R.I.P. Augie Meyers of Sir Douglas Quintet & Texas Tornados

Sadly, Augie Meyers of the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados has passed away at the age of 85. He'll be greatly missed.

 Augie Meyers, 1940-2026

Augie and his Vox organ was the secret sauce of the Sir Douglas Quintet. Doug couldn’t have SDQ hits without Augie. “Master of syncopation and timing,” according to Bob Dylan, who hired him to play on Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind. Founding member of The Texas Tornados, as well as a hitmaker in his own right. 

In honour of Augie Meyers, you can watch Sir Doug & and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove for free using code FORAUGIE from 3/10-3/17: vimeo.com/ondemand/sirdougfilm 

Rest in groover’s paradise, Augie.

 

R.I.P. Texas Tornados bassist Miller "Speedy" Sparks

Sadly, Austin legend Speedy Sparks – who played with Doug Sahm, Texas Tornados and ran Dynamic Records – has passed away.  

Doug Sahm doc premieres at SXSW on March 19

Certain to be a highlight of SXSW 2015's film component, Sir Doug & The Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove tells the story of Doug Sahm, the wild man musicians' musician and unsung hero of Texas music. A country music child prodigy and teenage rhythm & blues dynamo who caused a riot at his San Antonio high school, Sahm emerged as an international rock star leading the Sir Douglas Quintet. He landed in San Francisco just in time for the Summer of Love in 1967. He returned to Texas as the cowboy hippie rocker who built a burgeoning music scene in Austin before forming the Tex-Mex super group The Texas Tornados. A kinetic, quirky character with a solid sense of place as well as an innate wanderlust, Doug Sahm’s story is the story of Texas music.

The project is a collaboration between Texas writer/director Joe Nick Patoski (who first interviewed Sahm in 1973) and the film company Arts+Labor with the assistance of the Society for the Preservation of Texas Music, a non-profit organization formed in November 2013. The SPTM's Board of Directors include Austin Chronicle and SXSW co-founder Louis Black (credited as one of the film's executive producers), record exec Bill Bentley, attorney Tom Mason, and Arts+Labor executive producer Craig Parks.

Following the premiere presentation of Sir Doug & the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove at Austin's venerable Parmount Theatre on Thursday (March 19) – see details below – the film will subsequently screen on Friday (March 20) at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar and Saturday (March 21) at the Austin Convention Center’s Vimeo Theater.

Also on Saturday night, SXSW will stage a Sir Doug Sahm Tribute Concert at the Paramount featuring Marcia Ball's reunited 70s band Freda & The Firedogs in addition to performances by the Texas Tornados, Terry Allen, Joe "King" Carrasco, Julie Christensen, Rosie Flores and the West Side Horns, Charlie Sexton, Steve Earle and C.C. Adcock. SXSW delegates w/badges and wristbands will get preferred admission with some tickets for the concert being made available at the Paramount's online box office.

Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove
Paramount Theatre (713 Congress Ave) Austin, Texas
Thursday (March 19)
7:30PM - 8:52PM
Tickets for the film screening are available here.

Happy Birthday Doug Sahm