His teacher explained he could not teach Sahm to read music, and the boy could already play by ear. His mother took him to a local music school, but his teacher turned him down soon after. He was regarded as a child prodigy on the steel guitar. The same year, he appeared on San Antonio's radio station KMAC and performed the Sons of the Pioneers' "Teardrops in My Heart". Sahm began singing at age five, and took up the steel guitar at age six. During the Great Depression, Sahm's parents moved to San Antonio, where Victor worked at Kelly Field Air Force base. Alfred Sahm was a musician who played with the polka band The Sahm Boys. Sahm's grandparents, Alfred and Alga, owned a farm near Cibolo, Texas.
The Sahm family had migrated to the United States from Germany early in the 20th century, and settled initially in Galveston, Texas. 3 Move to California and return to Texasĭoug Sahm was born in San Antonio, Texas, on November 6, 1941, to Victor A.Sahm received multiple honors in the state of Texas, including hall of fame inductions and memorials in public places. A posthumous album, The Return of Wayne Douglas, was released in 2000. In 1999, Sahm died during a vacation trip. The Texas Tornados toured successfully, and one of their releases earned a Grammy Award. In 1989, Sahm formed the supergroup the Texas Tornados with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Augie Meyers, Freddy Fender and Flaco Jiménez. Meanwhile, he enjoyed success in Sweden and in Canada. Atlantic Records signed Sahm and released his debut solo album Doug Sahm and Band in 1973.Īfter a continuing decline in record sales, Sahm kept performing in clubs in Austin, and moved through different record labels. In 1971, he returned to San Antonio, and soon after he moved to Austin. Meaux produced Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover". Sahm had local hit records, while he played clubs as a musician for other bands. He made his recording debut as "Little Doug" in 1955, and was influenced by rock and roll during his teenage years. By the age of eight, he had appeared on the Louisiana Hayride. He was considered a child prodigy on the instrument. Sahm began singing at age five and learned to play the steel guitar at age six. With his blend of music, he found success performing in Austin, Texas, as the hippie counterculture soared in the 1970s. Sahm was influenced by the San Antonio music scene that included conjunto and blues, and later by the hippie scene of San Francisco. He gained fame along with his band, the Sir Douglas Quintet, with a top-twenty hit in the United States and the United Kingdom with " She's About a Mover" (1965).
Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important performer of Texan Music. Douglas Wayne Sahm (Novem– November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas.