.
Written by Brendan | March 3rd, 2010 | Comments (56)
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“At the Crossroads”! The combination of electric piano and organ is haunting — a unique tune in the SDQ/ Doug Sahm body of work (in which there’s a lot of repetition of lyrics, song structures, and arrangements). (One side note: I was introduced to this tune and “Dallas Alice” by the novel “North Dallas Forty” — much better than the movie, which wasn’t too bad itself — which I read as a kid.)
Quite a challenge, but limiting myself to the ones he wrote, I’d go with “If She’d Only Come to Me.” Or “Dallas Alice.”
Sir Doug produced so much great music. Today, having to pick, I would chose “Down on the Border” though tomorrow it might be “Groovers Paradise” or “Be Real” or something else entirely!
The Great Doug Sahm lives forver with such a great body of work but If I had to have 1 song to be played at my funeral it would be “At the Crossroads” It is such a beautiful song – it gets me every time. Listening to a Doug Sahm record through headphones is an experience every audiophile should dig into…the man KNEW how to record a great record-I have taken many recording tips from his records and am still amazed everytime I lay a needle on a Sir Douglas or Tornados’ record. I own every one of his records and owe him infinatley for what he has given all of us. Count your blessings …….
Doug Sahm , Groovin for the lord above –
Difficult to name just one…but I honestly listen to his cover of “Talk to Me” more than any .
yo yo, i would have to say as a novice at the crossroads, and as far as other music goes, norteno mang! para que regreses by the chapo de sinaloa http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7b_oBnQRqw
At the risk of choosing an obvious one, I’m voting for “Give Back the Keys to My Heart”. Admit it readers, just reading that title popped that song into your head on infinite loop for the next day and a half. “Neuvo Laredo” and “You Never Get to Big” are a couple others that theme my brainwaves here and there.
Doug was a treasure, and should have been everything the Dead and Airplane were in their times and more.
´Rain, rain, rain, rain
My pillow´s soaking wet,
you broke my heart
and caused me so much pain.´
The Rains Came.
That song does it for me every time I hear it. Sadness to dance to. Yeah.
Hard to say, man. So much gold there. I always loved the “And Band” album the most, but wow…how about Baby Let’s Go To Mexico which served as a lovely backdrop to my video of vacation in Mexico
Seguin —- Everything great about Doug Sahm, wrapped into one, summer-friendly, groove.
Man, I may have to give this one to “At the Crossroads”, though special mention definitely goes to “I Don’t Want, “Nuevo Laredo” , “Yesterday Got In the Way” and “Give Me Back the Key To My Heart”! There are so many that I’ll probably think of more solid contenders as soon as I hit the submit button.
“Makes me proud to be from Texas, where Doug Sahm is still the king”…
“Dynamite Woman”. Three chord rock’n’roll with a fiddle. Some of the cuts on the “Rough Edges ” album were good, too. I got ripped one Saturday afternoon and called Augie up. He was kind of apologetic about that album, but I like it fine. “Homecoming”, “Colinda”. “Goodbye San Francisco”. All good songs.
Caught the early Sir Douglas stuff and then the “and Band” album, then lost touch, then along came the Bottle Rockets’ “Songs of Sahm”, and it all started up again!
“Float Away”
Sometimes You’ve Got To Stop Chasing Rainbows – It needs no explanation really.
The single best Tex-Mex track ever, IMHO, is Ry Cooder’s and Flaco Jiminez’s cover of “He’ll Have To Go” on Chicken Skin Music. That aside, Sir Douglas, bless him, produced more sheer good-time, unpretentious music in these genres than just about anyone else living or dead. Nobody can make those three chords sound more joyous: “Happy” should have been his middle name. I suggest “She’s About A Mover” for the groove and the Vox Continental; “I’m Not That Kat Anymore” for the strangest, dirtiest flanged guitar sound ever; “You Never Get Too Big And You Sure Don’t Get Too Heavy That You Don’t Have To Stop And Pay Some Dues Sometime” for the longest (and truest) title; but best of all “Be Real” for the sweetest ersatz Western Swing you’ll ever hear. If I don’t win the giveaway I’ll be buying the tome anyway. Mil gracias para todos tus canciones estupendos, hidalgo Douglas.
Catch the Man on the Rise or Linda Lou/Country Girl or any one of a hundred others!
Gourd’s w/ Sir Douglas singing “Michoacan” ..back in the “dizzay”
Everyone’s been naming great songs…. hard to pick a definitive fave–
I’ll go with “I Wanna Be Your Mama Again,” “Nuevo Laredo,” or “Dallas Alice.”
First album I heard by Doug was Doug Sahm and Band Loved it and later loved T=Bone Burnett Gotta be Poison Love
It’s a tough call, but “She’s About a Mover” rocks as hard as it ever did.
Either Sapphire off the Norton album or Mendocinno. Thanks again.
I would have to say Lawd, I’m Just A Country Boy in this Great big freaky city – it’s the song that really got me into Doug Sahm – the song just makes me smile – it’s humor and wit, sense of time and place- well it has it all.
“Magic Illusion” is a current favorite; the whole “Together After Five” is just a delight to hear!!
Gotta be either Faded Love off Doug Sahm and Band (I’m a Bob Wills fan) although i love “at the crossroads” by the Sir Douglas Quintet. love Love LOVE rising storm. cheers!
“Homecoming” gets to me every time. It’s a simple little groove, but Doug’s words and voice are heartbreaking and make me wanna be a better son for some reason; it makes me tender just like everything about it. Also, I’d recommend a viewing of Cisco Pike (1972). An air-guitarring Doug sharing screentime with Kris Kristofferson is always worthwhile, especially for fans of smoking weed and listening to C & W and southern R & B.
I, like Plasticsun, love Lawd, I’m Just A Country Boy In This Great Big Freaky City!! That song is best served with a nice doobie and a cold Texas beer.
Mendocino!
“It’s A Man Down There”. It’s on The Best Of SDQ from ’66 and is more garage rocky than true Tex-Mex but a real paint stripper. Doug Sahm, what a legend.
Damnation, there’s so many. But the first that comes to mind ” Oh Baby, It Just Don’t Matter” off of Mendocino. I grew up in SATX and when these long Montana winters start to wear me out, Doug Sahm always brings me back to the humid embrace of Texas.
“Catch Me in the Morning” off the “Groover’s Paradise” album is a slightly longer Sahm song with lots of beautiful pedal steel and an uplifting, mellow melody that just gets to me every time I hear it. The whole album is chock full of great tunes and excellent playing with the CCR rhythm section doing the honors.
North East Texas Women with their cotton candy hair! – Willis Alan Ramsey. Sorry Doug Sahm. It’s just too much a barn burner to deny.
Stoned Faces Don’t Lie!
i don’t want at the crossroads if you really want me to i’ll go sunday sunny mill valley groove day dallas alice i don’t want to go home revolutionary ways seguin magic illusion yesterday got in the way be real stoned faces don’t lie me and my destiny sooooooulfulllllwoman loven you best sister terry give back the key to my heart – all songs that go directly to my heart
when it comes to party you can’t go wrong with: dynamite woman , mendocino , what about tomorrow and you doin it too hard ( what a punch!!!) and if it gets late the tornados are also very welcome.
the most eclectic person -musically speaking – you can think of . he’s a true legend and very near on the top of my list
I always liked “Nuevo Laredo” and “Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day”, but it’s hard to choose just one. As for tex-mex/conjunto songs, I wish I could remember a few to recommend. I’m from south Texas, so that was pretty much all the radio stations played, but for some reason I never really caught the names of the artists/songs. Don’t judge me too harshly; I was really young.
Be real is my favorite song by Mr. Sahm, and sadly all I know about him I have learned from music blogs like this one, would love to learn more!
So many people picking At the Crossroads, not surprising I guess. The Mercury years were certainly Doug’s golden age, but there’s lots of good stuff on Atlantic too. I’m going to go with Nitty Gritty (from Texas Tornado by ‘The Sir Douglas Band’) with The Hard Way coming in a close second.
If I’m picking one, I have to go with “Texas Me”. That fiddle gets me every time. Alternate take, preferably.
Lots of great picks here (especially “Northeast Texas Women” from Willis Alan Ramsey), but I’ll give my vote to “Dealer’s Blues” – I love the groove on that one. I’d also like to give a more than honourable mention to Roky Erickson’s “Starry Eyes”, which Doug produced and played some great guitar on (same goes for “Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog)”). The guy could do no wrong.
Two other things for Doug fans to check: the movie “Cisco Pike”, which features a great appearance by Sir Douglas and his guitar and the song “Doug Sahm” by the excellent Australian outfit You Am I: “Wham! Bam! Doug Sahm!”
Poison Love, and It’s Gonna Be Easy have a special groove in my heart.
I have been a Doug Sahm fan since I first heard She”s About A Mover Back in the mid-60s. I have played many of his originals in different bands but what I keep coming back to is his version of Tom T. Hall’s ‘The Homecoming’ released oh so briefly badck in the late 70s on Mercury Records’ wipe up collection Rough Edges
Honorable mentions would go to: If You Really Want Me To I’ll Go, Nuevo Laredo, Michoacan, At The Crossroads, Bacon Fat, Groover’s Paradisem The Image of Me, Stoned Faces Don’t Lie & Lawd, I’m Just A Country Boy In This Great Big Freaky City
I was lucky enough to work in a club that hosted him during the 80s when he was on Takoma for that one LP (title escapes me) with Who’ll be The Next In Line on it. Shared a bottle and sojme smoke after wards with Doug & Augie and talked for a couple of hours…nice memory pretty hared to come by in Rochester, NY…oh yes, I have a recording of the night also that’s beem transferred to CD!
catch the man on the rise-sdq cut that is killer!!
Texas Me says it all!
I got into Doug Sahm and the SDQ in a big way about 4-5 years ago, with Mendocino opening me up to a whole discography of tex mex. I’m going to start with the obvious here, mentioning “I Wanna Be Your Mama Again” and “At the Crossroads” off of the Mendocino but I also want to include something obscure from Honkey Blues, “Song of Everything” being one of my favorites. Also love “Texas Tornado” and “Wildflower” from the Atlantic sessions. To everyone: drop what you’re doing and go buy the Hip-O Box for SDQ, “The Complete Mercury Recordings” and listen to it for a week non stop. You’ll still have a smile on your face. All 5 CD’s of it are available on iTunes for 9 bucks – amazing deal, and you get to hear some Sahm productions and Spanish versions of some of his hits!
Damn! What a sweet playlist you all have cooked up here. It’s nice to see a big ole mess of Doug fans chiming in. Thanks for all these top suggestions.
Note: The contest ends tomorrow afternoon. I’ll randomly select two winners and send out emails. G’luck!
B
Favorite Doug tune? tough one. ‘Give Back the Key to My Heart’ usually wins out; I’m also partial to ‘Mendocino’… favorite covers that Doug did are ‘Wallflower’ (with Dylan!) and ‘Who Were You Thinkin’ Of?’ — one of those near-forgotten classic country tunes.
There is way too much of his stellar, A-no.1 material to pick just one…
“if she’d only come to me” from the amazing together after 5 LP. seven up bottles!
Congrats Nik and Kurt! random.org liked you guys best. Thanks for playing and sorry if you didn’t win. But you know how these things go.
la mejor cancion the tracker , she’s about a mover y meet me in stokolmo
I’m Not That Kat Anymore is the one that does it for me.
Number 1 has got to be “At the Crossroads.” Emotion is what it’s all about baby. I also have to give a nod to “Tortilla Flats” from 1+1+1=4. And is there anything bigger, bouncier, meatier, and juicier than “San Francisco FM Blues”? In my book, Doug is up there with Joe Scott as the greatest bandleaders/horn arrangers of the blues.
Who Were You Thinkin’ Of? …I recently heard this song again and right now it is my current favorite.
been diggin on any and all of GROOVERS PARADISE!!! doug and CCR (exceptin the fogey) – hated it at first cuz it was too clean sounding but then really got into it… In fact i’m gonna listen to it on my way home from work!!! Outta here! ALSO – anything off mendocino – thank dood. DinTX
“At The Crossroads” definetly, ’cause you just can’t live in texas if you ain’t got a lotta soul! (saying this sittin’ on the swiss mountains…). although “Stoned Faces Don’t Lie” comes pretty close…
Hi,
I would have suggested At the crossroads but since so many did it already I suggest The homecoming.
Really been falling in love with Doug Sahm, Texas Tornados, all of it! Trying to get to sleep but keep playing old video of “Nuevo Laredo” and “Mendocino.” I know there’s so much more to hear and can’t wait. The man really sang with all his heart, didn’t he?
is it too late to submit my selections? Billy Baety and T bone Shuffle, also The Rains Came and Dallas Alice and Border Wave and Sheila Tequila and all the rest.