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SAHM, DOUGLAS WAYNE (1941–1999). Douglas Wayne Sahm, musician in several popular genres, was born 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. When he was thirteen he was invited to join the "Grand Ole Opry," but had to decline so he would not miss school. Sahm's career spanned over four decades and encompassed a variety of musical styles, including German polkas, blues,qv rock, and Tejano. In the 1950s he attended Sam Houston High School, San Antonio, where he formed several bands. In 1964 he helped found the Sir Douglas Quintet, an outlandish group of Texans who dressed up and pretended to be part of the so-called "British Invasion" of the mid-1960s. Sahm wrote the quintet's 1965 smash hit, "She's About a Mover," which made the Top Twenty chart. The group's second single, "The Rains Came," made the Top Forty. Sahm moved to San Francisco in 1966 and continued to record. He had some minor successes, including the single "Mendocino." The quintet broke up in 1971. 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 that year he released the album Texas Tornado. He continued making records throughout the 1970s and 1980s for different labels, including his popular 1974 album Groover's Paradise (Warner Brothers). 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,qv rhythm-and-blues, ballad singing, Texas rock-and-roll,qv and conjunto. They were signed by Reprise Records in 1990 and released their first album, Texas Tornados, later that year. The album, in both English and Spanish, was well received by fans and critics alike. It quickly charted on Billboard's rock, Latin, and country charts. In 1991 the album won a Grammy. During the 1990s the Tornadoes toured and released several other successful albums, including Hangin' on by a Thread and Live from the Limo. The Tornados were planning a 2000 European concert tour when Sahm was found dead of heart disease in his hotel room in Taos, New Mexico, on November 18, 1999. He was married and divorced and had two sons, a daughter, and two grandchildren. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Associated Press reports, November 19, 1999. Chicago Sun––Times, November 22, 1999. The Guardian: World Reporter, November 23, 1999. The Independent (London), November 29, 1999. Julia M. Robiner, ed., Contemporary Musicians (Detroit: Gale Research, 1993). James Head
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