''Doug Sahm and Band'' is the debut solo album of American singer-songwriter

Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important per ...

. In 1972, after leaving the

Sir Douglas Quintet The Sir Douglas Quintet was an American rock band, formed in San Antonio in 1964. With their first hits, they were acclaimed in their home state. When their career was established (subsequent to working with Texas record producer Huey Meaux), t ...

, Sahm moved to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. He was signed by Jerry Wexler to the newly opened country music division of Atlantic Records, and started the album sessions by October 1972. It featured appearances by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

David "Fathead" Newman David "Fathead" Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist, who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s an ...

Flaco Jimenez José María Avizanda Glaría (born 24 May 1966), better known as Flaco, is a Spanish football coach and former player. He won the Norwegian Football Cup with Molde in 1994. Flaco has played for Rayo Vallecano from 1986 to 1990, where he was a t ...

David Bromberg David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock a ...

and

Kenny Kosek Kenny Kosek (born 1949 in The Bronx, New York), is an American fiddler who plays bluegrass, country, klezmer, folk music and roots music. In addition to his solo career, he has performed with many other well-known performers and contributed ...

. The album garnered mixed reviews upon release and sold poorly. It was listed by '' Billboard'' in Top LP's and Tapes at 125. The album was favored in later reviews.

Background

After a string of successful recordings in the late sixties, the

split in 1972.

, then based in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, decided to return to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and moved to Austin. The burgeoning alternative musical scene of the city included artists such as

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

and

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was bes ...

. Venues frequented by Sahm included the Soap Creek Saloon and

Armadillo World Headquarters Armadillo World Headquarters (The 'Dillo or Armadillo WHQ) was an influential Texas music hall and beer garden in Austin at 525 Barton Springs Road – at South First Street – just south of the Colorado River and downtown Austin. The 'Dillo fl ...

. Interested in the development of alternative country, Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler started a Country & Western division in the label. Wexler signed Sahm among his acts.

Recording

Doug Sahm - Atlantic Records Publicity Portrait 1973(derivate)

Produced by Sahm, Wexler and

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...

, the recording sessions took place during the first two weeks of October 1972, at the Atlantic Records recording studios on West 60th Street in New York. Guest musicians included

Flaco Jiménez Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. He is known for playing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music. Jiménez has been a solo performer and session musician, as ...

and

. Meanwhile, Elton John visited the studio. "

Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone" is a song written by Glenn Martin and Dave Kirby, and recorded by American country music artist Charley Pride. It was released in February 1970 as the first single from the album '' Charley Pride's 10th Album''. ...

" opened the album. It included twin fiddles by Sahm and Ken Kosek, with the steel guitar of Charlie Owens, while Dylan contributed with harmony vocals. Dylan appeared again singing harmony in "It's Gonna Be Easy", written by Atwood Allen, while Allen and Sahm sung the lead. Then, a horn section composed by Newman, Wayne Jackson and Willie Bridges assist Sahm on the Blues number "Your Friends". In "Poison Love" the vocals of Sahm are complemented by Jimenez on the accordion with Augie Meyers on piano, Bromberg on dobro and Andy Statman on mandolin. The Dylan-written "

Wallflower ''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus ''Cheiranthus'' is sometimes included here in whole o ...

" was a lead collaboration between Sahm and Dylan. In "Dealer's Blues" the horn section led by Newman also featured

Jack Walrath Jack Arthur Walrath (born May 5, 1946) is an American post-bop jazz trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles, Gary Peacock, Charles Mingus, and Glenn Ferris, among others. Biography Walrath was born in Stuart, Florida. ...

, Martin Fierro and Mel Martin. Kosek returned with Sahm with in the twin fiddles in the cover of

Bob Wills James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although ...

' "

Faded Love "Faded Love" is a Western swing song written by Bob Wills, his father John Wills, and his brother, Billy Jack Wills. The tune is considered to be an exemplar of the Western swing fiddle component of American fiddle. The melody came from an 185 ...

". Dylan returned in "Blues, Stay Away From Me", also playing a guitar solo.

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...

's "Papa Ain't Salty" and Willie Nelson's "Me and Paul" follow. Newman returned in "Don't Turn Around", followed by the closing "I Get Off".

Release and reception

The album was released in January 1973. The singles were "

" and "It's Gonna Be Easy". The album garnered mixed reviews and sold poorly, reaching 125 on ''Billboard''s Top LPs & Tapes. The '' Billboard'' review was favorable, calling the LP "the ultimate in mellow country contemporary". The review remarked the importance of Dylan's support.

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As critic and music editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays and profiles appeared in publications around the wor ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' wrote a mixed review, saying "There are some rather ordinary moments in the album, but there are some tracks ..that you just shouldn't do without". The ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' album guide declared that Sahm "faltered" on " forgettable album". Robert Christgau rated the album "B−", calling Sahm a "talent, not a genius", and opined that the accompanying artists "only inhibit dhim". Later reviews praised the album.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

rated the album with five stars out of five, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine concluded "this is music that is vividly, excitedly alive and captures Sahm at a peak. It's pretty much irresistible". The Vinyl District rated the album "A", and opined that it was "an instant classic—energetic, ecstatic, and in general the kind of LP guaranteed to put a smile on your face".

Track listing

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Doug Sahm Atlantic Records albums 1973 debut albums Doug Sahm albums Albums produced by Jerry Wexler Albums produced by Arif Mardin