Sir Douglas Quintet
| Sir Douglas Quintet | |
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Sir Douglas Quintet in 1965
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| Background information | |
| Origin | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1964–1973 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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| Past members | See members section |
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. However, once their career was established (subsequent to working with Texas record-producer Huey Meaux), the band relocated to the West Coast. Their move coincided with the burgeoning San Francisco psychedelic rock scene of the mid 1960s to early 1970s. Overall, the quintet were exponents of good-times music with strong roots in blues and Texas-regional traditions.
Doug Sahm, a veteran of the professional music scene who first sang on the radio at the age of five, formed the Quintet (first called simply 'Sir Douglas') in 1964 with longtime friend Augie Meyers and the other original members, Jack Barber, Frank Morin and Johnny Perez. Sahm had started out in the country music scene and had even played (at age eleven) on-stage with Hank Williams, Sr. during the latter's final performance. Sahm went on to play in blues clubs in his teenage years and had gained experience as a band leader.
The initial success of the new group, the Quintet, on the airwaves and sales charts was achieved when they made records in conjunction with Houston music producer Huey P. Meaux. Houston's recording industry had become the center of Texas R&B music.
The Quintet was born in a cross-cultural south Texas musical melting pot that included the sounds and traditions of Mexico, Bohemia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Germany and African-America. But aware of the major trends, producer Huey Meaux advised connecting the new group with the English pop-music trend. As a consequence, the Texas-local R&B, Tex-Mex, and other veins the musicians were familiar with initially went through a period of influence by the British pop bands of the early and mid 1960s. For a short while, the youthful members of the group emulated Beatles-like "mop-top" demeanor and antics on stage. However, they soon outgrew these trappings.
The Quintet is perhaps best known for the 1965 hit single "She's About a Mover" written by Doug Sahm. The song, which has a 12-bar blues structure, was once named the number one 'Texas' song by Texas Monthly. With an infectious Vox Continental organ riff provided by Augie Meyers and soulful vocals from Sahm, the track has a Tex-Mex sound. The regional smash became a breakaway hit, and the recording was used in the soundtracks of the films "Echo Park" (1986), "American Boyfriends" (1989), "The Doors" (1991), "Riding in Cars with Boys" (2001), "Sorority Boys" (2002), and "Beautiful Darling: (2010). The Quintet's recordings were used as well in the soundtracks of other films, such as Cisco Pike and An Officer and a Gentleman.
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