A Lone Star original with a German surname, an Edwardian suit, a Beatles haircut, a loving knowledge of the blues and r&b, Western swing and Tex-Mex sounds, a voice like a flayed and tanned hide, a deliriously eclectic bag of tunes, a bare handful of nationally charting hits, and a cult that includes admirers Jerry Wexler, Bod Dylan, Elvis Costello, and Joe "King" Carrasco? Nothing about Douglas Wayne Sahm is quite what it appears to be.
Born in San Antonio on November 6, 1941, Sahm descended from "squareheads", as the German settlers who contributed the accordion to border music are known in Texas: at the turn of the century his grandfather had what Sahm calls "a German oom-pah-pah band".
Doug himself started playing tripleneck steel guitar at the tender age of six. When he was nine, his father began taking him to local joints like The Barns to see stars like Webb Pierce, Hank Williams and Bob Wills. " I used to watch the steel players", he grins. "Before I even had a guitar I took a box and drew strings on it, and when the radio would come on with fifteen minutes of country bands I'd fantasize that I was playing the steel over the radio".
By his teens he was past-fantasy, gigging around in local bar bands on guitar and fiddle, playing the time's typical stew of r&b stompers, rockabilly rave-ups, roadhouse blues, and Western-swing and two step rhythms. Sahm recalls, "I was listening to Hank Ballard and Chuck Berry, Webb Pierce and Howlin' Wolf, The Drifters and Hank Williams and Johnny Ace, all that '50s stuff. Little Richard was my favorite. The music really incensed a lot of parents, although it wasn't very racial at all. The east side of San Antonio, where I grew up, was predominantly black then -now it's all black-. San Antonio's very racially mixed, always has been; the older people mix really well. So parents just knew there was something in that black music that the kids loved. They had no idea what was coming". Neither did the kids themselves, "When I saw Elvis in '56 it just blew my mind. I put the pompadour up, got in front of the mirror, and started to practice shaking".
The Sir Douglas Quintet is considered a pioneering influence in the history of rock and roll for incorporating Tex-Mex and Cajun styles into rock music. Early influences on the band's emerging Texas style were even broader than this, and included ethnic and pop music from the 1950s and 1960s, such as doo-wop, electric blues, soul music, and British Invasion. The Quintet brought the older styles into a contemporary context, for instance by adapting the doo-wop feel, beat, and chord progressions. Perhaps even more off-beat for a late 1960s rock band than some inclusion of doo-wop type songs was that the band also played in styles like Western swing and polka (a Country & Western form and rhythmic style, from the Texas Hill Country, rather than a straight European style). They approached these styles with an instrumental line-up that was typical of blues bands: one guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, and drummer, and a member who could play either trumpet or saxophone.
In the mid 1960s, the band relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and absorbed features of the San Francisco Sound, including the loud and lush electric bass tone and freer percussion and guitar stylings. Band members also explored musical elements specific to modern jazz at that time. For studio recordings, they sometimes added an extra session musician or two, often to flesh out the brass dimension of a track's sound. Good examples of what they achieved when they absorbed the new jazz and psychedelic elements into their music can be found on the album, Sir Douglas Quintet + 2.
In live performances, blues, often with swing or shuffle beats, was usually a substantial component of the set. Besides doing their own original material, the Quintet revived several classics such as Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now" and Freddy Fender's "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" to be found on the albums Son of San Antonio and Texas Fever, respectively.
In addition to their best-known song "She's About a Mover," (1965) the band is known for its songs "Mendocino," (1968) "Can You Dig My Vibrations?" (1968) and "Dynamite Woman" (1969). "Mendocino" was released in December 1968, and reached #14 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 by early 1969, spending 15 weeks in the chart. It was even more successful in Europe, selling over three million copies.
In addition to Sahm and Meyers, original Sir Douglas Quintet members included Jack Barber on bass, Frank Morin on saxophone, trumpet and keyboards and Johnny Perez, Ernie Durawa and T.J. Ritterbach on drums. In 1969 Harvey Kagan joined the Quintet on bass, forming their most familiar line up - Kagan, Morin, Perez, Sahm, and Meyers. Bassist Jim Stallings also contributed to several albums during this period of shifting personnel which included, among others, guitarist Tom Nay of Sarasota, Florida (who played with the group for about a year), and John York, who later replaced Chris Hillman in The Byrds.
In 1972 the group split up when Sahm contracted to produce a solo album. Meyers, Perez, Morin, and Stallings briefly regrouped as The Quintet, with Farlow taking Sahm's place. In 1973 several Sir Douglas Quintet outtakes were released in their final album from the group's classic era, Rough Edges.
Doug Sahm and several members of the Sir Douglas Quintet released the album 'Texas Tornado' in 1973 as The Sir Douglas Band.
Sahm and Meyers continued to work together throughout the late 1970s and rejoined with Perez in 1980 for a reunion tour and album.
Sahm and Meyers were also members of the Texas Tornados in the early 1990s.
In 2005 The Sir Douglas Quintet were among the new class of musicians chosen for the nominating ballot to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Taken from The Best Of Doug Sahm & The Sir Douglas Quintet's booklet, (Mercury, 1990) by Gene Santoro.
She's About A Mover
The Sir Douglas Quintet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lay it on me, Augie, eh
Well, she was a-walkin' down the street
Lookin' fine as she could be
Hey, hey!
Well, she was a-walkin' down the street
Hey, hey!
Well, you have love and conversation
Whoa, yeah, baby, what I say!
Hey, hey!
She's about a mover (mover)
She's about a mover (mover)
She's about a mover (mover)
She's about a mover (mover)
Hey, hey, hey, hey
What I say!
She's about a mover (mover)
She's about a mover (mover)
Well, you know I love you, baby
Whoa, yeah, what I say!
Hey, hey!
Do your thing, Augie
Yeah, and the crew
Well, she strolled on up to me and said
"Hey, big boy, what's your name?"
Hey, hey!
Well, she strolled on up to me and said
"Hey, big boy, what's your name?"
Hey, hey!
Well, you have love and conversation
Whoa, yeah, baby, what I say!
Hey, hey!
She's about a mover (mover)
She's about a mover (mover)
Mover, mover
Mover, mover, mover
Sahm and what you know about that frickin' guitar player
(?) out there
The Sir Douglas Quintet's song She's About a Mover is a classic rock track with infectious rhythms and catchy lyrics. The opening verse sets the scene with the singer seeing a woman walking down the street and admiring her looks. The chorus repeats the phrase "She's about a mover" four times, emphasizing the woman's energy and charisma.
The rest of the song follows a similar pattern, with the woman approaching the singer and asking for his name. The lyrics suggest that the singer is attracted to the woman, and the repetition of the phrase "well, you have love and conversation" implies that their conversation is going well. The song's energy builds with each verse and chorus, creating a sense of excitement that reflects the woman's vibrant personality.
Overall, She's About a Mover is a celebration of a woman who exudes confidence and charisma, with the music and lyrics working together to create a sense of energy and excitement.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah
Expression of agreement or excitement
Lay it on me, Augie, eh
Encouragement or request for Augie to begin playing music
Well, she was a-walkin' down the street
Description of a woman walking on the street
Lookin' fine as she could be
Noting that the woman looks attractive
Hey, hey!
Expression of admiration or excitement
Well, you have love and conversation
Woman seems to have good qualities, like the ability to converse and express love
Whoa, yeah, baby, what I say!
Expression of admiration or excitement
She's about a mover (mover)
The woman is a good dancer or is lively and energetic
Hey, hey!
Expression of admiration or excitement
She's about a mover (mover)
The woman is a good dancer or is lively and energetic
She's about a mover (mover)
The woman is a good dancer or is lively and energetic
She's about a mover (mover)
The woman is a good dancer or is lively and energetic
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Expression of admiration or excitement
What I say!
Expression of excitement or emphasis
Well, you know I love you, baby
Expression of affection or admiration towards a woman
Whoa, yeah, what I say!
Expression of excitement or emphasis
Hey, hey!
Expression of admiration or excitement
Do your thing, Augie
Encouragement of Augie to continue playing music
Yeah, and the crew
Acknowledgment of the band members
Well, she strolled on up to me and said
Description of a woman approaching the singer
"Hey, big boy, what's your name?"
The woman asks for the singer's name in a flirtatious manner
Well, you have love and conversation
Repetition of the woman's previously mentioned positive qualities
Whoa, yeah, baby, what I say!
Expression of admiration or excitement
She's about a mover (mover)
The woman is a good dancer or is lively and energetic
She's about a mover (mover)
The woman is a good dancer or is lively and energetic
Mover, mover
Repetition of the phrase "she's about a mover"
Mover, mover, mover
Repetition of the phrase "she's about a mover" with emphasis
Sahm and what you know about that frickin' guitar player
Reference and acknowledgement of guitarist in the band
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Doug Sahm
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@guymichel101
This song in particular—this song is one of the best songs ever recorded. Every time I hear it, from when I was 14 to now when I'm 71, I just start bobbin and boppin and swayin along. Like the Four Tops, I can't help myself, because this song is got such a quintessential, monumental, Biblically torrential, planet-eating groove. See? Even my words start shingalingin along. How could you not? Captivated, And loving it.
@davidelmore1668
Me, too! Thanks for what you said!
@ginevragali2981
Hey, Guy….I’m 70…and you speak the truth!❤
@jamesnunn7181
Totally inspired by The Beatles ‘She’s a Woman’ if you haven’t heard that you’d probably love that too!
@mybingobrain
Wooly Bully
@dickgarnolett
@@jamesnunn7181 d cm
@shirleystone3476
I’m 56, I have had many, many dreams with this song in my head. You don’t hear it, you feel it! It is not until I was an adult, that I realized when I was a young child, my Dad, who was a Tejano musician, used to play this record over & over. This group is from San Antonio, my Dad is from Kingsville and the rhythm on this song is like much of the Tejano music he played & is still being played today….He would have been 83 last month. He raised us with great musical taste. RIP Dad, ❤❤!
@pigurine
There has NEVER been music as good as the 60s, everyday was a monster hit
@theherbpuffer
The 70s were better
@icantdance5712
Not quite.