Formed in 1964, the quintet was fashioned by a Houston-based producer, Huey P. Meaux, and former teenage prodigy, Doug Sahm (b. 6 November 1941, San Antonio, Texas, USA, d. 18 November 1999, Taos, New Mexico, USA). The name, Sir Douglas Quintet, first used on ‘Sugar Bee’ (1964), was fashioned to suggest Anglo credentials in the midst of the British Invasion, but Sahm’s southern accent soon belied the attempted deception. Augie Meyers (b. 31 May 1940; organ), Francisco (Frank) Morin (b. 13 August 1946; horns), Harvey Kagan (b. 18 April 1946; bass) and John Perez (b. 8 November 1942; drums) completed the line-up which had an international hit with ‘She’s About A Mover’, an infectious blend of Texas pop and the Beatles’ ‘She’s A Woman’, underscored by Meyers’ simple, insistent keyboards. This charming style continued on several further singles and the band’s debut album, prematurely entitled The Best Of Sir Douglas Quintet.
In keeping with several Texans, including Janis Joplin and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, the Quintet sought the relaxed clime of San Francisco following an arrest on drugs charges in 1966. However, it was two years before the band resumed recording, although only Sahm and Morin were retained from the earlier unit which was bolstered by other Lone Star state exiles Wayne Talbert (piano), Martin Fierro (horns) and George Rains (drums). The original Quintet was reconstituted for Mendocino. This superb selection remains their finest offering and includes the atmospheric ‘At The Crossroads’, a fiery remake of ‘She’s About A Mover’ and the compulsive title track, which became the band’s sole million-seller when released as a single. This commercial peak was not sustained and despite delivering several other excellent albums, the unit broke up in 1972 when Sahm embarked on a solo career. It was, however, a temporary respite and, after re-forming in 1976, the band was resurrected on several occasions, in part to tour and capitalize on a continued European popularity. Sahm suffered a fatal heart attack in a New Mexico motel room in November 1999.
